NWTEC Assists with Involvement of AI/AN People in Defining State Health Priorities
The Northwest Tribal Epidemiology Center (NWTEC) partnered with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to gather input on top health issues that are most important to American Indian/Alaska Native residents of Oregon. Feedback from residents helped informed a community-based steering committee at OHA pick the top five priorities in February 2019 for Oregon’s 2020-2024 State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP).
A total of 215 survey responses were collected in a two-month period, which provided an oversampling of AI/AN residents when combined with responses to a similar survey created by OHA.
- Safe, affordable housing
- Access to mental health care
- Substance use
- Adverse childhood/life experiences (ACE/ALEs), trauma, and toxic stress
- Living wage
- Obesity
- Suicide
These priorities of AI/AN residents closely match the five priorities that were selected by OHA’s steering committee, which includes:
- Behavioral health (substance use, suicide, and access to mental health care)
- Economic drivers of health (food insecurity, housing, transportation, living wage)
- Adversity, trauma, and toxic stress (ACE/ALEs)
- Equitable access to care
- Institutional bias across private and public entities
Since AI/AN people were underrepresented in the community input that OHA used to write the current health plan (2015-2019 SHIP), targeted outreach by NWTEC and community participation helped insure that Native voices were clearly heard during the planning process.
If you have any questions or would like more information about NWTEC or Oregon’s SHIP process, please contact Taylor Ellis at tellis@npaihb.org.
