295539
Chehalis Tribe Community Transformation: A Journey Towards Healthy Lifestyles
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
: 12:50 p.m. - 1:10 p.m.
Background/Purpose: The Chehalis Tribe will use Community Transformation funds to reduce the incidence of chronic disease in our target population. Our target area is the Chehalis Reservation and the neighboring non-native community of Oakville. The Chehalis Reservation and Oakville share similar demographics and health risk behaviors. Both communities reside in Grays Harbor County which ranks 36th of 39 counties in Health Outcomes and 39th of 39 in Health Factors in the County Health Rankings. Methods: The Chehalis Tribe is in the Capacity Building Phase. Requirements of this phase are: Convene an active community coalition, convene an active leadership team, conduct a community health needs assessment and conduct a policy scan. Fulfilling the requirements of the Capacity Building Phase, plus establishing partnership with other Tribal, state, federal and regional entities will assist us in planning and implementing community driven pilot projects. Results/Outcomes: Capacity Building for 2 disparate communities has required team building, community education, and gathering and sharing information about the community. The Chehalis CTG has convened a multi-sectoral Leadership Team and Community Coalition. Community Health Needs Assessments have included Key Informant Interviews, Personal Opinion surveys, Walk-n-Knocks, Policy reviews and health screenings. Conclusions: When working with 2 communities with distinct ethnicities and cultures, team building and listening to community concerns are critical components of capacity building. Capacity building is a critical and essential initial phase and opportunity to engage community members in the concept of systemic change to reduce the incidence of chronic disease.
Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Learning Objectives:
Describe 3 effective capacity building strategies.
Describe 3 community assessment tools that can be used to engage coalition and community members in the assessment process.
Keyword(s): Rural Communities
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: While working with rural American Indian/Alaska Native populations for the past 30 years as a Health Educator and a Health Director the focus has been on improving the health of Native People and decreasing health disparities. Currently I am the Principal Investigator of the Chehalis Tribe Community Transformation Grant. Our target area includes the Chehalis Reservation and the City of Oakville which is an unusual collaboration; also rural voices and stories must be heard.
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.
