Recognizing Native American Heritage Month (November 2023)
Posted October 27, 2023
November is Native American Heritage Month. This November, Pacific AETC would like to acknowledge the over 150 indigenous tribes who are traditional stewards of the land that the Pacific region occupies in Arizona, California, Hawai’i, Nevada, and the US-Affiliated Pacific Islands. We are committed to the improvement and expansion of HIV prevention, education, and treatment among indigenous populations and honor the longstanding history of those native to the land that we inhabit.
Learn what Native land your organization is built on
Native American tribes were here long before the first colonists and had stakes in certain areas of the country. An educational way to honor Native Americans is to bring attention to the tribes who lived on the land you’re using.
Pacific AETC recommends we can pay honor to the native people at work by thanking the tribe during meetings, events, or other gatherings. How to get started Put your location into this map to find what tribe(s) once lived where you work.
HIV and Native Populations
The number of HIV diagnoses in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) people has increased over time:
Social determinants of health such as povery, lack of health insurance, education, and unemployement, can negatively affect HIV-related health outcomes for American Indians/Alaskan Natives:
View the CDC’s latest data on HIV among AI/AN people and learn about the prevention challenges that some AI/AN people face.
Check out archived webinars on American Indian, Alaskan Native, and Native Pacific Islanders from Pacific AETC (click on the title to view/register)
Engaging Native People with HIV and their Families in Healing through Relationships, by Jeff King, PhD, Professor, Department of Psychology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA.
Culturally-Based Programs to Improve Engagement and Health Outcomes: Addressing Stigma for Native Hawaiian with HIV, by Malulani Orton, Native Hawaiian Medical Case Manager, Hawai’i Health & Harm Reduction Center.
How We Can Address Opioid Use Disorder in Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders with HIV, by Christina Wang, MD, Medical Director, Hawai’i Health & Harm Reduction Center (HHHRC).
Upcoming Events For Healthcare Providers to Celebrate Native American Heritage Month
Native Health Elective American Indian Physician Panel (Virtual)
• Thursday, Nov. 11th, 12:10 pm to 1:00 pm, Zoom
Join the Native Health Elective, Association of Native American Medical Students (ANAMS), and the Native American Heritage Month Planning Committee for this collaborative event.
NAHM Lecture with Dr. Lori Alvord (Virtual)
• Monday, Nov. 13th, 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm, Zoom
Join this virtual webinar given by Dr. Lori Alvord, the first female Navajo surgeon and author of the Scalpel and the Silver Bear.
National Native HIV Network – HIV Resources For Tribal Communities
A collaborative partner of Pacific AETC, The National Native HIV Network (NNHN) was created in 2017 as a community-led response to increase and organize a national voice and presence in the HIV movement from the American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities. The provide HIV training, technical assitance, and resources for native communities in the US. Click here to view the regional representatives in the US territories.
HISstory, HERstory, THEIRstory, OURstory – A Journey Through the Native HIV/AIDS Timeline
“HISstory, HERstory, THEIRstory, OURstory: A Journey Through the Native HIV/AIDS Timeline” is a historical account celebrating the contributions that American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians made over the past 40 years of the HIV epidemic. OURstory, told in a VoiceThread slide series, features the grass-roots efforts that created strong leaders who paved the way for a new generation of providers and advocates. OURstory showcases the actions of these early leaders that ensure that Natives are heard, counted and included in the U.S. HIV/AIDS policies, initiatives, and funding. The timeline can also be downloaded in PDF format.
