Albuquerque Area Southwest Tribal Epidemiology Center

 

 

The Albuquerque Area Southwest Tribal Epidemiology Center (AASTEC) serves the 27 American Indian Tribes, Bands, Nations and Pueblos in the Indian Health Service Albuquerque Area. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, there are approximately 104,000 American Indian/Alaska Natives in our service area, including 20 Pueblos, two Apache Nations, three Navajo Bands (not included in the IHS Navajo Area), and the Southern Ute Tribe and Ute Mountain Ute Tribe in Southern Colorado.

Established in 2006, the mission of AASTEC is to promote American Indian health and well-being by assisting tribes in building public health capacity and reducing health disparities. Current AASTEC services are organized around four domains—community-based participatory research, training and capacity development, epidemiology/surveillance, and public health practice. Specific AASTEC projects include: Good Health & Wellness in Indian Country (GHWIC), Tribal Injury Prevention Program, Tribal Colorectal Health Program, and numerous initiatives to support tribal public health data improvement & access, program evaluation, and American Indian student development.

AASTEC is operated under the authority of its parent organization, the Albuquerque Area Indian Health Board, Inc. (AAIHB). The AAIHB is composed of representatives from six consortium tribes in New Mexico and Southern Colorado.

The AAIHB offices are located in Albuquerque, which is centrally located and affords access to numerous resources such as the Indian Health Service (IHS) Albuquerque Area Office, the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, and the State of New Mexico Department of Health. The AAIHB provides health promotion and prevention education services, as well as specialized health services to area Tribes. In addition to AASTEC, current services include audiology, HIV/AIDS prevention education, public health research and capacity building, advocacy, student development, and the Southwest Tribal Institutional Review Board.

Mission:
AAIHB was incorporated in 1980 to:

1) advocate for tribal communities in areas of health,
2) collaborate with tribal communities to address health and health education concerns, and
3) engage communities in the use of research to address community health needs.

Albuquerque Area Southwest Tribal Epidemiology Center
Albuquerque, NM
Director: Kevin English, DrPH
Phone: (505) 962-2602

12 Tribal Epidemiology Centers