Indian National Finals Rodeo – (Browning, MT)
This will be the 34th Annual Indian National
Finals Rodeo (INFR) held in Las Vegas, Nevada. The rodeo attracts over 100,000
people throughout the 4-day event. This year in conjunction with Native
American Programs across the US and Canada are joining forces to bring
Awareness to Native Americans. Their outreach activity will include Health
Awareness booths set up around the arena concourse with a variety of education
information available for the spectators and contestants. The INFR has three
Native American physicians that will be onsite to answer questions and to help
anyone that would like consultation on the disease. In addition, contestants
will be given patches to wear on their shirts that will be designed to say:
Diabetes Prevention is: Powerful, Possible and Proven. All fans will receive
the patch as well. A walk for Native American Awareness will be scheduled.
Programs can donate t-shirts to the participants of the walk. During the Rodeo
Performances announcements will be made throughout, encouraging people to get
educated through diabetes materials available during the event.
Website: www.infr.org
Alabama Indian Affairs Commission - (Montgomery, AL)
The Alabama Indian Affairs Commission consists of over
50,000 individuals in nine tribes that are officially state recognized. The
tribal members live both in urban and rural areas but both share a lack of
access to medical information which specifically addresses Indian health
issues. The tribal agency will concentrate on tribal activities such as tribal
meetings and holiday gatherings. During the meetings and gatherings tribal
members will be briefed about diabetes and its prevalence in their communities
through diabetes related information. The tribe’s Community Health Navigator
(CHN) will conduct a one on one feedback session and provide the agency a short
summary of the effectiveness of the programs for their tribes. The goal is to
get diabetes information out to the American Indian population in such a manner
that will be understood and accepted by tribal communities.
Website: www.aiac.state.al.us/
Jones Academy Native American Boarding School – (Hartshorne,
OK)
Jones Academy is a Native American residential learning
center located in a rural community of Oklahoma for elementary and secondary school age
children. Students come from parts of Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi, New Mexico,
Nevada, South Dakota, and several other states. The boarding school will work
with children grades 1st-6th to prevent Type 2 Diabetes
and heart disease. An after-school activity will commence one time a week for
45 minutes. For each grade, students will be taught nutrition education once a
week for 30 minutes. Students will be rewarded with a celebration awards
banquet at the end of the school year. The project will include increased physical
activity, improving nutrition content of foods by decreasing fats and sodium
and improving students’ knowledge of physical activity and nutrition.
Website: www.jonesacademy.org
Wagner Area Health and Wellness Consortium – (Wagner, SD)
Located in rural south-central South Dakota, over 3,500
tribal members reside on the reservation. There are approximately 500 Native
Americans diagnosed with diabetes living on the reservation and more that have
not yet been diagnosed. The Wagner Area Health and Wellness Consortium outreach
activity will include implementing a diabetes awareness program at the Lake
Andes Youth Center and the Boys and Girls Clubs. One two-hour session will base
the program on the traditional Native American lifestyle. The children and their
parents will be invited to attend. Awareness efforts will focus on the health
and wellness experienced by previous generations through hard work, healthy
food, and an active lifestyle. The program will illustrate how things have
changed and why current generations are experiencing increasing trends in
obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Information will be presented via verbal
presentations, slide shows, small group activities, and hands-on lessons.
Written materials will be provided on each topic discussed as well as materials
from the National Diabetes Education Program.
Wakanyaja Waste Program – (McLaughlin, SD)
In 2006, 5,518 children aged 6-18 years of age received care
at the McLaughlin Area Indian Health Service Unit. The overall quality of life
is adversely affected by the deprivation that exists within the service unit.
Intervention for diabetes has the possibility of reducing mortality within this
age group. The Wakanyaja Waste Program will be working with children 6-18 years
of age to case manage obese children through an algorithm of screening,
education, medical management and prevention activities in an attempt to reduce
obesity. The program will make Move It! to Prevent Childhood Diabetes’ posters
for each district in the area. The posters will feature people engaging in a
healthy activity from each district to be displayed in that community. The program’s goal is to bring
attention to obesity as a major contributor to pre-diabetes.
Oklahoma City Indian Clinic Youth Wellness Program –
(Oklahoma City, OK)
The B.R.A.I.D. Being Responsible American Indians with
Diabetes serves urban American Indians in the metro Oklahoma City area. The
program works with children and their families who attended the summer 2009
diabetes prevention camps. The children are followed for 6 months prior to the
camps to look at behavior changes made which include assessing height and
weight. Assessments also look at BMI as well as improved food and beverage
choices. Follow up activities include a fun health event at Celebration Station
for both the children and families, which will include a light meal,
assessments, and diabetes prevention education.
Website: www.okcic.com
Santee Sioux Nation Teen Center – (Niobrara, NE)
The Santee Sioux Nation Teen Center is located in the rural
northeastern part of Nebraska. The tribal program will work with children 7th
– 12th grade ages 15-19 years old who has an average BMI of 27.4.
The Teen Center chose the group because out of 7 teens, 16% are overweight and
out of 13 students 58% are obese. The program’s weekly activity will encourage
students to move and be active using a Nintendo Wii to calculate BMI, students’
fit age, and document daily progress. The knowledge will be beneficial to all
teenagers so they will have a better understanding of diabetes prevention.
Three youth skills instructors will be working with the teenagers to fight
against diabetes and will collaborate with other activities by the Wicozani
Tipi Wellness Center throughout the year.
Website: www.ssenm.com
Northwest Indian College – (Bellingham, WA)
Northwest Indian College is located on the reservation in
Washington and is the only accredited tribal college in the Pacific Northwest.
The tribal college’s Diabetes Prevention through Traditional Food and Medicines
program was designed to address the wellness of Coast Salish people and help
incorporate traditional foods back into modernized diet. Each month one of the
tribes’ hosts a Diabetes Prevention through Traditional Foods and Medicines class
and the topic varies depending on what month/season it is. In the Fall, the
tribal college will host a Fall Harvest Celebration where participants will
gather together and enjoy the healthy foods that were once eaten on a regular
basis and will share healthy recipes with everyone.
Website: www.nwic.edu
Warner Mountain Indian Health – (Fort Bidwell, CA)
Warner Mountain Indian Health is located on and in the
surrounding area of Fort Bidwell Indian Reservation. The tribal health facility
focuses on community members over the age of 41 that are interested in enhancing
their wellness with exercise and reducing their risk of diabetes or, if they
currently have diabetes, decreasing the chance of additional risks while
providing cardio and weight loss exercise. However, any community member over
the age of 14 is more than welcome to participate for the same reasons. The
commencement of water aerobic classes will be held twice a week at the wellness
center. Several different DVD programs will lead the classes since there are no
certified instructors in the area. A short presentation of the class will be
given to the community tribal council, the health board, and to the general
majority of the population. This low- impact exercise will increase wellness,
cardiovascular fitness, and muscular fitness for participants with diabetes,
pre-diabetes, obesity, arthritis and other ailments that make it hard to
participate in regular aerobic exercise.
Website: www.ihs.gov/facilitiesservices
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