Health News & Notes
February 2024
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Calendar
Feb. 20, 2023
Tribal Self-Governance Advisory Committee Meeting (TSGAC)
Feb. 27, 2023
IHS NTAC on Behavioral Health QI Meeting
Zoom Link
Mar. 13, 2023
Healthy Native Youth Community of Practice: Swab Squad to the Rescue
Registration Link
Mar. 14, 2023
Periodontitis & Alzheimer's Disease Webinar
(1 hr of CE offered to dental programs eligible for IHS CDE)
Registration Link
Mar. 14, 2023
Oral Health & Dental Webinar
Registration Link
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"Things My Grandfather Said" (Jefferson Rogers of SCLC) | |
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Alan Howard
Accounts Receivable Specialist
As I feel him hovering around me often these days, and perhaps am just beginning to understand why, I am inspired to share some of his truths that he told to me. At least, as best as I can remember.
It is tough to say where I end and he begins on this, but, MLK day [and Black History Month], as well-meaning as its expression is when celebrated by the people, often contains a troubling misinterpretation.
What I mean is the idea that what they were fighting for was ‘integration’ and that they achieved their goals.
Granddad would say that his goal, their goal, was always nothing less than the abolition of social hierarchy itself. He had no interest in integration at all, and I’ll leave it there.
His interest, and that of the civil rights movement as a whole, was the equality of all humans, with quality of life for all humans.
They were unwilling to accept anything less and never did. A story is told with a happy ending- that while Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, Jim Crow laws were repealed, Black America got “Integrated” and that’s all King wanted in the first place, so “end scene.”
In truth, King was shot after Jim Crow laws were repealed. King was shot after SCLC tried to begin the next (failed/delayed) stage of the movement. “The Poor People’s Campaign.”
When they started the campaign, King was told he would be killed, unless he stopped: unless he accepted the movement’s prior successes as ‘enough,’ and stopped fighting.
He did not stop. Then, he was assassinated. This is what my Grandfather told me.
The phase of the movement they were engaged with when King was assassinated was called “the Poor People’s Campaign.” The essential idea, as my grandfather told it, phase may sound familiar: the idea was to begin a dialogue across disparate and diverse communities for whom the current socio-economic system was oppressive. Out of that dialogue, create an agenda for both social change and, community improvement, accessing the legal and media infrastructure the civil rights movement had built to allow united communities of oppressed peoples to leverage real change. They planned to reach out across racial lines, especially to any non-white people with a strong social fabric (necessary for good movements)
It would seem that there was some level of concern, that this method would be inherently powerful. Well, such is my interpretation.
I wish he could have met you all. In his honor, and Dr. Kings, I remind any celebrating to celebrate the real goal, of absolute human equality, for all future generations.
It is a dream still worth dreaming.
Be Well-
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Project & Program Updates | |
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Indigenized Health Education
As Native people, our culture, stories, and traditions have taught us how to live life in a good way. One of our strengths is our ability to learn and teach. We have always known the best ways to educate our people about the issues impacting our communities. However, finding culturally relevant, modern, and accurate materials can be difficult.
To address this barrier, the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board created the Native Health Resources website. This site was developed as a one-stop shop for Indigenized health education materials. The materials on the website can bolster health education efforts for various clinicians, health educators, and others serving Tribes and Tribal organizations.
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Place an order today!
To learn more about the Native Health Resources website, contact Alicia Edwards at [email protected].
