POWER OF COLLABORATION: Make it Happen Trauma-Informed Responses to the Opioid Epidemic
APRIL 10 -12, 2018 Billings, Montana A special thanks to our generous sponsors. Building Trauma Informed Systems
POWER OF COLLABORATION: Make it Happen
TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2018 - ISSUES 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Registration 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Opening Prayer - Montana Native Women’s Coalition Welcoming Remarks & Overview of Day One – Cory Reich 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Speaking for Those Who Cannot Speak for Themselves Ada Bends, Montana Native Women’s Coalition The mission of the MNWC is to improve urban, rural and Native American community responses to those currently facing and to survivors of domestic and sexual violence. 10:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. BREAK 10:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Spirituality and Meaning Cory Reich, The Phoenix Recovery & Counseling Center Addressing the powerful importance of connection, specifically, identifying the sequence of and the importance of our connection with our creator, self, others, and nature. Through these connections we discover our meaning, purpose, and orientation in life. The neurological anatomy of meaning will be explored. Understanding the meaning of identity and esteem, and then applying this meaning will set the stage to understand stress signatures, coping skills, and the impact on disease, healing, and well-being. 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. LUNCH Guest Speaker: Tom Rodgers 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. The Battle with Big Pharma, Its Enablers and the Solution Tom Rogers, Carlyle Consulting In 1994, Tom founded Carlyle Consulting, a strategic consulting/government affairs/media relations firm located in Alexandria, Virginia that represents the interests of Native Americans. Tom is now engaged in building a Native American coalition to address the deadliest epidemic of our time, the opioid crisis. To date, Tom's efforts have led to enlisting more tribes to litigate against the pharmaceutical opioid manufactures and the pharmaceutical opioid distributers than any other party involved in the national opioid litigation effort. Tom additionally was sought out by former Representative Patrick Kennedy, who served on President Trump's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, for his advice and public policy recommendations as to what was needed to address the opioid epidemic in Indian Country. 2:00 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. BREAK 2:15 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Community Health Aide Program (CHAP) 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Improving Prenatal Care Crow and Northern Cheyenne Communities The Northern Cheyenne Service Unit and Crow Service Unit will share their 1 | Page AGENDA 1
e e ien e o in to et e it t e t o t i es to im ove enatal a e se vi e t o t e initiative Healthy Mothers, Healthy Tribe e ltimate oal o t is im ovement o is to ens e t at t e e nant o lation as a ess to t e lt all a o iate enatal a e se vi es to meet t ei nee s anel o an i al ealt sta ill esent t ei in in s an oli im ovements e a in Healthy Mothers, Healthy Tribe.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018 – SOLUTIONS & SUCCESSES a m to a m enin a e – Thomas Champagne Clini al li ations Coo inato Wel omin ema s ve vie o a – Cory Reich a m to a m Trauma Informed Care & Strategic Planning with IHS RADM Michael Weahkee n ian ealt e vi e a m to a m Tying Resources and Services Together in Indian Country Corbin Shangreaux essin o to ee il en sa e an to omote ealt amilies an omm nit ellness Co in ill e is ssin t e im a t t at s stan e a se as on t e ove all mental ealt an n tionin o n ian amilies an too o ten n ian il en en in ote tive a e e session ill n a t e ne e e al le islation: The Native American Children’s Safety Act (NACSA). Additionally, Corbin ill is ss o t i al omm nit ase an m lti is i lina evention a oa es a e nee e to s o t amil an omm nit ellness t e e im ovin t e sa et net o il en a m to m Opiates: What are they? Why are they so addictive? What are the best medical assisted therapies? Cory Reich, The Phoenix Recovery & Counseling Centers is esentation ill i enti an e lo e at o iates a e s ea in s e i i all to me i al se an names as ell as st eet ni names an t e on oin eation o s nt eti o iates itionall e ill is ss t e n tions an i l a i tive alit o o iates an i enti t e nat e o a i tion as a