Indian Health Service Honors Cherokee Nation
Cherokee Nation Behavioral Health Services staff (l-r) Mary Horsechief-Henderson, Mary Shahan, Barbara Williams, Andrea Rooks and Dr. B.J. Boyd.The Cherokee Nation has received two prestigious national awards for its recent accomplishments in community-based prevention efforts. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Indian Health Service and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, has honored Cherokee Nation and Dr. B.J. Boyd, program director for the tribe’s behavioral health services program, with two of the 2010 Indian Health Service Behavioral Health Achievement Awards. Cherokee Nation was given the award for outstanding community mobilization and Boyd was given the award for outstanding implementation of behavioral health integration.
“We are very happy for Dr. Boyd and our Behavioral Health Services program to be honored in this manner,” said Chad Smith, principal chief of the Cherokee Nation. “Their programs have helped many individuals and families throughout our jurisdiction, making our communities become more free of substance abuse.”
The National Behavioral Health Achievement Awards provide individuals and programs within the IHS behavioral healthcare system the opportunity to highlight the many notable contributions aimed toward advancing the behavioral health status of American Indian and Alaska Native people. All awards are open to employees of the IHS, tribal health programs, and urban health programs.
The Cherokee Nation’s Community Anti-Drug Network serves to partner communities within the tribal jurisdictional area of the Cherokee Nation to deliver effective substance abuse prevention services through the collaboration of various tribal services. Larger communities in each area were selected as hub sites to begin the process of forming coalitions to combat drug and alcohol problems at the community level. As the hubs gain experience they mentor satellite communities in the area to expand efforts and build an effective network of community anti-drug coalitions across the 14 counties of the Cherokee Nation.
Currently, there are 10 hub communities and 10 additional satellite communities involved in the community anti-drug network being coordinated through the tribe. Hub communities include Bartlesville, Nowata, Claremore, Vinita, Pryor, Jay, Tahlequah, Stilwell, Muskogee and Sallisaw. Satellite communities include Dewey in Washington County, South Coffeyville in Nowata County, Chelsea in Rogers County, Ketchum in Craig County, Locust Grove in Mayes County, Grove in Delaware County, Hulbert in Cherokee County, Skelly in Adair County, Warner in Muskogee County and Vian in Sequoyah County.
The Cherokee Nation partnered with the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention for the purpose of preventing the onset and reducing the progression of substance abuse within the Tribal Jurisdictional Area of the Cherokee Nation. As one of only 12 American Indian partners nationwide, the program focuses on the lifespan of all people within a community. All ages, ethnic groups and cultural populations are addressed. The program provides a framework for communities to enable them to build the infrastructure necessary for effective culturally competent and sustainable prevention.
The program challenges states, tribes, and communities to fully implement data driven and outcome based prevention planning. The three major goals of the program are to prevent the onset and reduce the progression of substance abuse including childhood and underage drinking, to reduce substance abuse related problems in communities and to build prevention capacity at state, tribal, and community levels.
“This award reflects the hard work our prevention staff has put in over the past several years to build relationships in communities and gather support for the problems that our behavioral health programs address,” Boyd said. “Whether it’s alcohol, drugs, violence, HIV, or teen pregnancy, building relationships with community partners and getting them mobilized is essential to success.”
Boyd said that while he was honored by the award he will receive, the program would not be successful without the efforts of the program’s prevention staff and the community members serving on the local coalitions. He added that the work done by the staff and community groups is respected not only by officials within the Cherokee Nation, but by officials on the state and national levels as well.
“Our goal is to have the best behavioral health prevention program in the country, and this award indicates we're on the right track,” he said. “This award is definitely one they have earned and deserve.”
The awards will be presented during the IHS/BIA National Behavioral Health Conference later this month in California.
“I look forward to honoring these accomplishments that promote the IHS mission,” said Dr. Rose Weahkee, director of the behavioral health division for the Indian Health Service. “These accomplishments are symbolic of the hard work and dedication to quality behavioral health services.”