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NW Native American Research Center for Health (NARCH) | |
2024 Summer Research Training Institute | |
We are thrilled to announce that the 2024 NW NARCH Summer Research Training Institute will be in-person from June 10-21, 2024! | |
The NW NARCH Summer Research Training Institute (SRTI) is an intensive research training program designed for health professionals and students interested in Native health. Each week offers different, short courses that emphasize practical skill-building in research, program evaluation, and implementation. | |
Tribal Researchers' Cancer Control Fellowship Program | |
The Tribal Researchers’ Cancer Control Fellowship Program (TRCCFP) will be held in person at the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB). We encourage AI/AN graduate students, researchers, and tribal health workers with a demonstrated interest in cancer prevention and control to apply. | |
Applications are due March 20, 2024. | |
NW NARCH Undergraduate Research Support Fellowship Program | |
The NW Native American Research Center for Health (NARCH) Undergraduate Research Fellowship Application is open on our website! | |
Public Health Research Academy for Native High School Students | |
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The Academy is designed for AI/AN high school juniors and seniors interested in learning about public health research in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Community-based mentors are encouraged to apply and guide a group of 2-4 Native youth in this experience. Mentors can be educators, counselors, public health professionals, or other caring adults.
The Academy runs in Portland, Oregon, from June 24-28, 2024, and continues with 1-hour virtual learning sessions through the 2024-2025 academic year. Academy participants meet Indigenous researchers, learn about relatable public health topics, and complete a community-based research project by the end of the program.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and are due by May 1, 2024. Please visit our website to learn more about the Academy.
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Western Tribal Diabetes Project | |
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Northwest Tribal Epidemiology Center
(NW TEC)
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Healthy Native Youth Monthly Newsletter
February Issue Focuses on Teen Dating and Consent
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Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month – our Healthy Native Youth monthly newsletter includes culturally relevant curricula, tools, and resources for American Indian/Alaska Native teens, parents, and communities to promote healthy relationships, consent, sexual health, and mental health. | |
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Host An Intern: Middle/High School or College Age
Inspiring Next Gen of Tribal Public Health Professionals
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The Adolescent Health team at the NPAIHB is thrilled to support Native youth interested in pursuing Public Health professions. Please consider hosting, mentoring, or supervising student interns this spring/summer.
For more information, contact the Healthy Native Youth Outreach Specialist,
Taylor Dean (they/them | Puyallup) at email: [email protected].
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The Project Red Talon Regional Partner Network, coordinated by the Healthy Native Youth Project at the Northwest Tribal Epidemiology Center, includes collaborative regional partners working together to improve HIV/STI prevention and care for American Indian/Alaska Natives, including native youth and young adults.
Register and join the March Community of Practice to learn about the launch of the INDIGI-I Want The Kit initiative!
If you miss it, we record all sessions and can be located in the Resource Library with handouts.
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To receive updates about the conference or anything else going on with the THRIVE project, email THRIVE Project Coordinator Aurora Martinez at [email protected] to be added to the THRIVE Listserv. | |
Grant and Funding Opportunities | |
Black Artists of Oregon - Portland Art Museum
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“An intergenerational exhibit featuring 67 Black artists all cut from remarkably unique cloths, creating a metaphorical (or spiritual) quilt that is as diverse as it is dynamic as it is impactful as it is stunning.” Brianna Wheeler, Willamette Week
Sep 9, 2023 - Mar. 31, 2024
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Pamyua brings Inuit Soul Music to the World | |
Pamyua showcases Inuit culture through music and dance performances. The show is a platform to share indigenous knowledge and history. Their style derives from traditional melodies reinterpreted with contemporary vocalization and instrumentation. | |
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Mar. 29, 2024 (10 AM, 12 PM)
Yakima, WA
Apr. 4, 2024 (7:30 PM)
Edmonds, WA
Apr. 6, 2024 (7:30 PM)
Beaverton, OR
Apr. 9, 2024 (7:30 PM)
Eugene, OR
Apr. 12, 2024 (7:30 PM)
Spokane, WA
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Teen Dating Violence Prevention Month News and Resources | |
Quarterly Health News & Notes | |
Check out the Behavioral Health edition of the Health News & Notes quarterly journal. This issue features important Project and Program updates, resources for families and professionals, and more! | |
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Hilary Edwards
Swinomish Indian Tribal Community
General Counsel
Hilary Edwards is a member of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and acquired her Juris Doctor degree from Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. She also possesses a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, majoring in Management, from Seattle University. After graduating from Seattle University, Hilary moved to Australia for six months to work with Indigenous youth to overcome the alarmingly high suicide rates.
