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HEAL Southwest Program
Quarterly Update - May 2026
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On behalf of the Tséhootsooí Medical Center (TMC) nursing division, 2025 HEAL Southwest Leadership Fellow, Rocedeelyn (Rose) Roan, and HEAL alumna, Dr. Cristina Rivera Carpenter, recently presented on the "Journey to Hozho" - an initiative that centers on Hózhó, the Navajo philosophy of balance, harmony, and right relationships, to guide a holistic approach to care. The success of this innovative and culturally-based intervention was recently shared at two major events in late March 2026: HEAL Project Collaboration Call (March 24, 2026) and American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) Breakout Session in Chicago, IL (March 30, 2026).
Central to this transformation are two key frameworks. The K’é Nursing Care Model: This model bridges Western nursing with culturally-related care, shifting the focus from task-based work to one of relational accountability among patients, families, and providers. The Four Sacred Directions: This framework guides professional growth by promoting thinking (Nitsáhákees), planning (Nahat’á), living the work (Iiná), and reflecting for renewal (Siih Hasin).
To reinforce this cultural reclamation, the hospital (TMC) is normalizing traditional practices like morning prayers, smudging, and access to traditional counselors within the medical setting. Nursing leadership serves as a key stakeholder and guide in this overarching initiative, which is rebranding and revising the organization based on culturally centered concepts like Hózhó and K’é.
By focusing on sustainability, developing leaders rooted in Diné values, and embracing this "relentless incrementalism," nurses like Rocedeelyn, Dr. Cristina Rivera Carpenter, and their fellow co-contributors at the Tséhootsooí Medical Center are creating a center of excellence for all of Indian Country.
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HEAL Fellows, Rocedelynn Roan and Cristina Rivera Carpenter, along with co-contributors Jacinda Willeto and Atheina Tsinijinnie, shared their work on “The K’é Nursing Model” on nursology.net. “The K’é Nursing Model” is a culturally grounded approach to healthcare that is deeply rooted in Navajo (Diné) philosophy and Indigenous knowledge systems. This model was developed to address the limitations of standard nursing theories, the model centers on the concept of K’é—a system of kinship defined by respect, love, and accountability—which guides practitioners to treat patients as sacred living beings and relatives.
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Virtual Sessions
February
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Fellows revisited Community Guidelines (Dr. Begay) to reinforce a safe, respectful learning space, followed by an Individual Development Plan session (Jenn Gorman, alum) to support goal setting, skill assessment, and structured professional growth.
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A cross-cohort Journal Circle on well-being introduced a reflective approach to reviewing literature—centering relevance to our communities, our work, and ourselves—while fostering rich discussion across HEAL cohorts (Dr. Rivera-Carpenter).
March
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A guest lecture (Jennifer Nanez), “Returning to the Sacred Path: Cultural Safety and AI/AN Health,” invited fellows into healing-centered engagement and practical approaches to advancing cultural safety in healthcare and community settings.
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The session on Conflict Communication explored how power and privilege shape interactions within hierarchical healthcare systems, followed by storytelling and shared reflections on navigating these dynamics (Dr. Rivera-Carpenter).
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April In-Person Session
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Guest speaker, Delono Ashley, presented on “Leadership from a Navajo Perspective” where he highlighted the meaning and characteristics of Navajo leadership, or naat’áanii.
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2025 Southwest Leadership Fellow, Shareed Gemira, shared her story of “Service Across Cultures: A Filipino Nurse’s Journey in Healing, Family, and Leadership” giving insight into her Filipino culture, upbringing, and overall journey to where she is now at the Winslow Indian Health Care Center (WIHCC). Shareed ended her presentation with the statement: “...healthcare is not just clinical knowledge, it is deeply human.”
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HEAL Fellow Spotlight:
Shareed Gemira, BSN, RN
Shareed Gemira, BSN,RN (SW Cohort 2), has transformed her professional role by using the HEAL curriculum with a focus on leadership development, strengthening her skills in conflict resolution and staff coaching while advancing her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree.
Impact in Action: Shareed translated her learning into a key workplace initiative: integrating health literacy principles into staff education. By applying leadership and systems-thinking frameworks, she empowered her team to better understand and communicate with patients.
The Ripple Effect: The results are clear: staff members are now demonstrating increased awareness and adopting new strategies to simplify complex medical information, confirm patient understanding, and tailor communication to individual needs. This incremental shift signals a profound transition toward more effective and empathetic patient engagement.
