@NAHC United for Success Academy School Based Health Success! by Hinhanska Haney, Media Intern At United for Success Academy, one of 6 of NAHC’s School Based Health Centers, students were asked to envision what they will look like in the future. 90% of the students drew a person with blonde hair and blue eyes. They say a picture says a thousand words, and in a school that does not have any white students, this speaks volumes. In an interview with Kulwa Apara, a Peer Health Educator at UFSA included, “Our Schools were more segregated in 2008 than in 1958”. UFSA is centered in the heart of the Fruitvale District, a place comprised mostly of ethnic minorities. What we do here is educate students about the history of people of color, and really encourage them to learn their history”, says Apara. Studies show that students who see their culture reflected in their educational institutions perform better academically. Self-image is vital in the teenage years for a healthy perception of identity. I was showed homework assignments turned in by students on the subject of bullying. Half of all participants have known, seen, or experienced bullying in their lives. Many students shared similar stories, and emphasized their love for their culture. Sorting through homework assignments, they are developing their sense of identity, through culture and communication. “We want them to have a knowledge of self. What we need to do as adults is hold ourselves to higher standards, and the youth will rise to the occasion.”
In this Issue: HR Buzz: Wellness and Benefits Fair What’s Different Now That we Have NextGen? Employee Contribution: Shirley Begay New Faces @NAHC Employee Anniversaries Two-Spirit GONA and Circle of Healing Careful with Red Meat Life Academy: Y2Y Research Flyer Fest Calendar 1
Employee Wellness and Benefits Fair
HR Buzz
Open Enrollment By Yvette Torres, Sr. HR Generalist This year’s Open Enrollment /Employee Wellness and Benefits Fair was held on Wednesday, June 6th in the Seven Directions Employee Lounge from 11:30pm to 1:30pm and Thursday, June 7th in San Francisco’s Morning Star Conference Room from 12:00pm to 2:00pm.
and empower individuals to take responsibility for their own health. Kaiser, Delta, ING, ASI and Provident representatives were on site, available to assist employees and answer questions.
NAHC’s Open Enrollment/ Employee Wellness and Lunch was provided and prizes were raffled available Benefits Fair gave employees an opportunity to for all employees who completed and submitted the learn how to maximize the great benefits offered by annual required forms. NAHC. Thank you NAHC Staff for coming out and making This year’s Wellness Fair focused on how NAHC can the event possible! And thank you for helping us to support employees in making healthier lifestyle help you, get started in enhancing your personal choices. NAHC is committed to supporting employ- wellness! We look forward to seeing you successees to improve their health and wellbeing in spirit fully reach your health and wellness goals! mind and body. NAHC wants to promote a worksite culture that supports employees to make healthy choices; increase awareness of resources, and inspire
What’s different now that we have NextGen? By: Lillawa Willie
The switch to NextGen’s Practice Management system has our jobs at NAHC (especially front desk, registration, and aware of the changes and adjustments we have had to make in our own departments, we may not all know how the project
Before...
Patient demographics outdated, incomplete
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Insurance eligibility checked on various portals Three different agency systems for patient registration and check-‐in Departments working independently of one another Huge differences in check-‐in, scheduling, and billing procedures between departments Collecting data for reports very time and labor intensive Huge amounts of time spent catching billing errors
After...
changed the nature of many of billing staff.) Though we are all with regard to own jobs, or withhas changed the agency as a whole:
Accurate patient demographics One-‐stop shop for checking eligibility
One system for patient check-‐in and registration More integration and collaboration between departments More focus on standardized procedures Instant access to reports Automated claim edits
Employee Contribution
With Blessings and Support By: Shirley Begay
I began this journey with the support of family and close friends and the blessing of Latrail CrawfordTemple, Susan Jamerson and Marty Waukazoo in August of 2010. I want to thank all of you for your support and encouragement throughout the last two years and especially to our Circle of Healing Department for allowing me to grow and thrive as an intern. I am blessed to work for an organization and a community that supports higher education for our people. I could not have done it without my family, friends, and the Native American Health Center!
New Faces @NAHC
Anola Small Director of Registration, Billing & Brenda Vasquez, Collections Admin Dept. 3124 On-Call Medical Assistant, SF Medical
San Francisco State University, Class of 2012 B.S. in Health Education, Emphasis in Community-Based Public Health. Graduated Summa Cum Laude Photo Credits: Brother: William Stevens Mom: Rita Stevens Cousin (in the blue blazer): Kelan Carrisoza
Francisco Valadez, Patient Service Coordinator Flavia McKleroy, Oakland Dental Department On-Call Registered Nurse, SF Medical
Welcome to NAHC! 3
Employee Anniversaries Thank you for your service
Staffperson
Patrice T. Laura A. Karen Zena A. Amy Kevin D. Erin C. Crystal M. Rebecca S. Corazon Louise Glenda Carol J. Daniela Y.
Date Started
Department
Brooks Cedillo Harrison Harvill Hoang-Chuong Hursh Lobo Marich Mc Kenzie Pacheco-Henry Torrez Tyler Whitehead Wotke
Oakland Medical SF Community Wellness Oakland Medical Oakland Medical Billing SF Dental SF Dental SF Community Wellness SF Community Wellness Billing Oakland Medical SF Community Wellness Oakland Medical SF Medical
Department
Department Department
Department
6/15/2010 6/14/2011 6/4/1990 6/23/2011 6/14/2007 6/20/2006 6/27/2011 6/16/2010 6/27/2011 6/26/2000 6/6/2011 6/16/2010 6/27/2011 6/16/2008
Years of Service
2 years 1 year 22 years 1 year 5 years 6 years 1 year 2 years 1 year 12 years 1 year 2 years 1 year 4 years
Youth Corner: Native Boys and Men’s Wellness By: Tommy Orange, Media Coordinator Calling all Native Brothers! Come out and enjoy our second annual Native Boys and Men’s wellness gathering! Last year’s Boys and Men’s Wellness Gathering made it apparent that there is a need for Men’s Gatherings and Ceremonies in our Urban Community; there is a need for that kind of community healing, and there is a need for the kind of strength Native Boys and Men bring into the circle. This year the theme for the gathering will be empowerment. The Gathering will be led by Martin Martinez (Pomo) and will feature a workshop led by Dallas Goldtooth (member of the hilarious Native youtube sensation, the 1491s). Please join us, the event will take place June 16th from 9am to 4pm at Intertribal Friendship House (523 International Blvd. Oakland 94606). If you have any questions: Please contact us at 510-434-5330 or email: Dallasw@nativehealth.org ReneG@nativehealth.org 4
Two Spirit GONA and SF Circle of Healing By: Lina Blanco, Media Assitant and Hinhanska Haney, Media Intern Circle of Healing is a culturally diverse staff of the Native American Health Center that serves the San Francisco Bay Area native community. We provide prevention & HIV/AIDS services in a caring, supportive, culturally rich, and community-focused environment. Our goal is to offer education, practical support, coordination of services & advocacy. This is the Circle of Healing program’s Mission Statement, and something the Circle of Healing Staff are dedicated to upholding (in addition to NAHC’s Mission Statement). This last weekend, Circle of Healing hosted the Two Spirit Gathering of Native Americans at the Intertribal Friendship House. Nazbah Tom, MFTI, Circle of Healing Program Director says that the Two Sprit GONA creates a space that is open, inviting, and accepting so that people can be open to learning about historical trauma and the ways that individually and collectively learned to cope with intergenerational trauma and to be motivated with the choices they have now. The GONA is a place to exchange ideas within community, for people to share themselves, and to feel better about themselves for who they are while also maintaining a safe and sober space. During the GONA, participants were encouraged to learn their history and the impacts of homophobia on themselves and wider community while learning and exploring community strategies that might have been wiped out or gone underground. Healing comes from knowing that many of our communities were aware of homophobia before colonization, yet remembering that two-spirit people’s participation in community was built on respect and sustainability. The GONA invited people to engage in sharing their stories and engaging in discussion with other community members. At breakfast, community members took on respectful debates of identity and history. While hearing where others came from, offering arguments, and seeing a bigger world outside of what they grew up in, all helped to generate a space that was open to learning, as well as an invitation for hope. One participant commented in closing a session by saying, “…I feel safe and like I can just be me”. Many times, it is a difficult journey to generate hope and agency in communities who might feel disempowered, but people showed up with agency and resiliency. People will choose to come to such events because they are
