AIHFS Newsletter - April through June 2023

AMERICAN INDIAN Health & Family Services

From The CEO...

Powwow season is here and hopefully the snow and gray skies are behind us. Spring for me fosters belief in brighter futures and new chances. Go ahead and dust off those three-month-old New Year resolutions and put them to good use. Start a new job, go back to school, change your hair style, dig in the dirt, exercise, express your creative side by painting, doing beadwork, dancing or poetry. Shake off those Winter blues by keeping it growing and moving. Start off Spring in a healthy way. We have a fantastic medical and behavioral health team with a host of community wellness programs for everyone. Come out and visit us!!! Make sure to follow us weekly for updates.

CARF Accreditation:

Thanks to our team and their dedication to excellence, our organization was recently awarded another three-year accreditation through CARF. CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) is an international accreditor of health and human services whose focus is advancing the quality of services in concert with producing the best possible outcomes. Providers that meet CARF standards have demonstrated their commitment of being among the best available. Come on and make AIHFS your medical home!!!

Site Visit:

Speaking of Health and Human Services (HHS)…. AIHFS was honored by an in-person visit from the Region V Director of HHS, Michael Cabonargi. Director Cabonargi toured our agency on March 23, 2023 and spoke to many of our staff to learn more about Urban Indian Health. The focus was on the community we serve, the services and programs provided and the expansion of services we hope to grow at the new site. Director Cabonargi was very interested in our new building project and we made sure his tour included not only our current site but also our future site.

We are always grateful to be afforded the opportunity to tell our story, our barriers, our

challenges and our many, many successes. Thank you Director Cabonargi for taking time out of your ever so busy schedule to come to Detroit to not only listen to our story but see our story.

-Chasity Dial, CEO

(L to R) Glenn Wilson, Michael Cabonargi, Chasity Dial

Indian Health Service Hotline

The IHS is announcing a new hotline dedicated to receiving reports of suspected child or sexual abuse within an IHS facility and/or by an IHS staff member. Callers may report suspected child abuse or sexual abuse by calling 1-855-SAFE-IHS (1-855-723-3447). This hotline may be used to report any type of suspected child abuse, or any type of sexual abuse regardless of the age of the victim. Individuals reporting by phone or online may also remain anonymous.

is Mental Health Awareness Month May

Many aspects of American Indian and Alaska Native culture and values, such as placing a high value on raising healthy children, respect for elders and positive spirituality are factors which can be protective against mental health conditions and their negative manifestations. The Indian Health Service seeks to provide best practice therapies in a culturally-sensitive manner.

Need Help?

If you need suicide or mental health-related crisis support, or are worried about someone else, please visit the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: www.samhsa.gov/find-help/988

Call or text 988 or chat www.988lifeline.org

(TTY: 1-800-487-4889), or use the Behavioral Health Treatment Locator to get help: www.findtreatment.gov

Vaccine Strategy

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to see disturbing trends reflecting decreased vaccine coverage for many vaccine-preventable illnesses. As a critical public health prevention priority in our vulnerable service population, IHS advocates recommending vaccines to our patients with the E3 Vaccine Strategy, focusing on: 1) Every patient at 2) Every encounter should be offered 3) Every recommended vaccine when appropriate.

This strategy is designed to prioritize vaccination across the full spectrum of age, clinical and public health settings. Even as we continue to deal with the dual public health emergencies of COVID-19 and monkeypox, it is essential that we amplify our efforts to ensure comprehensive vaccine access and coverage for all age groups, both for emerging infectious diseases and routine vaccine preventable diseases.

Reaching to Improve Health Visits

AIHFS recently purchased an emergency backup generator to help ensure the uninterrupted and continued delivery of services. We have experienced frequent power outages in recent years along with additional operational impacts from various storms and flooding disasters. We know it is most frustrating to have an appointment and then find out it has to be rescheduled, or have an emergent need in which you are unable to obtain service to address your needs. Our investment is intended to directly eliminate operational closures do to the lack of power and be able to always provide full delivery of services. Furthermore, the project is designed to protect our vaccines and medications we store and otherwise secure our infrastructure and critical source systems that can be damaged by the loss of power.