For Shareed, the HEAL experience is defined by the opportunity to honor Native culture through culturally responsive care. As she reflects, “HEAL is a transformative space to evolve as a leader—one where cultural humility, equity, and systems-level innovation converge to uplift my patients, my team, and the entire community.”
| | HEAL Southwest Team Updates | |
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At the 2026 Social Medicine Alliance Conference in Los Angeles (March 30–31), our team was honored to contribute to national conversations on health equity. Dr. Adriann Begay served as a moderator for the breakout session “Fellowship & Global Health Training,” and was deeply inspired by opening plenary speaker Dr. Beverly Malone, who reminded us to “keep climbing the mountain and follow our north star; and as we continue to climb that mountain, the landscape shifts. Her call to dream boldly, and take action, because “a dream without action is a hallucination,” continues to guide our work. It was also a joy to reconnect with California HEAL fellows (Rose, Jackie, Jesus, and Milo) and co-founder Sri, who shared their work on advancing equity in their communities.
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On March 31, Jade Goodwill (HEAL Southwest Team Consultant) traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in a Hill Day, representing HEAL, with Partners in Health advocating for the “IHS Provider Expansion Act” (H.R. 3670) - a new bill introduced to support graduate medical education initiatives at IHS, Tribal Health Programs, and Urban Indian Organizations (I/T/U). Jade talked with staff members from the offices of Senator Mark Kelly, Senator Rubén Gallego, Rep. Eli Crane, and Rep. Adelita Grijalva.
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On April 11, Dr. Adriann Begay and Dr. Cristina Carpenter-Rivera presented virtually at the Arizona AHEC’s 14th Annual Interprofessional Rural Health Professions Program Conference, highlighting the HEAL model, Southwest Leadership Program curriculum, and future directions.
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In addition, Dr. Begay, Jade, and Meg Tremblay (HEAL Southwest Program Officer) participated in HEAL Strategy Week in Oakland, sharing program updates, impact stories, and planning for upcoming 2026 Southwest Leadership Cohort recruitment.
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Recruitment for the Southwest Leadership 2026 Cohort is now in full swing, with application reviews, interviews, and reference checks underway. Final selections made and awaiting confirmation from applicants.
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A special thank you to...
W. K. Kellogg Foundation
Flora Family Foundation (Resiliency Grant)
New Mexico Community Foundation
Anchorum Health Foundation
Abundance Foundation
for your contributions to the HEAL Southwest Leadership Program!
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Partner Spotlight: Investing in Community-Rooted Leadership
We are honored to partner with W.K. Kellogg Foundation who share a deep commitment to advancing health equity in the Southwest. Through their support, the HEAL Southwest Leadership Program continues to grow a network of leaders dedicated to serving rural and Indigenous communities with skill, compassion, and cultural grounding.This partnership reflects a shared belief that lasting change comes from within communities—by investing in people, relationships, and long-term leadership development. We are especially grateful for the opportunity to engage in ongoing dialogue, learning together about what is working, where challenges remain, and how we can continue to strengthen impact.
| | | Professional Development Spotlights | | |
Dacia Cunejo, BSN, CPN
- Currently taking a leadership course through Duke University
- Completed Rural Health Nurse certification
Evelyn Garcia, MSN, BSN, RN
- Started Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at Grand Canyon University
Rocedeelyn Roan, MSN/MBA, RN, WCC
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Interim Women’s Health Nurse Executive at Tséhootsooí Medical Center (TMC) as of January 2026
- Presented at American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) Conference in Chicago, IL (March 2026)
- Taking AONL Nurse Manager course for certification
- Completing Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Black Belt Training with Michigan University in June 2026
Shareed Gemira, BSN, RN
- Additional trainings - Arizona Immunization Conference and Leadership Development Sessions
- Presented on Health Literacy at workplace
- Working on Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree with an emphasis in Leadership in Health Care Systems
Teshina Cody, BSN, RN
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Nurse Executive for the Primary Care Clinic at Tséhootsooí Medical Center (TMC) as of January 2026
- Returning to school to obtain Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree
Wilberta Jackson, BSN, RN
- Returning to school to obtain Master of Public Health (MPH) degree
Vanessa Tahe, DNP, RN, CPNP-PC
- Attending trainings for Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) certifications and research
| | Sheryl Livingston, MA, LPCC | | | |
Looking Ahead:
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May 28: Virtual Session - "Foundational Trauma, Education, & Prevention Training"
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June 21-26: June Training in Flagstaff, AZ
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July: Global Health Training (GHT) - Welcoming Southwest Leadership Cohort 2026!
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Best,
Southwest HEAL Team
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Contact Information:
For queries or additional information, please respond to this email or contact:
SW Team Consultant: Jade Okute Win Goodwill
jade.goodwill@healinitiative.org
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