Wabanaki Public Health And Wellness Npc

Programs: Reach-maine-wabanaki reach continues to work on truth, healing and change across maine and in wabanaki communities. Reach works collaboratively within tribal communities to present diverse learning opportunities geared toward understanding, empowerment, and wellness. The program presents fresh perspectives with the end goal being healthier, happier, more compassionate communities. They educate people on the ways in which intergenerational trauma impacts tribal communities, manifested in poverty, substance abuse, behavioral health issues and suicide. Reach has done much work in maine state prison.

hiv and hepc prevention programs: the program has continued to work toward improving the health of native americans and all maine people by promoting behaviors, attitudes, skills, community noms and/or knowledge that reduce the risk of hiv. Wabanaki has provided primary hiv hep c and std prevention, counseling, testing for hiv and hep c and referrals for the native american using the specific strategies of ctr, targeted outreach and health communication and public information thru social media and health promotion.

supportive housing and cultural program: in partnership with community housing of maine, wabanaki offers safe affordable and supportive housing to enrolled native americans. Our goal is to end homelessness and help people achieve self-sufficiency. This year we have had a very hard time and have lost considerable revenue due to participants who have not paid rent as well as a significant decrease in social service resources. Cultural programs: a. Wabanaki has held or partnered in several cultural activities such as the wabanaki health and wellness annual spring social. Since 1997, wabanaki people from all over the state and the maritimes have gathered each spring to connect and celebrate being wabanaki. The annual spring social is sponsored by wabanaki health and wellness, which was established to fill the unmet need for substance abuse, mental health and other supportive services to native people who live in the greater urban area of bangor. Wabanaki health and wellnes spring social has become on of the largest intertribal gatherings in maine. Wabanaki and tribal community members enjoy a potluck meal complete with cultural favorites and lots of fry bread. The dancing and drumming begin after prayers for the community offered by wabanaki elders in our first language. Masters of ceremonies entertain and direct all the action, telling stories and reinforcing traditional values in messages for the community on topics such as caring for each other, healing, wellness, recovery and prevention. Special dances and songs are performed to honor and acknowledge our veterans, elders, youth and leaders in community service. Community groups and organizations set up health promotion tables to share information on topics such as prevention of diabetes, opiate addiction, domestic violence, hiv and hepatitis c infections. In addition, tribal members promote art, clothing and jewelry. The day is filled with song, dance and laughter as olf friendships are rekindled and new friendships are formed. The spring social is an important event in the larger wabanaki community and is organized by a small group of agency staff and volunteers who raise funds each year to pay for the venue, provide lodging and transportation for elders, honoraria for drum groups and paper goods and supplies for the meal. B. Annual cultural youth camp 1 week in august partnering with nee-loon. C. Peer recovery related activities. Wabanaki continues to partner with cornerstone behavioral health to offer behavioral health home/case management services. Cornerstone holds the license and performs all billing and other functions as required by licensing and contract. Wabanak division staff are employed to provide "behavioral health home" (bhho) targeted services to both children and adults. Bhho is a new way of providing case management using a "whole person" approach and is reimbursed under maine care. The approach integrates both physical and mental health services and is expanding to address needs in multiple domains including educational, housing, peer recovery and transportation, etc. Cm's help to identify the services necessary to meet those needs, coordinate and facilitate access to services and integrate care. This model offers a team based approach. It begins with intake/assessment, identification of needs, developing a plan of care, referrals, care coordination/advocacy, monitoring, and ends when goals are met. The wabanaki division targets a vulnerable population of native americans.