We are excited to have the project almost completed, full installation expected the first part of April. A large crane was used to move the 3,500 pound generator into position, located on the southeast corner of our the clinic/property.

is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month June

Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. In most people with Alzheimer’s, symptoms first appear later in life. Estimates vary, but experts suggest that more than 6 million Americans, most of them age 65 or older, may have dementia caused by Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual mental illness. Her symptoms included memory loss, language problems, and unpredictable behavior. After she died, he examined her brain and found many abnormal clumps (now called amyloid plaques) and tangled bundles of fibers (now called neurofibrillary, or tau, tangles).

These plaques and tangles in the brain are still considered some of the main features of Alzheimer’s disease. Another feature is the loss of connections between neurons in the brain. Neurons transmit messages between different parts of the brain, and from the brain to muscles and organs in the body.

(the above excerpted from: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers-disease-fact-sheet)

Preface: diets low in fat help decrease chances of obesity, diabetes & heart disease.

The Three Sisters

Once upon a time a very long time ago, there were three sisters who lived together in a field.

These sisters were quite different from one another in their size and also in their way of dressing. One of the three was a little sister, so young that she could only crawl at first, and she was dressed in green. The second of the three wore a frock of bright yellow, and she had a way of running off by herself when the sun shone and the soft wind blew in her face. The third was the eldest sister, standing always very straight and tall above the other sisters and trying to guard them. She wore a pale green shawl, and she had long, yellow hair that tossed about her head in the breeze.

There was only one way in which the three sisters were alike. They loved one another very dearly, and they were never separated. They were sure that they would not be able to live apart.

After a while a stranger came to the field of the three sisters, a little Indian boy. He was as straight as an arrow and as fearless as the eagle that

(excerpted from a recording by Lois Thomas of Cornwall Island, Canada)

circled the sky above his head. He knew the way of talking to the birds and the small brothers of the earth, the shrew, the chipmunk, and the young foxes. And the three sisters, the one who was just able to crawl, the one in the yellow frock, and the one with the flowing hair, were very much interested in the little Indian boy. They watched him fit his arrow in his bow, saw him carve a bowl with his stone knife, and wondered where he went at night.

Late in the summer of the first coming of the Indian boy in their field, one of the three sisters disappeared. This was the youngest sister in green, the sister who could only creep. She was scarcely able to stand alone in the field unless she had a stick to which she clung. Her sisters mourned for her until the fall, but she did not return.

Once more the Indian boy came to the field of the three sisters. He came to gather reeds at the edge of a stream nearby to make arrow shafts. The two sisters who were left watched him and gazed with wonder at the prints of his moccasins

(continued on page 10)

Talk More

By Casey L. Brant

I’m an 80’s baby. I collected My Little Pony toys. I loved Popples. I had a pink one that I named Pablo that I took EVERYWHERE. One year, I dressed up as my favorite superhero She-Ra for Halloween. I’m not ashamed to admit that I played Barbies until I was 14.

Best. Childhood. Ever.

I also grew up in an era where children are seen and not so much heard. You speak only when spoken too. It was a time when children had manners. Today, I’m not saying young people don’t have manners. I’m simply saying that some things aren’t like they used to be. When it comes to leadership, though, is speaking less a more effective choice?

I always hated public speaking. I was terrified of public speaking. Once in college, I was so nervous I passed out while having a debate. For years, I’ve avoided not only public speaking but communication. I soon realized that I needed both to succeed on the path I was walking. I joined Toastmasters which changed my communication outlook. No, this is not a “Join Toastmasters ™ to become a better speaker” article. I will say if you’re ever interested in finding a TM club near you I’d be more than happy to help. Nonetheless, I’ve learned that I’ve become more of a listener than a

speaker. Partly going back to that feeling of uneasiness and popular advice of listening more than speaking is the best way to charm people. However, it’s been my experience that talking significantly more than half the time could be a better way to come across as both more interesting and likable.

