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With every new season, SWCAHEC programs continue to grow and evolve. Whether we are saying goodbye to programs like the Indigenous Wellbriety Program as it launches as an independent organization under fiscal sponsorship or beginning new programming around community health worker training, geriatrics and perinatal health, we continue to love what we do and strive to increase the wellness of our communities in SW Colorado. We are so grateful for our partners and colleagues in the region – thank you for your support and collaboration. Wishing you all the best in the upcoming holiday season and let us know how we can support you.
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Kate Hartzell
Executive Director, SWCAHEC
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Nourishing Our Communities:
The Power of Indigenous Nutrition in Healthcare
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Chelsie Begoody, SWCAHEC Community Programs Lead, organized a conference about indigenous nutrition for area healthcare professionals. Chelsie worked with Denee Bex of Tumbleweed Nutrition and Marnie Clay from the Fort Lewis College Nutrition Department to create a learning experience that increases the quality and access to care of Native American community members in SW Colorado.
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We kicked off the event with the first session on Friday evening, Denee talked about her educational journey and healthcare career path. Students were able to gather advice and learn about the diverse opportunities within nutrition and dietetics field.
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The following sessions took place on Saturday, Tumbleweed Nutrition covered topics like trauma informed care, culturally relevant heart healthy foods, and nutrition education for behavior change with a bonus cooking class at the end of the day. Healthcare professionals received continuing education units, along with information on how to empower patient care when working with Native American communities, and so much more!
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Lastly, we included a food resource panel with Good Samaritan food pantry, the Dolores Family Food project, Manna Soup Kitchen, FLC Grubhub, and Bidii Baby Foods. This amazing group of panelists shared their organizational work, and how they are strengthening local foods sovereignty efforts.
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Thank you to Fort Lewis College, Tumbleweed Nutrition, and SWCAHEC staff for making this event a huge success!
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Medical Assistant Training
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SWCAHEC has been developing programs to train Certified Clinical Medical Assistants (CCMAs) in SW Colorado. With generous funding from The Colorado Health Foundation, Rocky Mountain Health Foundation, and the Telligen Community Initiative, SWCAHEC has worked with area high schools and colleges to certify students to fill this vital paraprofessional role. Currently, SWCAHEC is piloting a hybrid CCMA training program that pairs online didactic learning with in-person clinical skills workshops and academic support. SWCAHEC is also currently developing a CCMA Program with Fort Lewis College. The certification program is slated to begin January 2024.
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IWP Operates Independently from SWCAHEC
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Indigenous Wellbriety Program (IWP) has experienced amazing milestones in providing Talking Circles and Street Outreach to our community in Montezuma County.
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Talking Circles are available online and have managed to provide support to our Indigenous and spiritual minded relatives across the country, from Arizona to Nebraska via zoom access. IWP team has also collaborated with the Si Hasin Street Medicine team of Norther Navajo Medical Center to provide Street Outreach with our homeless relatives in Montezuma County. Together, we have made great strides to provide a unique support by the IWP team utilizing Wellbriety training and their lived experience in addiction, trauma, and homelessness.
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It is with great honor and hard work that we at IWP would like to announce that we will no longer be a program of Southwestern Colorado Area Health Education Center (SWCAHEC). Indigenous Wellbriety Program will now be operating on its own with fiscal sponsorship provided by United Way of Southwest Colorado.
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IWP has been awarded by grantors such as, The Colorado Health Foundation, The LOR
Foundation, The City of Cortez, Onward! Legacy, and First Nations Development Institute. IWP was launched by Imo Succo, at the time, a Regional Health Connector with SWCAHEC.
