Community Health Education and Resiliency Program

2024 Hope in Healing Native Opioid Summit Recap

(Pictured from left to right: Savannah Gene, Lee Torress, Sunny Dooley, and Kurt Begaye)

There exists a beacon of hope—a collective endeavor to heal, uplift, and foster resilience within Native communities struggling with the opioid crisis. Enshrined in the theme "Kinship is Harm Reduction," the annual Hope in Healing Native Opioid Summit embodied a profound testament to the power of unity, compassion, and shared purpose.

Attendees and the Community Health Education and Resiliency Program's (CHERP) team came together and created a learning environment where our traditional culture was incorporated into harm reduction practices. We learned how extended buprenorphine can help in some rural communities and how Canoncito Band of Navajos Health Center Recovery Care Clinic is dreaming up and breathing life into a rural tribal clinic's response to opioid use disorder.

We shared dreams for community, ideas we may have, and moments of kindship throughout the three-day event. The CHERP team, led by Community Opioid Pilot Intervention Program Coordinator Lee Torres, developed and invited speakers from around the nation to talk about their work and their stories and even have sessions on the burnout that often shadows the path of many public health workers.

We are thankful for the attendees, speakers, and everyone who helped host the 2nd Annual Hope in Healing Native Opioid Summit. Summits like this allow us to explore the idea that kinship truly is the most potent form of harm reduction.

National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and Our Indigenous Youth

April 10th marks National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a pivotal day of awareness to address the significant impact of HIV/AIDS on our youth and Indigenous communities. This day is not just about raising awareness; it’s about fostering unity, understanding, and actionable responses to support the health and well-being of our young people.

Historical injustices of colonization and assimilation have contributed to existing health disparities and a mistrust of medical systems. Yet, our response to serious health threats and barriers to healthcare lies in our community and cultural resilience to combat these threats to our people.

Our youth are our future, carrying forward our traditions, languages, stories, dreams, and prevention efforts. Protecting their health means ensuring they have the knowledge, resources, and support to prevent HIV. It involves creating culturally sensitive and trauma-informed health education programs informed by Indigenous values and ways of knowing. It means advocating for accessible healthcare that understands and honors their unique experiences and identities.

This day is an opportunity for our communities to come together, share knowledge, and support our young people in making informed health decisions. It’s a day to highlight the importance of early testing and treatment, and to celebrate those living with HIV/AIDS as valued members of our community.

In commemorating this day, let us reaffirm our commitment to the health and well-being of our Indigenous youth. Let’s use this as a day to strengthen kinship, advocate for equitable health, and continue our journey towards healing and resilience. Together, we can create a future where our youth are empowered, healthy, and thriving, embodying the enduring spirit of our peoples.

Project Venture Empowers Indigenous Youth

Project Venture, also known as the National Indian Youth Leadership Project, is a program that works to serve Indigenous youth through outdoor activities. They have been implementing adventure based and experiential learning to encourage youth to use positive practices for over 35 years. They provide direct services to youth in New Mexico, Arizona, and South Dakota and provide training and technical assistance to tribes and communities across the United States, in Canada, and currently have a project in Treasure Beach, Jamaica.

Strength based activities combined with nature and mindfulness help to add to students’ foundation, team building, and problem-solving skills. Project Venture will be hosting some Introduction to Project Venture and Project Venture Facilitator trainings in Albuquerque (listed below). Visit www.projectventure.org for more information about trainings.

CHERP’s Proud Indigenous Youth Leaders Program can also provide additional technical assistance, guidance, and support for launching a Project Venture program in your community. For more information contact Program Manager Tony Quintana @aquintana@aaihb.org.

Upcoming Project Venture Trainings:

Project Venture Facilitator - April 23-26, 2024
Intro to Project Venture - August 13-15, 2024
Project Venture Facilitator - October 15-18, 2024

CHERP ANNOUNCEMENTS

PrEP: Back to Basics

April 17, 2024

1:00-2:00 pm (MDT)

Presenter

Andrew Yu, MS, RN, ACRN

Indian Health Service

The Community Health Education & Resiliency Program in collaboration with Indian Health Service National Headquarters is hosting a three-part HIV PrEP webinar series.

Objectives

Understand the role of HIV PrEP in ending the HIV epidemic
Recognize indications and screening requirements for HIV PrEP
Describe HIV PrEP 2021 Guideline updates

Pharmacy Considerations for PrEP

May 1, 2024

1:00-2:00 pm (MDT)

Presenter

Bethany Johnson, PharmD

Indian Health Service

The Community Health Education & Resiliency Program in collaboration with Indian Health Service National Headquarters is hosting a three-part HIV PrEP webinar series.

Objectives

Perform a cost-benefit analysis of HIV prevention vs. treatment
Describe available biomedical interventions and how to choose a patient-specific regiment for PrEP
Learn how to initiate a pharmacy-based PrEP clinic

PrEP: Maintenance and Support

May 22, 2024

1:00-2:00 pm (MDT)

Presenters

Jodee Brewer, MSN, RN

Andrew Yu, MS, RN, ACRN

Indian Health Service

The Community Health Education & Resiliency Program in collaboration with Indian Health Service National Headquarters is hosting a three-part HIV PrEP webinar series.

Objectives

Identify strategies to maintain individuals on HIV PrEP
Incorporate DoxyPEP into HIV PrEP care
Understand how to counsel and safely discontinue individuals from HIV PrEP

HIV Testing in Nonclinical Settings

May 29-30, 2024

Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown Hotel

Albuquerque, NM

The Community Health Education and Resiliency Program, in partnership with the National HIV Classroom Learning Center, is hosting this two day in-person training in the Albuquerque Uptown area.

HIV Testing in Nonclinical Settings is CDC's latest HIV testing training for nonclinical settings. This training reflects scientific advances and evidence-informed updates as expressed in CDC's guidance: Implementing HIV Testing in Nonclinical Settings: A Guide for HIV Testing Providers (2016). Key influences on this curriculum have been shifts in HIV prevention, care, and treatment that have occurred since the Fundamentals of HIV Prevention Counseling training, and the policies that followed.

Who Should Attend

This course is intended for people who wish to learn about HIV testing or who plan to provide HIV testing in nonclinical settings. Community Health Workers, Health Educators, Prevention Specialists, and Health Technicians are encouraged to attend.

For more information, contact Kurt Begaye at (505) 270-6374 or via email kbegaye@aaihb.org.

Online Supply Orders

The Community Health Education and Resiliency Program provides safer sex supplies (condoms, dental dams, lube), HIV Self-Test Kits, Narcan, Fentanyl Test Strips, and Deterra Pouches to individuals and organizations in the IHS Albuquerque Area. Please use the links below to order your supplies.

Safer Sex Supplies and HIV Self-Test Kits:

www.aaihb.org/safe-sex-kit-request/

Narcan, Fentanyl Test Strips, and Deterra Pouches:

https://www.aaihb.org/narcan-order-form/

For more information about online orders, contact Kurt at kbegaye@aaihb.org.