stronger than whatever hurt them or made them feel devalued or threatened. One of the members of this year’s Two Spirit GONA posted on Facebook, “I feel pumped up on Tradition!” Nazbah would like to extend an immense thank you to Native American Health Center staff who helped with the 2 Spirit GONA this past weekend: Laura Cedillo, Jenny Hays, Aurora Mamea, Joanna Kent Katz, Lauren Baehner, Kurt Schweigman, Jordan Skye Paul, NAHC Media Department—Parke, Tommy, and Lina, and staff who informed community members about this event. Another special thank you to Two Spirit ally, Luta Candeleria, for offering songs as prayers. The Circle of Healing is extremely appreciative of Intertribal Friendship House staff for hosting and offering the space for the community—Carol Wahpepah, Marlon, Judy, and Iona. Thank you for such a warm and inviting space. Also, thank you to Maggie for offering plants to people to bring home with them—a sweet gift to community members. Thank you to Simply Bliss and Fountain Café for offering their delicious food to our participants! Events like the Two Spirit GONA point to how the Circle of Healing integrates community collaboration and education. Education is a primary focus, as it is a foundation for prevention. Laura Cedillo is a Prevention Specialist says, “HIV is still an epidemic. A lot of people don’t have a real knowledge of how it is transferred. Most people just say ‘I just don’t want to have it.’ There is still a taboo about HIV, that it is a gay disease. It is actually a heterosexual disease worldwide” The numbers tell the same story. Federally Recognized American Indians make up 1% of the U.S. population, yet are the 3rd, highest afflicted ethnic group. “People come in just to make sure they are healthy and to be sure they are healthy for their partners or potential partner(s),” Laura adds. The Circle of Healing welcomes all people to become educated and get tested for regularly. The program continues to expand and is located at 160 Capp St., San Francisco Native American Health Center.
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The Latest in Health Research: Careful With Red Meat Adapted from Diabetes Forecast, June 2012 by Laura McLively, RD
Eating red meat is associated with a higher risk of early death (mainly from cancer and heart disease). A recent study featured in Diabetes Forecast showed that the risk of premature death goes up 12 percent for each extra 3-ounce serving of red meat eaten per day—3 ounces is only the size of a deck of cards! Furthermore, one daily serving of processed meats (salami, bacon, hotdogs, etc) increased mortality risk by 20 percent! This was a very large study of over 120,000 people who were followed from 1980 through 2006. The researches estimated that by substituting poultry, fish, nuts, legumes, soy, low-fat dairy, or whole grains for a serving of red meat each day, study participants would have lowered their risk of premature death by 7 to 19 percent.
Quinoa Stuffing
Ground Turkey and Wild Rice
Take-home message: Eat smaller portions of red meat or eat it less often by substituting non-red meat proteins like fish, chicken, beans, nuts, and soy.
Looking for Native Recipes?
follow us on Pinterest! http://pinterest.com/nahcnativefoods/ Brought to you by Bonney Hartley, Laura McLively and Kelatztli Mendoza
Native American Heritage Night T-Shirts!
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Ensalada de Nopales/Nopal Salad
On sale for $20! Contact Jordan Skye Paul JordanP@nativehealth.org
Life Academy Youth 2 Youth Research The Researchers: La’Gayla Cook, Jennifer Morales, Claudia Henriquez, Carla Hernandez & Kamaria Lewis
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Flyer Fest Brought to you by the Native American Health Center Media Team
Please SUBMIT all articles to NAHCMedia@nativehealth.org with the Title line “@NAHC (Title of your Piece)” by the last Friday of the Month! 9