10th Native Women & Men's Wellness .pdf - American Indian Institute

Alvarado G • Sacred Beginnings Project: Utilizing Community-Based
Participatory (CBPR) Methods in the Design and Implementation of
a Preconception Health Research Project on the Pine Ridge Indian
Reservation
Jennifer Richards, M.P.H. (Oglala/Lakota/Navajo/Taos)
Sacred Beginnings/Otokahe Wakan Project Coordinator - Oglala Sioux Tribe Health Administration
Lisa Schrader-Dillon, M.S.W. (Oglala Lakota)
OST Health Administrator/NARCH Program Director – Oglala Sioux Tribe
The Sacred Beginnings preconception health research project interventions are designed to increase
knowledge of preconception health and its benefits at the community, provider, and individual level, through
community-engaged and multi-level knowledge dissemination processes. The project follows a Tribal
Participatory Process model that includes collaboration with a Tribal Working Group and cultural advisors,
as well as reporting to a Tribal Research Review Board. Methods: A Tribal Working Group was developed
to serve in an advisory role with an emphasis on incorporating the Lakota culture into project activities and
materials. The working group has been vital in the development of a culturally relevant middle/high school
preconception health curriculum and media awareness campaign. Approximately 350 community members
completed a baseline community needs assessment to assist our working group and project staff in designing
project interventions. Results: Results of the assessment indicate what community members may consider
to be important in preparing for a healthy pregnancy. Reported priorities include: being tobacco free, not
drinking alcohol, taking vitamins, staying a healthy weight, and learning about Lakota culture and traditions.
This sample also gauged community perception on the best age for a woman to have her first baby, as well
as what services are important prior to pregnancy. Conclusions: By collaborating with a Tribal Working Group
and cultural advisors in the interpretation of data, such as our baseline community needs assessment, and
designing interventions based on their input, this study demonstrates a unique model of CBPR that may be
adapted to other indigenous and minority populations.
Alvarado H • 6 Successful Strategies to Youth Suicide Prevention in Indian
Country
Julie Jimenez, M.S.W.
Prevention Administrator – Gila River Healthcare Corporation
Gila River Indian community in Sacaton, AZ, provides innovative approaches in youth suicide prevention,
using the risk and protective factor theory for prevention, Learn how a current SAMHSA (Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration) and US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grant
recipient has developed and initiated a suicide prevention program in this rural Native American community.
Participants will gain information on 6 successful strategies used with Native youth, families, service providers
as well as community partners in making this Indian community more suicide safe. The 6 strategies for suicide
prevention will be discussed at length with the help of a Power Point and video. Participants will also discuss
best practices in prevention, to include life skills building, suicide assessment and referral, gatekeeper training
and social marketing. Participants will be able to explain how the risk and protective factors of prevention
are key in the prevention of suicide among youth. The relevance of the risk and protective factors and the
importance of connecting youth to hope will be explored as well providing the participants with resources for
them to gain further information and knowledge.
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