isease an its corresponding biological effects. Medical Assisted Therapies (MAT’s) will be a esse i enti in at t e esea s o ts as t e most e e tive o m o t eatment astl e ill a ess inte ventions an omm nit s o t i ave emonst ate ositive o t omes 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. LUNCH – onso e Montana N Guest Speaker: Alexandra Adams, Director of CAIRHE m – m Alternative Delivery Models of Care Panel Discussion, Mo e ate Jerry Waukau, Menominee i e anel o e e ts ill esent va io s mo els o a e t at ave een evelo e an a e in se in t i al omm nities in t e nite tates e intent is o t is to be a “spring board” to develop a trauma in o me mo el o a e t at ill lea to im ovement in t e elive o a e in Montana an W omin i al omm nities
2:00 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. BREAK m to m Tribal Community Best Practices Panel: Kenny Smoker, o t e Matthew Johnson, la eet a e
2 AGENDA
ort el nap ort el nap epresentatives from each Tribal ealth epartment will present services and activities they are currently providing to address MS and needs within their respective communities. ollowing this, the audience will divide into discussion groups to identify and ma e recommendations to include in a new culturally appropriate model of care. : p.m. to : p.m. to provide feedbac to various uestions pertaining to issues. hat should be done to address opioids in our communities hat are alternatives to arresting pregnant women that our communities would li e to see
– : a.m. to : a.m. pening rayer lder elcoming emar s verview of ay – Cory eich : a.m. to : a.m. eport ut from iscussion Tables : a.m. to : a.m. Question the Experts SAMS A ealth esources and Services Administration Montana ealthcare oundation National Native Children’s Trauma Center : a.m. to : a.m. : a.m. to : a.m. Social Determinants of Substance Use and Mental Health This session will address findings of research contracted by the oc y Mountain Tribal eaders Council pidemiology Center. Sponsored by Montana ealth Care oundation ( A) : p.m. to : p.m. Celebrate Who We Are! – ancers, Stories – eader – uilter – Artist – usiness wner : p.m. to : p.m. Courage to Change Chester “Tuff” Harris
Safe Travels home and Thank you for attending
age
AGENDA 3 PRESENTER BIOGRAPHIES
Alexandra Adams, MD Director, Center for American Indian and Rural Health Equity Alexandra Adams, M.D., Ph.D., succeeded Allen Harmsen as director and principal investigator of CAIRHE on January 1, 2016. She relocarted to Bozeman in July 2016 from Madison, Wisconsin, where she had worked since 1999 in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Adams brought a wealth of experience to CAIRHE as a nationally recognized and highly respected health disparities researcher. In addition to her work as a professor in the Department of Family Medicine and the Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Nutritional Sciences at UW, she has held several leadership positions relating to community-based and health disparities research. These include her role as director of the Collaborative Center for Health Equity from 2008 to 2015, and director of the UW Cancer Center’s Cancer Health Disparities Initiative from 2009 to 2015. Adams maintains an active research agenda and clinical practice relating to childhood obesity in American Indian communities. Her current work in obesity prevention partners with five American Indian communities nationwide, including the Blackfeet Nation in Montana. For this and other community health and health disparities project work as principal investigator, co-PI, or faculty mentor, she received major funding support from 10 different sources. She received her M.D. from the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Urbana-Champaign and her Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She completed her residency in family medicine at the University of Wisconsin Hospital/St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison. Adams’s husband, Erik Adams, M.D., Ph.D., teaches in the WWAMI Medical Education Program at MSU and also serves as a faculty mentor for CAIRHE. Ada L. Bends Crow Nation, Montana Native Women’s Coalition Ada Bends is currently serving as interim director of the Montana Native Women’s Coalition Program. She speaks “on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves” to raise awareness for women going through domestic and sexual violence and for survivors. MNWC is funded by the Office of Violence Against Women as a Department of Justice grant. Ada is an Apsaalooke (Crow) Tribal member. She currently lives in Lodge Grass, Montana.