In the words of one of my favorite movie quotes of the 2000’s, “don’t you need to have evidence.” Well, I found an article in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin that supports talking more. During in-lab conversations participants who were assigned to speak 30-70 percent of the time tended to be more well-liked. However, dominating the conversation and never giving the other a chance to talk may not have the same effect. It’s all about connecting. You’re actively increasing trust and loyalty by being more engaged with those around you. They in turn feel comfortable with you. I’ve learned you should at least feel comfortable speaking more than you typically would.

This is my journey that I’m sharing with you. What I’m writing is only my opinion of what I know about myself and what I observe from others. From one work in progress to another; I encourage you to try to talk more.

Dr. Elizabeth Chapleski

By Tina James

She will always be remembered as Dr. C here at American Indian Health and Family Services. She once served as a member on our board of directors and was also a former employee of American Indian Health and Family Services.

She received her Masters of Social Work and her PhD in Sociology from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She was an Associate Professor at Wayne State University in the Institute of Gerontology.

She was an accomplished researcher and grant writer whose focus was improving the statewide needs of American Indians, and the community served by American Indian Health and Family Services. She had several publications and presentations. She “retired” at age 70, but continued to write grants and teach online courses until the age of 85.

AIHFS would like to say thank you to all of her friends and family that donated nearly $2,000.00 to American Indian Health and Family Services in her memory.

The Three Sisters

in the earth that marked his trail.

That night, the second of the sisters left, the one who was dressed in yellow and who always wanted to run away. She left no mark of her going, but it may have been that she set her feet in the moccasin tracks of the little Indian boy.

Now there was but one of the sisters left. Tall and straight she stood in the field not once bowing her head with sorrow, but it seemed to her that she could not live there alone. The days grew shorter and the nights were colder. Her green shawl faded and grew thin and old. Her hair, once long and golden, was tangled by the wind. Day and

(continued from page 6)

night she sighed for her sisters to return to her, but they did not hear her. Her voice when she tried to call to them was low and plaintive like the wind.

But one day when it was the season of the harvest, the little Indian boy heard the crying of the third sister who had been left to mourn there in the field. He felt sorry for her, and he took her in his arms and carried her to the lodge of his father and mother. Oh, what a surprise awaited her there! Her two lost sisters were there in the lodge of the little Indian boy, safe and very glad to see her. They had been curious about the Indian boy, and they had gone home with him to see how and where he lived. They had liked his warm cave so

The Three Sisters

well that they had decided now that winter was coming on to stay with him. And they were doing all they could to be useful.

The little sister in green, now quite grown up, was helping to keep the dinner pot full. The sister in yellow sat on the shelf drying herself, for she planned to fill the dinner pot later. The third sister joined them, ready to grind meal for the Indian boy. And the three were never separated again.

(continued from page 10)

Every child of today knows these sisters and needs them just as much as the little Indian boy did. For the little sister in green is the bean. Her sister in yellow is the squash, and the elder sister with the long flowing hair of yellow and the green shawl is the corn.

Source: https://gardening.cals.cornell.edu/lessons/curriculum-classics/the-three-sisters-exploring-an-iroquois-garden/alegend/

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How to Support AIHFS!

Only with your support can AIHFS continue to try to meet the physical, spiritual, emotional and mental wellbeing needs of Native American families and other underserved populations in Southeastern Michigan. Additionally, as a 501(c)(3), your generous support is tax-deductible.

Won’t you make a donation today to help us get closer to meeting these needs?

To donate by check or money order please send payable to:

American Indian Health & Family Services P.O. Box 810, Dearborn, MI 48121-0810

To donate online: www.aihfs.org/donate/

Or, use this QR Code >>>

AIHFS 4880 Lawndale

Dearborn, MI 48210

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Clinic: 313-846-6030

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