September Resource Center in Action

For September, we are very excited to share many updates in the Resource Center in Action section. Like every month, it’s been busy!

• IA² had the honor of presenting to the Healthy Brain Initiative (HBI) and BOLD Grantees and various local, state, and tribal communities and organizations providing an overview of Tribal communities, historical context, the Indian Health System and best approaches for engaging with American Indian and Alaska Native people and communities.
• The team met with Dr. Bruce Finke from Indian Health Service (IHS), to discuss opportunities for collaboration. Dr. Soo Borson from the BOLD Center of Excellence on early diagnosis joined the call. A vital point Dr. Finke made was that the mainstream is often not the model for Indian Country.
• IA² staff were honored to be invited to participate in the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Peer Webinar Series that included national advocacy organizations and direct service providers from across the country.
• IA² also participated in both of the first round of  Indian Country Echo Sessions. This will be a monthly series with sessions offered for Caregivers and Community staff and a second offering for clinicians from the I/T/U health system. To view past sessions or learn more about upcoming sessions click here.
• At the exact same time as the Indian Country Echo session, part of our Brain Health team participated in the National Indian Health Board’s learning collaborative. This month’s interactive sessions focused on stigma and dementia. Click to learn more about the collaborative.
• Staff were also excited and welcomed the opportunity to present to Title VI directors and staff about Alzheimer’s and dementia as well as the initiatives underway at our Center
• Last but not least on the webinar front, our team lead a discussion with Dementia Friends program leads from across the country providing an overview of the American Indian and Alaska Native Dementia Friends program adaptation undertaken by IA²  and the amazing team from University of Nevada Reno. Dementia Friends is a program designed to increase awareness, reduce stigma, and reduce dementia risk (in our latest adaptation) among tribes and urban-Indian communities. To learn more, click here.
• Have you seen our new website? It’s awesome! Mary Ann has been spearheading the effort to update, create new content, and fill our brain health resource library with resources by and for your communities, including a brand new “Caregiver” subsite. Annie has been working on a Dementia Friends subsite to serve as a portal for folks looking to become champions or find info sessions.
• Stop by our website today: www.aianBrainHealth.org and check out our brand new calendar of events.
• Our project’s Advisory Group and the Executive Committee convened this month the hottest topic was needs assessments!
• Our CDC Foundation project team is hard at work on activities that are a great complement to our Brain Health Resource Center work. With support from the CDC Foundation, IA² is offering

>> respite care grants,
>> online support groups,
>> training for caregivers provided by UND,
>> and a new caregiving resource library!

IA² continues to offer print-on-demand stipends of $250 for flyers and posters from the IA², ASTHO, and National Council for Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) suite of materials developed with funding from the CDC.

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

For questions contact: Mary Ann

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