Summary
The EHDI is an innovative program that was created through the collaborative efforts of behavioral- and biomedical- healthcare professionals with local leaders (patients, families) in Minnesota’s American Indian community. This workshop will describe the initiative’s interactive, community-based, and educational efforts to engage Native people in addressing contemporary struggles with addition (opiods, ETOH), mental illness (depression, anxiety), obesity and diabetes, and social isolation. These efforts advance a multifaceted approach to reclaiming health-related activities that reflect traditional Indigenous culture(s), food/diet, and family members’ (elders, men, women, youth) roles. Evaluative longitudinal data (quantitative) and qualitative accounts about participants’ experience(s) in EHDI programming will be put forth.
Objectives
- describe the Eliminating Health Disparities Initiative (EHDI) as a community-engaged project created through the collaborative efforts of Western providers and American Indian community members to improve the lives of urban-dwelling adult AIs and their fa
- cite evaluative findings across biological- (BMI, metabolic control), psychological- (PHQ-9, GAD-7, key informant interviews regarding recovery/sobriety), and social- (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support) well-being.
- explain key lessons and strategies regarding how to get explore and initiate health-oriented interventions in partnership with minority and under-served populations.