240945 Listening to Elders: Solutions for Community Problems

Monday, October 31, 2011

Christopher Tsavatewa, MPH (Hopi) , Administration - Health Services, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
Lisa Lefler, PhD , Western Carolina University/CBNHP and The Center for Native Health, Cherokee, NC
Heidi Altman, PhD , Georgia Southern Univeristy, Statesboro, GA
Roseanna Belt, MA , Cherokee Studies/EBCI Health Initiative, Cullowhee, NC
Recognizing the significance of health disparities and the loss of native speakers, the Center for Native Health, along with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Health and Medical Division collaborated on an initiative whereby community elders might share their insights on communication, traditional medicine, concepts of wellness and their experience with Western healthcare systems and practitioners. The Center for Native Health uses a language-based model that brings traditional knowledge to bear on old problems, with the goal to reintegrate concepts of community, language, and health.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning
Provision of health care to the public
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
(1) Discuss the inherent value of traditional wisdom and practices. (2) Demonstrate the respectful application of indigenous knowledge in the intersection of language, health and education. (3) Demonstrate and evaluate coalition/constituency building strategies

Keywords: American Indians, Culture

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a participating board member working on program development and strategic planning with the Center for Native Health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Collaborations, Policy and Research: Discussions of Public Health in Indigenous Communities
See more of: American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Caucus