4 BIOS Chester David ‘Tuff’ Harris Pro American Football Player Born in 1983 in Crow Agency, Tuff Harris is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2007 and has also been a part of the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans. Harris grew up in Lodge Grass, Montana, also known as the Valley of the Chiefs. He is a member of the Crow Nation. During his years at Lodge Grass High School, Harris played football, basketball, baseball, and ran track. His mother was an assistant coach for the track and field team. Harris’s family moved to Colstrip after his sophomore year. After moving from Lodge Grass to Colstrip, Harris continued playing football, basketball, and track for the Colstrip Colts. In 2001, Tuff set an all-class Montana high school state record in the 100-meter dash. After graduating in 2002, Harris went to school at the University of Montana and was a four-year starter at cornerback for the Grizzlies and set school and BigSky records as a punt returner. Tuff is married to Mary (Hasselberg) Harris. Mary is from Staples, Minnesota. The two met while Mary was playing golf at the University of Montana and Tuff was on the football team. Tuff is an enrolled member of the Apsaalooke Nation (Crow Tribe) and is also of Northern Cheyenne descent. Allyson Kelley, DrPH President & Founder, Allyson Kelley & Associates Allyson Kelley is a community health evaluation research scientist with interests in building community capacity to address the cultural, social, and environmental factors that contribute differences in health outcomes in American Indian communities. She earned her Master’s degree in public health practice from the University of Alaska Anchorage and her Doctorate in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her interests are driven by what communities identify as most important. Most of her work is in Tribal communities where she works with Tribal organizations such as health departments, boys and girls clubs, colleges, environmental departments, and non-profits. Allyson has worked with Tribal communities in Montana since 2005 as a research partner, evaluator, methodologist, educator, and research ethics consultant. Her efforts have resulted in funding and implementation of several successful programs aimed at building capacity to address disparities using a strength-based approach. She currently resides in New Mexico and is an independent consultant for a variety of Tribal public health initiatives. Corey A. Reich, PhD Executive Director, The Phoenix Recovery & Counseling Centers Dr. Corey Reich’s educational goals and aspirations are guided by his interest in understanding the human condition and identifying those aspects of both internal and external factors which contribute to living a whole and abundant life. Dr. Reich has always felt compelled by what contributes to wholeness and optimum health and wellness. As a result, his educational pursuits characterized both clinical and didactic processes from some of the top schools in their respective disciplines, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Family and Human Development from Utah State, a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Maryland, and Doctorate in Child Studies and Human Development from the University of Maryland. He was honored to be the first Graduate Fellow recipient in the College of Education at the University.
BIOS 5 Building upon his educational purpose driven by a meaning-based orientation, Dr. Reich continues to approach his efforts in working with populations oriented towards strengths rather than weaknesses. Working in the helping profession in some capacity for 30 years, Dr. Reich has been in private practice, life and corporate coaching, residential programs, and in multiple clinical supervisory positions. Dr. Reich is a cofounder of the Institute for Addiction Study which was created with the intent to provide instructional material for understanding and supporting those affected by addiction. Dr. Reich worked with the Pretty Shield Foundation serving the Crow Tribe in Montana, providing services for meth-impacted families. Dr. Reich has also worked in the capacity of chief editor and writer of a news-based internet site (e.g. Masternet) specifically dedicated to the mental, behavioral, and substance abuse industry. Dr. Reich has co-authored two books on addiction and continues to exert his influence in purpose driven populations striving to realize the dream of wholeness and meaning fulfillment. Dr. Reich is currently the Executive Director of The Phoenix Recovery and Counseling Centers. Dr. Reich is married, has eight children, and eleven grandchildren. Dr. Reich loves being with his family, cycling, golfing, serving in the community, and being in the outdoors. Maegan Rides At The Door Director, National Native Children’s Trauma Center Maegan is the Director for the National Native Children’s Trauma Center. She is an enrolled member of the Assiniboine-Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation and a descendent of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. She is currently Principal Investigator on the NNCTC’s flagship SAMHSA National Child Traumatic Stress Network grant, a SAMHSA Garrett Lee Smith Tribal Suicide Prevention grant (in collaboration with a Northern Plains tribe), and an Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Tribal Training and Technical Assistance grant, as well as organizational lead on subcontracts. This work focuses on developing trauma-informed systems of care for mental health agencies, schools, child welfare, and juvenile justice systems serving American Indian and Alaska Native youth and implementing comprehensive suicide prevention efforts. Maegan is a licensed clinical professional counselor and a national certified counselor, having worked with children of all ages and adults in various settings.
