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Trust Building and Outreach on and off the Reservation: From a Native Perspective

Panel Presentation 6/19/19

Trust Building and Outreach on and off the Reservation: From a Native Perspective

Randy Feliciano, MPA

Senior Program Manager

National Council on Aging

Center for Benefits Access

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Lead Moderator and Session Description:

Session Description

• This session will highlight how Native

Americans view and experience trust-

building and outreach approaches on

and off the reservation. The following

panelists will also provide insights on

how to best build trust and provide

effective outreach.

Cynthia LaCounte (Moderator)

Director of the Office for American Indian,

Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian Programs

Administration for Community Living

Administration on Aging

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Meet the Speakers:

Benita McKerry BEC Program

Lead/Intake SpecialistNative American

Disability Law Center

Valarie Johnson BEC Program

Assistant/AdvocateNative American

Disability Law Center

Francys CrevierExecutive Director

National Council of Urban Indian Health

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Mary Culley

U.S Department of

Veterans Affairs

Office of Tribal

Government Relations

Tribal Government

Relations Specialist

Native American Disability Law Center

Benita McKerry

Valarie Johnson

Navajo Nation Total Enrollment 332,129

Total Navajos

(living on the Navajo Nation)

156,823 or 47%

Male 22.59% or 75,042

Female 23.56% or 78,281

American Indian96%

60 + Elders 19,000

Adults with disabilities 70%

Other Races, on the Navajo

Nation

White (anglo) 2.8%

Black or African American 0.4%

Asian 0.3%

Hawaiian & other Pacific Islander 0.1%

Median Age 28 Years

Unemployment Rate 55.9%

Avg. Household Income $27,389

(As recorded in the 2010 U.S. Census on Navajo)

Outreach to the Navajo Elders and to those with disabilities

There are over 30 Senior Centers in New Mexico under the Division of Aging and Long Term Care Support (DALTCS)

Navajo Nation Division of Long Term Care Services

– Senior Centers

Outreach Activities

• Events sponsored by DALTCS

• Disability Conference(s)

• Senior Citizen Centers

• Events held at Chapter House

• Veteran Health Fairs

• Farmington Indian Center

Connecting to Benefits: What works

• Going out to their community

• Talking/joking with the them

• Listening to their needs

• Talking to them in Diné bizaad

• Clanship

• Publications

• Radio Announcement

• Flier/Posters/FB Page

Challenges

• Reluctant to be denied again• Elders are uneasy about giving

personal information • No trust in government• Are afraid to ask questions• They are comfortable with what they

have• Lack access to information• Don’t have transportation

Faces of our Diné Elders and adults living with disabilities

VA Office of Tribal Government Relations (OTGR)

National Council on Aging Conference

Wednesday, June 19, 2019

How positive relations with Tribes can enhance and strengthen our efforts with Veterans living in tribal communities….

Ms. Mary Culley, Tribal Relations Specialist

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VA Office of Tribal Government Relations (OTGR)

CO

An American Indian Veterans view and

experience in Trust Building and outreach

approaches – on and off the Reservation

- Growing up Military

- My own Military career

- Sharing insights from a Federal agency perspective as we

work to build trust in our own outreach through the VA’

Office of Tribal Government Relations- Working with VA

- Working with Tribal Nations

- Working with Veterans, widows and family members

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=zBPsueG9mBhYDM&tbnid=iN1yWIKRzLW1oM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://www.va.gov/tribalgovernment/biographies.asp&ei=wDovUofNLoep2gWj7YGADQ&bvm=bv.51773540,d.b2I&psig=AFQjCNEnMGB36iPPu7fzYHVzLhoTQ0WTdQ&ust=1378913282880636

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VA Organizational Chart

Mr. Robert Wilkie

Secretary

Peter Vicaire

OTGR Specialist

Midwest /North Atlantic Regions

L. HoMana Pawiki

OTGR Specialist

Continental/Pacific Regions

Terry Bentley

OTGR Specialist

Pacific Region

David Clay Ward

OTGR

Executive Officer

Mary Culley

OTGR Specialist

Continental/Midwest/ Southeast/N. Atlantic

Regions

Pamela Powers

Chief of Staff VA

VacantAssistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs

Thayer Verschoor

Executive Director Intergovernmental Affairs

Stephanie E. Birdwell, Director

Office of Tribal Government Relations

Goal 1: Implement VA’s Tribal Consultation Policy

➢ Top priorities for serving Veterans in Indian Country

➢Accreditation of Tribal Veterans Service Offices

➢A proposed consolidation of non-VA care into a more standardized system

under the Choice Act

VA OTGR NATIONAL UPDATEVA OTGR – 3 MAIN GOALS

OTGR Goal 2: Facilitate Increased

Access to Health Care & Benefits

➢ OTGR works closely with tribes to

implement the VA, Indian Health Service

and Tribal Health Programs Reimbursement

Agreements. VA reimburses IHS and THP

programs for direct care services provided

to eligible American Indians and Alaska

Native Veterans. These agreements

increase access to care for American

Indians and Alaska Native Veterans

nationwide, in particular those highly rural

Veterans living within Indian Country.

VA OTGR NATIONAL UPDATEConnecting Tribes to Goals

OTGR Goal 3: Promote Economic Sustainability

➢ OTGR partnered with VBA Benefits Assistance Service in FY18 for a

nationwide campaign to Indian Country:

➢ “Your Service. Our Mission: Bringing VA Benefits Home.”

