IA² participated in the Community Health Assessment Institute hosted by the Center for Native American Health at the University of New Mexico. The training is designed to increase the capacity of tribal communities and American Indian-serving organizations to proactively identify the factors that impact the health of their communities and to develop health planning efforts informed by a community health assessment (CHA).

In addition, IA² had multiple meetings with local New Mexico groups. Meetings included one with the State of New Mexico’s Director of Indian Elder Affairs and the Alzheimer’s Association New Mexico about tribal and pueblo community needs and a brainstorming session on possible strategies surrounding Alzheimer’s and dementia in American Indian communities in the state.

IA² also participated in the National Indian Health Board’s (www.nihb.org) introductory session discussing plans for a national collaborative on brain health.

IA² also engaged in an informational webinar with the National Indian Health Board about their plans to convene a brain health learning community in the coming months. Check out the event page of their brain health website for details on future events.

IA² has continued to host quarterly Advisory Group meetings with the Healthy Brain project’s national multidisciplinary members. The current focus is centered around the needs assessment and creation of a description of tribal public health social networks involved in Alzheimer’s and dementia. These networks provide insight into connections between various levels of interaction in communities including elders, caregivers, family members, health services, organizations, community services, and beyond. The needs assessment is slated to kick-off at the National Indian Council on Aging’s (NICOA’s) elders conference in August.

IA² is in the final stages of launching its new brain health website. The new site will feature an updated look, be more mobile-friendly, and feature an online resource library of Alzheimer’s, dementia, and brain health materials and promising practices designed by and for American Indian and Alaska Native Communities.

IA²’s new Public Health Communications Assistant, Annie Ferguson, has joined us and we are very excited to have her. Read more about Annie, as our featured staff member this month.

Through continuous growth and expansion, IA² is committed to gathering information and resources developed by and for American Indian and Alaska Native communities on Alzheimer’s Dementia and Related Dementias (ADRD).

Stay tuned for next month’s Resource Center in Action update!

For questions contact: annie@iasquared.org or Mary Ann maryann@iasquared.org