Following, she traveled to Nepal on a social justice trip, focusing on ethical tourism and the prevention of human trafficking. When she arrived back in the states, Hilary learned about the then-grassroots movement of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). During her time in law school, Hilary co-hosted the MMIWG panel. The panelists included NCAI President Fawn Sharp, Arizona Senator Sally Ann Gonzales, Arizona Senator Victoria Steele, and Arizona Representative Jennifer Jermaine. The event was created to bring awareness to this crisis that impacts Indian Country.
Furthermore, Hilary wrote her graduation writing requirement on the missing and murdered Indigenous relatives issue, titled "The Legal Killing of Indigenous People." She worked on the Reducing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls: Arizona's Statewide Study in Partnership with the HB 2570 Legislative Study Committee publication with ASU's Research on Violent Victimization Lab.
She currently serves as General Counsel for the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board. Her experience includes; Honor’s Attorney for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Health Law & Policy Intern for NPAIHB, Casework Coordinator for the Washington State Senate, Legal Intern for Procopio, Diversity Legal Writing Intern for Osborn Maledon, and Legal Intern for the Swinomish Office of Tribal Attorney.
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Meenakshi Richardson
Haliwa-Saponi Tribe
Senior Prevention Evaluator
Meenakshi Richardson, MS, MPH is a citizen of the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe and Asian Indian. She has worked alongside Indigenous populations both reservation-based and urban, having supported and led programming surrounding health and human services, community-based and Indigenous research methods, and Indigenous informed systems of care for nearly 8 years. She is currently a Prevention Science PhD candidate within the department of Human Development at Washington State University.
She pursues reciprocal collaborations and knowledge sharing through a cultural and integrative lens to address intergenerational trauma, resource access, racial equity, and social justice with Indigenous Peoples and communities of color. Additionally, her research practice and specialty interests surround trauma transmission prevention among Indigenous populations via the caregiver-child relationship and how these relationships prevent adverse behavioral health outcomes such as toxic stress, suicide, and substance use through strengths-based prevention and intervention strategies. She is a Native Children’s Research Exchange Scholar (cohort 11) and an affiliate with the Center for Indigenous Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Throughout this work, Meena has been guided by her own lived experience and that of her relatives to center Indigenous knowledge and cultural strengths as the focal point of care and growth in research and community-based praxis.
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Rebecca Descombes
Inupiaq Eskimo
Health Policy Assistant
My name is Rebecca Descombes (Day-Comb), I am an Inupiaq Eskimo born and raised in Utqiagvik, Alaska (formally Barrow, AK). I am the granddaughter of Eben Hopson Sr., who is a great historic political leader for Alaskan Native Rights and for Arctic Nations. My Grandfather's birthday on November 7, was named as Inuit Day in his honor. My father is a retired whaling captain and both my parents worked as public servants in their communities and Washington, D.C focusing on Native Education, Health, and Land Surveying for Water/Sewer upgrades. Being raised in a small community, I learned the importance of community engagement to fight for Alaskan Native rights, subsistence hunting and whaling.
When I first began college in 1998, I started out as a Music Major wanting to be a music teacher. Having inherited the want and need to help our Native peoples, I changed my major to Political Science. In 2013, I graduated from Portland State University with a BA: Political Science and 2 minors: Law & Legal Studies and Music. I am back at Portland State as a graduate student enrolled in their Masters of Public Administration program.
In previous roles, I have served as a Community Engagement Coordinator, Census Equity Coordinator, and Health & Environment Policy Coordinator. During the pandemic, I was a contract employee with Multnomah County as a Community Health Specialist specifically serving the Native American/Alaska Native community coordinating COVID-19 testing/vaccination and resource events in collaboration with Future Generations Collaborative. I am really excited to be here with NPAIHB and look forward to working with all of you.
When I have free time, I am an intermediate seamstress and mainly sew Alaskan Native kuspuks and am also a master crocheter making sweaters and sweater dresses.
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