Success Stories

NARCH Success Story #2 (Public Health Research)

The Tribal Solutions for Youth Affected by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) pilot research project breaks new ground by partnering with tribal communities to identify sources of strength and resiliency to address the impact of ACE.

CHERP Success Story

The Community Health Education and Resiliency Program hosts the Circle of Harmony HIV/AIDS Wellness Conference, the only conference of its kind devoted to addressing HIV prevention, testing, and biomedical treatments, along with harm reduction strategies and substance use disorder from a distinctly Indigenous perspective.

Since its inception in 1999, the Circle of Harmony (COH) has sought to fill gaps in knowledge about HIV infection and associated risk factors, with experts from the field being recruited to present at the conference. Health care workers, substance use counselors, Community Health Representatives, health educators, and others who work directly with American Indians, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiians are invited and encouraged to attend the conference. Tribal leaders are also encouraged to attend to learn about factors that put their own community members at risk of HIV infection.

Finding Balance and Kinship in ToP Methods: An Interview with Albuquerque Area Indian Health Board

Andrew Clayton, Communications and Development Coordinator, Institute of Cultural Affairs, USA

Albuquerque Area Indian Health Board (AAIHB) is an Indian-owned and operated non-profit public health organization that offers diverse health promotion and prevention educations programs to tribal communities in New Mexico and the surrounding area. It was created in the 1970s and incorporated under the 1980s by a consortium of seven tribes. Since its inception, HIV prevention has been AAIHB’s core program, which focuses on awareness and prevention through a holistic lens around social determinants of health such as disparities, acceptance, sexual orientation, gender identity, and violence against indigenous women. AAIHB also conducts an audiology program, houses a Tribal Epidemiology Center, and partners with numerous other organizations and coalitions, including the Southwest Indigenous Initiative (SWII). They organize Circle of Harmony, a biennial HIV/AIDS wellness conference. Through these programs, they serve 27 tribes across New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Arizona, and Utah, putting them in a position to “advocate for tribes in the Southwest area on a national level.”

Ayn Whyte became the Executive Director of AAIHB after serving as the HIV Prevention Program Director for the past decade. Savannah Gene took on the role of HIV Prevention Program Director when Ayn became Executive Director. Ayn, Savannah, and several of their colleagues attended the ToP Network Annual Gathering in Walnut Creek, CA in January 2020, where AAIHB was recognized as ToP Champion. They sat for an interview with Andrew Clayton of the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA).