Urban Indian Health Institute: 2011 Community Health Profiles

The Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI) has released the Community Health Profiles for each Urban Indian Health Organization (UIHO) service area. The interactive map provides links to all cities for which data is available. The reports examine the health of American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) living in each of the 34 UIHO service areas using the most current data available from the 2010 U.S. Census, the American Community Survey (ACS), the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the U.S. Center for Health Statistics and the Air Quality System Data Mart. The Community Health Profiles are intended to provide UIHO and other key stakeholders with a picture of the health of urban Indian people. The UIHI updates these reports every two years.

The UIHI has also released the Community Health Profile: National Aggregate of Urban Indian Health Organization Service Areas (December 2011), an update to the Community Health Profile (2009). This report examines the health of American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) living in all UIHO service areas combined and presents data from the 2010 U.S. Census, the American Community Survey (ACS), the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the U.S. Center for Health Statistics and the Air Quality System Data Mart. The report includes data on access to care, smoking, alcohol use, and mental health and wellness.

Access the Community Health Profiles on the UIHI website. Read the national aggregate report (pdf).

Hispanic Lesbians and Bisexual Women at Heightened Risk of Health Disparities

A recent study titled Hispanic Lesbians and Bisexual Women at Heightened Risk or Health Disparities, published in the American Journal of Public Health found Hispanic lesbian and bisexual women tend to be at a greater risk of worse health outcomes than Hispanic heterosexual as well as white lesbian and bisexual women. Little background literature covers health disparities among sexual minorities of color, especially Hispanics, according to the authors. This study aims to explore how Hispanic sexual minorities fare in health care access, health outcomes, health status, and health risk behaviors.

Hispanic lesbians and bisexual women, compared with Hispanic heterosexual women, were at elevated risk for disparities in smoking, asthma, and disability. Hispanic bisexual women also showed higher odds of arthritis, acute drinking, poor general health, and frequent mental distress compared with Hispanic heterosexual women. In addition, Hispanic bisexual women were more likely to report frequent mental distress than were non-Hispanic White bisexual women. Hispanic lesbians were more likely to report asthma than were non-Hispanic White lesbians.

The study used the weighted-data from a 7- year merged file of the Washington State Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), 2003 – 2009. The sample size for the analysis was 6,338. Only Hispanic and white women who self- identified as lesbian, bisexual, or heterosexual were included in the study. Within the sample, 1.1% were Hispanic lesbian and 1.6% were Hispanic bisexual. Data were collected for health status, health risk behaviors, health outcomes, and health care access.  

This study is one of the first studies to assess disparities among Hispanic lesbian and bisexual women according to the authors. The authors suggest that further research is needed in order to develop culturally appropriate programs that meet the needs of these subgroups. This in turn, as the authors argue, will achieve the goals laid out Healthy People 2020.

Read more on the Kaiser Family Foundation website. Read the abstract of the study.

Helping Substance-Involved Young People in Juvenile Justice be Successful

Reclaiming Futures is an innovative evidence-based model and approach to systems and community change that is designed to enable young people who have substance abuse issues and are in the criminal justice system to become successful. Developed in the context of ten different demonstration communities and amidst numerous economic, geographic, political, cultural, and philosophical diversities, the initiative embraces a six-stage integrated service model that supports coordinated individual response and community-directed engagement with care. This article, titled Helping substance-involved young people in juvenile justice be successful: Conceptual and structural foundations of the Reclaiming Futures model, describes the background, rationale, and context of the change effort itself, as well as the conceptual foundations of the Reclaiming Futures framework. The role of the National Program Office (NPO) and the structures designed to support the shared transformational leadership required to launch, implement, and sustain these practice and policy innovations at the local, state, and national levels are discussed.

Read more on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation website. Read the full-text of the article (pdf).

NNED Partner of the Month

In order to highlight pockets of excellence across the country the NNED selects an organization to highlight once a month. ACCEPT has been selected as the NNED Partner of the Month for February 2012 in observance of Black HIV/ AIDS Awareness Day (February 7).

African-American Community Cultural Education Programs & Trainings (ACCEPT) was Founded in 1995 by Pastor Glenn E. Taylor Sr. as an outreach of Greater Light Christian Center. ACCEPT provided HIV prevention services to the African American community under the auspices of Greater Light Christian Center, a church where the majority of attendees are African American, until 1999. ACCEPT became a non-profit in 1999 and continues to provide HIV specific prevention services to date, as well as substance abuse prevention, support and care services for individuals living with HIV or AIDS, and much more. Although founded to reach the African American population, ACCEPT provides services to the underserved populations in Northern Nevada.

ACCEPT's mission is to empower underserved individuals and families by providing public health services and resources through community partnerships serving a multicultural population with emphasis on the African American community.

View a list of previous NNED Partners of the Month here.

The National Indian Health Board Launches Meth and Suicide Prevention E-newsletter

The National Indian Health Board's Methamphetamine and Suicide Prevention Initiative (MSPI) has launched a Meth and Suicide Prevention E-newsletter. The MSPI is a national pilot demonstration project dedicated to addressing methamphetamine use and suicide, two of the most pressing public health concerns in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. This newsletter examines evidence-based practice, practice-based evidence, and best and promising practices related to methamphetamine use and suicide prevention. The recently-released winter 2012 issue describes the innovative Gila River MSPI Project's Kahv'yoo Spirit program.

The Gila River Indian Community designed its MSPI program to achieve two main goals. First, the program aims to increase community knowledge and understanding of the issues surrounding methamphetamine use and suicide. Second, the program seeks to create and strengthen protective factors in youth by fostering cultural awareness and social connectedness, teaching leadership skills and supporting education efforts.

The Kahv’yoo Spirit program is an equine assisted growth and learning adventure program that provides youth with “hands on a horse” ground activities. The program uses the tendency of the horses to reflect their handlers’ feelings as a way to teach the youth about themselves and how they relate to those around them. Through a variety of exercises, with feedback from the horses and with guidance from the program staff, the youth develop healthy coping skills, resiliency, self esteem and social connectedness.

Read the e-newsletter (pdf). Read more on the Suicide Prevention Resource Center website.

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