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Since March 2024, we have been operating and have a wonderful team of a Program Manager, Imo Succo, two Indigenous Peer Recovery Coaches, Frankiana Tsosie and Sammy Antez, Jr. We are supported by an Indigenous Peer Elder, Howard Yazzie, and a University of Denver MSW Intern, Toiyabe Hoyopatubbi, all members of a Native American tribe in the U.S. Our goal is to serve our Indigenous and spiritual minded community members with Wellbriety, peer recovery support, street outreach, sober-led community activities and provide a space for our participants and loved ones.
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We would like to acknowledge Southwestern Colorado Area Health Education Center for their continued support in capacity building and providing a positive working environment for the Indigenous Wellbriety team. As IWP moves into their own operations, the location of meetings, the IWP office and the staff will not change. Our zoom meeting links will change and emails. Thank you all for your amazing support in IWP’s journey on the red road to Wellbriety. Ahe’hee.
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For more information, you can reach Imo Succo, Director-Indigenous Wellbriety Program at (970) 564-3301 or email at: [email protected].
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Community Health Worker Certificate
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As interest in Community Health Workers (CHWs) continues to grow, SWCAHEC has worked to expand related education and training programs for the region. SWCAHEC created a CHW Certificate at Fort Lewis College and the first cohort is currently underway.
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The SWCAHEC Executive Director, Kate Hartzell, is teaching the capstone course, PH 360 Community Health Worker Foundations, and students are stepping into learning the professional competencies for this role.
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Kate has also been presenting at conferences and meetings about the important of creating curriculum and practicum experiences that combine competencies with local understanding of health and healing. New programing is being developed for CHW trainings related to Perinatal Care and Geriatrics.
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Perinatal Community Health Worker Program
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Data about perinatal health in Colorado continues to show disparities in overall health and birth outcomes for diverse community members. Native American women have higher rates of adverse health effects during pregnancy. SWCAHEC is developing CHW Perinatal support programing for communities in Southwestern Colorado. Chelsie Begoody and April Sandman are currently completing their Lactation Consultant certification to support breastfeeding Moms. Additional programing and trainings around nutrition, mental wellness, and parenting will support existing programming for Moms and Babies in our region.
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As April and Chelsie are on their path to receiving their certification of Lactation Counseling, please let us know if you are interested in partnering with them. Or, whether or not we can help support your clinical staff with lactation education materials. Contact April Sandman at [email protected]
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Community Health Worker Pandemic Response Curriculum
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SWCAHEC Has received CDPHE funding to create a Pandemic Response curriculum for CHWs. Dr. Jennifer Lowell, faculty in Public Health at Fort Lewis College, and April Sandman are creating the curriculum to train in infectious disease prevention and containment. This curriculum will be delivered to Fort Lewis College CHW certificate students and CHWs already in the workforce in SW Colorado.
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The 16 students accepted into Cohort 6
of the AHEC Scholars Program are:
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The AHEC Scholars Program is a program for health professions students interested in supplementing their education by gaining additional knowledge and experience in rural and/or underserved urban settings. As an AHEC Scholar, the student, who is already invested in healthcare as a career, increases their knowledge of pertinent issues to apply to their future health professions workplace or community. While completing their own health professions training, AHEC Scholars participate in a 40-hour longitudinal curriculum created by COAHEC, as well as community training and activities provided uniquely by specific AHEC regional centers in Colorado. The purpose is to apply their AHEC Scholars training and knowledge in their future health care settings in urban and rural areas that are medically underserved. For more information, please contact Dyllon at [email protected]
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A warm welcome to our interns: Misty, LaQuanna, and Neola.
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Intern Highlights
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SWCAHEC has amazing CHW Interns this semester
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"SWCAHEC allows the exploration of various Public Health issues the Southwest Colorado area may be facing and how we as interns, can contribute as we continue our studies. SWCAHEC has given me the ability to work with Indigenous communities within the Southwest Colorado area. My work at SWCAHEC involves the community supporting various Native American Two-Spirit/LGBTQIA+ communities within the region so community health workers may learn cultural awareness and different practices to better support the
Two-Spirit/LGBTQIA+ community."
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