Tom Rogers, JD Carlyle Consulting, Blackfeet Tribe
Tom Rogers successfully waged one the most important Native American Voting Rights efforts of the last fifty years, which will provide Native Americans on remote reservations with equal access to voting. The forgoing federal efforts confirm that the Wandering Medicine litigation, in calling for equal access and equal resources for Native American voting, was the most far-reaching political empowerment of Native Americans since the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. Tom was the main whistleblower in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, which according to the Washington Post was the largest congressional lobbying scandal in the last 100 years. For his whistleblower efforts, Tom received an honorary Masters Scholar in Ethics award from the University of Denver Law School. He worked with Oscar winning director Alex Gibney and appeared in the documentary Casino Jack and The United States of Money, released at the Sundance Film Festival. As a result of his tax expertise and leadership over the past eighteen years, Tom has secured a net positive tax credit impact specifically for his Native American clients and Indian Country in excess of $10 billion. In 1994, Tom founded Carlyle Consulting, a governmental/media/public relations firm located in Alexandria,
6 BIOS Virginia that represents the interests of Native Americans. Tom has served as tax legislative counsel to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus and United States Tax Court Judge Marvin F. Peterson. Tom obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics, J.D. and L.L.M in Taxation at the University of Denver. He went on to obtain a Masters in International Public Policy with an emphasis in China Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He also attended the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business Executive MBA program. Tom, an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation, has raised over $1.2 million dollars in charity for Native American youth, tribal governments, Native American financial literacy programs, and Native American voting rights efforts. He grew up on the great plains of Eastern Montana and now resides in Alexandria, Virginia. Deborah Scott, PhD Regional Nurse Consultant at Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service
As an Officer in the US Public Health Service (Captain) Deborah works for the Health Resources and Services Administration in Denver. She provides consultation and oversight for federally-funded programs for the underserved and the healthcare safety net in Region 8, including Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, South Dakota, and North Dakota. As the Regional Nurse Consultant, she works with the HRSA team to provide oversight and consultation on HRSA’s established Federal healthcare safety- net programs, and provides consultation for nursing programs and the implementation of the HHS priories (opioid misuse, childhood obesity and mental health). She is the HRSA Montana State Lead, working with federally-funded programs in the MT State Department of Health, universities, professional organizations, and MT tribes. Deborah previously served as the Associate Director of Policy, Planning, and Evaluation at Immigration Health Services, as the Director of Business Development at Federal Occupational Health, (both in Washington DC) and as Nursing Consultant with Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems in rural Maui. Prior to joining the US Public Health Service, she worked internationally as a Nursing Administrator in Saipan, Guam, and Saudi Arabia, and did volunteer work in various countries. She has travelled extensively in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Deborah holds a Masters’ Degree Organizational Psychology from Regis University, a Master of Science in Healthcare Administration from Alameda University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Loyola University Chicago. Devoted to spiritual development, she studied Vedic meditation in India. She graduated in 2015 from the Seminary of the Inner Light. She is a minister and working toward a PhD in Theology. Corbin D. Shangreux, M. Ed. Indigenous Child Welfare Consultant, Lakota (Oglala Sioux) Corbin is a seminary graduate from the Northwest Indian Bible College. He holds a Bachelors’ degree in Education from Eastern Montana College (MSU Billings) and a Masters’ Degree in Education from Montana State University. He is the former Executive Director of the Billings American Indian Council and the In-Care Network. Since moving to Manitoba, Canada in 1989, he has served in senior management positions at several First Nations Child and Family Services Agencies including 10+ years as an Executive Director. He has also served as a trainer and program consultant for numerous indigenous organizations and as a researcher for the National Canadian Incident Study on Child Abuse and Neglect and been a member of the national review team examining
BIOS 7 federal Funding for First Nations Child and Family Service Agencies in Canada. He is a strong advocate for Indian children, families and communities and believes that having a strong and healthy tribal government is essential to the future of our people. He is married, has three children, two grandsons, two dogs, three used Toyotas and more than ten fishing rods. He likes fishing on the Bighorn River and he is an avid hockey fan.