22 Tribes participated & 30+ Claims Clinic events in Indian Country

Connecting Tribes to Goals

- Kewa Pueblo- Pascua Yaqui Tribe- Tohono O'odham Nation- Pueblo of Pojoaque- Taos Pueblo- Copper River Native Assoc. (AK)- Native Village of White Mtn (AK)- Tule River Tribe California - Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior

Chippewa Indians- Siletz Tribe- Nooksack Indian Tribe

- Nez Perce Tribe- Osage Nation - Seminole Nation of OK- Shawnee Tribe- Choctaw Nation of OK- Kiowa Tribe of OK- Bay Mills Indian Community- Navajo Nation- San Carlos Apache- White Earth Nation- Walker River Paiute Tribe

Department of Veterans Affairs

Office of Tribal Government Relations

Mary.Culley@va.gov

405-456-3876

405-626-3426 (BB)

www.va.gov/tribalgovernment - Main website

Tribal.agreements@va.gov – VA-IHS-THP Reimbursement Agreements

Tribal.Consultation@va.gov – eMail for tribal leaders to submit inquiries directly to VA

Southern Plains and Eastern Region Contact

20

mailto:Mary.Culley@va.govhttp://www.va.gov/tribalgovernmentmailto:Tribal.agreements@va.govmailto:Tribal.Consultation@va.gov

Trust-Building and Outreach in Indian Country

Healthcare and Public Health

Francys Crevier, JD (Algonquin)

Executive Director

National Council of Urban Indian Health

National Council of Urban Indian Health

NCUIH is the premier National 501(c)(3) organization devoted to the support and development of quality, accessible, and culturally-competent health services for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) living in urban settings.

Tribes: Sovereign Nations

Healthcare in Indian Country “I/T/U”

• Indian Health Service

• Tribal

• Urban

Great Plains

⚫ Nebraska Urban Indian Health Coalition, Omaha, NE

⚫ South Dakota Urban Indian Health, Inc., Sioux Falls, SD

Billings

⚫ Helena Indian Alliance –Leo Pocha Clinic, Helena, MT

⚫ Indian Family Health Clinic, Great Falls, MT

⚫ North American Indian Alliance, Butte, MT

⚫ Missoula Urban Indian Health Center, Missoula, MT

⚫ Native American Development Corporation, Billings, MT

Portland

⚫ NARA of the Northwest, Portland, OR

⚫ The NATIVE Project, Spokane, WA

⚫ Seattle Indian Health Board, Seattle, WA

Phoenix

⚫ Native Health Center, Phoenix, AZ

⚫ Urban Indian Center of Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City, UT

⚫ Nevada Urban Indians, Inc., Reno, NV

⚫ Native American Connections, Phoenix, AZ

Bemidji

⚫ American Indian Council on Alcoholism, Inc., Greenfield, WI

⚫ American Indian Health & Family Services S.E. Michigan, Detroit, MI

⚫ Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center, Milwaukee, WI

⚫ Indian Health Board of Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN

⚫ American Indian Health Services of Chicago, Chicago, IL

⚫ Juel Fairbanks Chemical Dependency Services, St. Paul, MN

Nashville

⚫ New York Indian Council, Long Island City, NY

⚫ Native American Lifelines of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD

⚫ Native American Lifelines of Boston, West Roxbury, MA

Oklahoma City

⚫ Hunter Health Clinic, Wichita, KS

⚫ Indian Health Care Resource Center, Tulsa, OK

⚫ Oklahoma City Indian Clinic, Oklahoma City, OK

⚫ Urban Inter-Tribal Center of Texas, Dallas, TX

⚫ Kansas City Indian Center, Kansas City, MO

Albuquerque

⚫ First Nations Community Healthsource, Albuquerque, NM

⚫ Denver Indian Health & Family Services, Denver, CO

Navajo

⚫ Native Americans for Community Action, Flagstaff, AZ

California

⚫ American Indian Health & Services, Santa Barbara, CA

⚫ Bakersfield American Indian Health Project, Bakersfield, CA

⚫ Fresno American Indian Health Project, Fresno, CA

⚫ Friendship House Association of American Indians, San Francisco, CA

⚫ Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley, San Jose, CA

⚫ Native American Health Center, Oakland, CA

⚫ Sacramento Native American Health Center, Sacramento, CA

⚫ San Diego American Indian Health Center, San Diego, CA

⚫ Native Directions, Inc./Three Rivers Indian Lodge, Manteca, CA

⚫ United American Indian Involvement, Inc., Los Angeles, CA

Tucson

⚫ Tucson Indian Center, Tucson, AZ

Urban Indian Health Programs

4 Keys to Building Trust and Maintaining Partnerships

Invest time and staff resources to foster trust and respect

Initial Outreach Meetings

Meet Indian Country where THEY are, not where YOU want them to be.

vs vs

Identify and define a common and mutually-beneficial purpose or goals

MOU

Don’t come to Indian Country only when it is convenient for you (grant application, research idea). Build the relationship first to understand THEIR

needs and see how YOU fit into THEM.

Maintain open channels of communication

Two-Directional In-Person Whenever Possible

Ask what their preferred method and frequency of communication is, don’t make assumptions that your style of communication works for them.

Can’t go to Indian Country? Provide support to bring Indian Country to you.

Research, research, research… Listen, listen, listen…

• Over 600 federal and state recognized Tribal nations, each with their own history, traditions, and needs. “When you’ve seen one Tribe, you’ve only seen one Tribe.”

• Recognize a long history of mistrust, especially when it comes to research and data.

Indian Country knows best about what Indian Country needs. Your job is to listen.

Thank you!

Francys Crevier, JD (Algonquin)

Executive Director

National Council of Urban Indian Health

p: 202-544-0344

a: 924 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Washington, DC 20003

w: ncuih.org e: fcrevier@ncuih.org

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