The American Lung Association proudly partners with Tribal leaders and organizations to raise awareness about lung health and devise community-informed, effective ways to address disparities. Here are some highlights of these impactful partnerships:

 

Janna Vallo is from the Pueblo of Acoma. She is the Commercial Tobacco Control & Prevention Coordinator under the CDC Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country Program at the Albuquerque Area Southwest Tribal Epidemiology Center (AASTEC).

 

Janna currently chairs the New Mexico Credentialing Board for Behavioral Health Professionals, the New Mexico Allied Council on Tobacco, and the Southwest Tribal Tobacco Coalition. Janna provides interactive facilitation, networking, technical support, and training opportunities for Tribal communities seeking to build their knowledge around Commercial Tobacco Prevention, while respecting traditional and sacred uses of tobacco.

Although the pandemic gave us a challenging year, AASTEC was able to reach out to all their local tribal partners, as well as national tribal partners, to provide monthly virtual presentations around commercial tobacco. They provided technical assistance as requested to tribes around commercial tobacco and COVID-19. They also created packets for tribal casinos to positively encourage them to maintain their smoke-free status, with the hopes of them making it a long-term policy. AASTEC worked to embrace the change to a virtual platform that allowed us to network and collaborate nationally to grow the efforts around commercial tobacco cessation and prevention. They consider this work continuous and fun!

Janna Vallo,
Commercial Tobacco Control and Prevention Coordinator
Albuquerque Area Southwest Tribal Epidemiology Center,
Albuquerque, New Mexico

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The Wellness Strategies for Health (WSH) Program focuses on chronic disease prevention through policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change. The WSH team has three CDC-funded projects: Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country (GHWIC), Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH), and a contract with the State Physical Activity and Nutrition (SPAN) Program.

GHWIC and REACH focus on increasing access to healthy foods and beverages, increasing opportunities for physical activity, and reducing tobacco use. Both also work to increase referrals and access to chronic disease prevention programs and services.

GHWIC and REACH support regional projects at six THOs selected through a competitive application process. Partners are the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, Copper River Native Association, Maniilaq Association, Norton Sound Health Corporation, Southeast Alaska Regional Health Corporation, and Tanana Chiefs Conference.

The WSH Program also partners with the SOA on the Campus Healthy Food (CHeF) Project through its SPAN grant. CHeF focuses on increasing the number of healthy food and beverage options available at ANTHC facilities and making it easier for people to choose those options. As a way to show support for essential hospital staff and to encourage healthy food choices at a time when campus food service is limited due to COVID-19, the CHeF Project distributed lunchboxes filled with pre-packaged healthy snacks and thank you messages to ANMC housekeeping and laboratory staff.

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To learn more about the WSH Program and partner activities, please visit our website.

Bigfoot has been helping the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board’s (NPAIHB) Tribal Epidemiology Center spread the word about how to stay safe from COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.

In his first appearance in March 2020, Bigfoot stressed the importance of protecting our Elders and staying home to stay safe. Since then, his guiding presence has brought important messages to the NW Tribes wrapped up in a bit of fun.

Last fall, Bigfoot started making personal appearances at all the NPAIHB Tribes to encourage mask wearing and to spread some joy despite the pandemic. Wearing his extra LARGE mask, he was enthusiastically received by all.

In early 2021, besides his Stay Safe messages, Bigfoot began encouraging people to get vaccinated culminating in his appearance on a “tattoo” after vaccination. These tattoos were also distributed to all the Tribes served by the NPAIHB for distribution at vaccination events.

In his most recent appearance, Bigfoot has been seen taking his children to be vaccinated, encouraging parents to take care of their children and communities!

 

Like our Tribes, Bigfoot is committed to protecting those who came before him and nurturing those who come after.

 

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In September 2020, UIHI released a grant opportunity, Supporting the Sacred: Womxn of Resilience, for Native femme-identifying survivors of sexual violence who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The individuals who applied shared their stories with us and allowed us to be a small part of their healing journey. For that, we are beyond grateful.

To show our appreciation and love for this community, we created care packages full of medicines, jewelry, and other self-care items purchased from Indigenous-owned and operated businesses including Sister Sky, Eighth Generation, Haípažaža pȟežúta, Red Lake Nation Foods, and NativeWorks Jewelry Store.

 

Each care package was a display of the respect and care we have for our relatives who have survived sexual violence and who chose to trust us with their story so we can better serve our community.

 

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The Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc., Tribal Epidemiology Center (ITCA TEC) conducted the first Corona Virus 2019 (COVID-19) Tribal Public Health After Action Review Workshop with Tribal sub-awardees. This event was held in partnership with Blue Stone Strategy Group, LLC, which was made possible through funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The development of After Action Review, helps Tribes assess performance, document lessons learned, and identify areas for improvement in a non-judgmental way, during and after a public health emergency.

Former Chairman of the Yavapai-Apache Nation, and co-founder of Blue Stone Strategy Group, Jamie Fullmer, and his team guided the Tribal staff through developing a framework for a culturally-competent After Action Review Plan. Participants were provided with a hard copy of the designed toolkit, outlining the After Action Review Planning Process. Several exercises were facilitated during the workshop that provided opportunities for the Tribal staff to begin developing their respective After Action Review Plans, and share those plans with their colleagues. Each sub-awardee examined their Tribes’ response effort to COVID-19 pandemic, and identified specific areas for improvement, as well as implementation strategies.

The workshop concluded with participants reflecting on their experience during the workshop review process. As a result of the After Action Review Workshop, COVID-19 Response Tribal sub-awardees are now more prepared to manage the Tribes’ future emergencies, including those related to COVID-19.

View/Download Toolkit (PDF 3.1 MB)

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