Jennifer Show, DNP, FNP-BC Diabetes Coordinator/Nurse Practitioner, Assinibone Tribe Raised on the Fort Belknap Reservation, Jennifer Show attended Harlem High School graduating in 1998. Upon graduation, Jennifer received the Presidential Scholarship to Montana State University eventually receiving dual degrees in psychology and nursing. Jennifer entered the Civil Service by working as a registered nurse for the Indian Health Service on both the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and Fort Belknap Indian Reservations. After two years of service, Jennifer joined the Navy Nurse Corps, serving five years on active duty and three years with the Navy Reserves. Jennifer returned to Montana State University to complete her Doctor of Nursing Practice, graduating with her degree in 2016. Jennifer is currently working for the Fort Belknap Indian Community as the Diabetes Coordinator/Nurse Practitioner at the newly established tribally-run Diabetes Care Clinic. Charlie Smith, PsyD Regional Administrator (Region 8), SAMHSA
Prior to accepting the position of SAMHSA Regional Administrator, Dr. Charlie Smith served as the Director of the Division of Behavioral Health, Colorado Department of Human Services, and Deputy Commissioner of Mental Health and Substance Abuse for the State of Colorado. In this capacity, Dr. Smith was responsible for a combined annual budget of $110 million. Dr. Smith was a key member of the Governor’s Behavioral Health Transformation Council, Governor’s Justice Assistance Grant Board, Chair of the statewide Interagency Advisory Council on Adult and Juvenile Correctional Treatment, and Vice-Chair of the Attorney General’s Statewide Methamphetamine Task Force. Previously, Dr. Smith served as the Deputy Director for the Division of Behavioral Health. Dr. Smith is a licensed psychologist with over 20 years of clinical experience in fields of forensic/correctional psychology, emergency/crisis intervention, rehabilitation counseling, methadone maintenance, consultation, and supervision. Dr. Smith directed the Office of Community Mental Health Services for the Colorado Department of Corrections, Division of Parole, Community Corrections, and Youth Offender Services, as well as managed mental health, substance abuse, and sex offender treatment services for three State prison facilities including designing and opening the state’s inpatient psychiatric unit for female offenders. Dr. Smith received his Bachelors of Science degree in pychology from Allegheny College, his Masters of Arts degree in rehabilitation counseling with a concentration in substance abuse from New York University, and his doctoral degree in counseling psychology from the University of Denver. Dr. Smith is a clinical instructor in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado- Denver, and he is recognized national speaker and recipient of several honors and recognitions.
8 BIOS Kenny Smoker Jr. Health Promotion, Fort Peck Tribes Kenny serves Fort Peck tribes through the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Wellness Program (HPDP). The mission of the HPDP Wellness Program is to restore the traditional values of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, and to help these communities return to a healthier lifestyle. This program helps to increase access to Mental, Physical, & Spiritual Health with a focus on the health of Fort Peck communities. DPWP believes that each part is vital to the whole, and through each part we are looking to our past for the values and traditions that provided a healthy lifestyle and place to live. Jerry Waukau Tribal Health Director & Clinical Administrator, Menominee Tribe Much of the progress and the improvements made to the Menominee Tribal Clinic in recent years can be attributed to Jerry Waukau, the Menominee Tribal Clinic Administrator. Jerry’s knowledge of tribal government and experience in administration resulted in increased cooperation with the Menominee Tribal government and lead to three expansions within the past 11 years. “Any good administrator would consider access to a facility and usually one considers the number of complaints you get.” said Jerry. “For instance, we were hearing that people were saying they couldn’t get into the clinic and we had to ask ourselves Why?” He said, “I realized that the demand for health care was increasing.” As the population on the Menominee reservation increased, Jerry made his first move to meet community expectations by expanding the medical wing of the clinic in 1987. At the time, funding for the healthcare on Indian reservations was limited and tribes had to depend more on Indian Health Services. Jerry was also very appreciative of the tribal funding and knew that he would have to research third- party funds. “The Menominee Tribal Legislature has always been supportive and understanding of the medical needs of their people ...and when they recognize the need, they respond to it.” The Menominee Tribal Legislature established the Menominee Health Committee in 1996 to assist the clinic in recommending and approving plans of action. Although the committee has a number of significant functions it has accomplished a great deal in working cooperatively with Jerry to develop critical communications with the tribal government. As the community began to question whether or not the quality of healthcare at the Menominee Tribal Clinic was up to standards or as good as it was off the reservation, Jerry looked toward the joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. The Joint Commission evaluated the Menominee Tribal Clinic and services provided. They certified the services provided were up to national standards in 1989 and the Menominee Tribal Clinic has been able to maintain that status since then. RADM Michael Weahkee Acting Director, Indian Health Services
Rear Admiral Michael D. Weahkee, an enrolled member of the Zuni Tribe, is Acting Director of the Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The IHS is the principal federal health care advocate and provider of health care services for American Indians and Alaska Natives. As Acting Director, RADM Weahkee administers a nationwide health care delivery program that is responsible for providing preventive, curative, and community health care to approximately 2.2 million American Indians and Alaska Natives in hospitals, clinics, and other settings throughout the United States. RADM Weahkee previously served as the Chief Executive Officer for the Phoenix Indian Medical Center, the largest federally-operated facility in the Indian Health Service. He was born in the Shiprock Public Health Service
BIOS 9 Hospital on the Navajo reservation and grew up as a direct service user of the IHS. Michael began his professional health care career in the United States Air Force, as a Public Health Specialist. After completing his Bachelor of Science degree in Health Care Management from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, he left the Air Force to pursue advanced hospital administration training, receiving both his Master of Health Services Administration and Master of Business Administration degrees from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. RADM Weahkee has also served in a variety of different roles at IHS Headquarters, including: Executive Officer for the Office of Clinical and Preventive Services; Director of the Management Policy and Internal Control Staff office; and, as the Deputy Director for Personnel Functions in the Office of Management Services, charged with management oversight of Human Resources, Commissioned Personnel Support and Program Integrity and Ethics for the Agency. RADM Weahkee also served on memorandum of agreement to the California Rural Indian Health Board, both as the director of family and community health services and as deputy director of the health board. Michael has received several public health service honors and awards, including an Exceptional Proficiency Promotion to the rank of Captain, two Outstanding Service Medals, and two IHS National Director’s Awards. Miles Werk Lifestyle Coach/Fitness Navigator, Ft. Belnap
Miles is the Lifestyle Coach/Fitness Navigator for the Diabetes Care Clinic under the Fort Belknap Tribal Health Department. He has a B.S. in Health & Human Performance from the University of Montana. In November 2017, he received his Lifestyle Coach certification at the American Association of Diabetes Educators headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. He also carries many other certifications in the fitness field, such Native Fitness Training from the University of Oklahoma, Level 2 Crossfit Trainer as well as other Crossfit certifications, and fitness training with the American Arthritis Foundation. Miles’ passion for fitness led him to pursue higher education with hope to return home and help his people on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. Since June 2012, Miles has worked for the Fort Belknap Tribal Health Department. As the Fitness Coordinator, Miles conducts high intensity fitness classes and individual training sessions at the Red Whip Fitness Center. In November 2017, Miles took the opportunity to join the Diabetes Care Clinic. Miles is motivated to help the Fort Belknap Indian Community establish a successful Diabetes Care Clinic to serve as a template for other tribes and organizations across Indian Country. Recreationally, Miles is passionate about the outdoors and athletic competitions. He is an avid hunter and fisherman end enjoys introducing youth to these types of activities. Aaron Wernham, MD CEO, Montana Health Care Foundation Aaron is the Founding Chief Executive Officer of the Montana Healthcare Foundation, an organization focused on improving the health and healthcare of all Montanans. He is the former Director of the Health Impact Project, A Collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and The Pew Charitable Trusts. Aaron is a graduate of the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine.
10 BIOS SPONSORS
Indian Health Service The overall mission of the Indian Health Service (IHS) is to raise the physical, mental, social and spiritual health of American Indians and Alaska natives (AI/AN) to the highest level.
Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council The mission of RMTLC is to preserve our homelands, defend rights of the Indian Treaties with Miles Werk the United States, speak in a unified voice, offer support to our people, offer a forum in which Lifestyle Coach/Fitness Navigator, Ft. Belnap to consult each other and enlighten each other about our peoples, and to otherwise promote the common welfare of all of the Indian Peoples of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. Bureau of Indian Affairs The BIA mission is to enhance the quality of life, to promote economic opportunity, and to carry out the responsibility to protect and improve the trust assets of American Indians, Indian tribes and Alaska Natives.
Montana INBRE MT INBRE (IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence) is a statewide collaborative network of Ph.D.-granting institutions, baccalaureate schools and tribal colleges that invests in Montana’s biomedical research capacity and workforce development.
Montana Health Care Foundation MHCF is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of all Montanans. MHCF contributes to a healthier state by making strategic investments that support access to quality and affordable health services, conducting evidence-driven research and analysis, Aaron Wernham, MD and addressing the upstream influences on health and illness. CEO, Montana Health Care Foundation MSU CAIRHE CAIRHE (Center for American Indian & Rural Health Equity)’s mission is to reduce significant health disparities in tribal and non-tribal rural communities through community-based participatory research (CBPR) that is considerate of and consistent with their cultural beliefs. Using proven CBPR methods, the Center and its investigators conduct groundbreaking health equity research and interventions that make a profound, sustainable difference in the lives of Montanans. BIOS 11 Artwork by Evan Thompson, Blackfeet Tribe