The Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country (GHWIC) Program provides technical support, resources, and training opportunities to the 27 American Indian Tribes, Bands, Pueblos, and Nations, urban Indian organizations, and other tribal entities within the Indian Health Service Administrative Area to support local tribal community health and wellness efforts to prevent chronic diseases.

The mission of AASTEC’s Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country Program is to honor tribal traditions and knowledge on the path to Native defined wellness through relationships, respect, compassion, and service for the LOVE of THE PEOPLE.

The GHWIC Program was established in 2014 and is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

GHWIC PROGRAM SERVICES

Community Wellness Project Sub-Awards

The GHWIC Program provides Community Wellness Project sub-awards for culturally adapted community projects that support wellness and chronic disease prevention.

More to come!

Chronic Disease Prevention Training & Activities

Basic Tobacco Intervention Skills Training for Native Communities

Partners in Good Health and Wellness Chronic Disease Prevention and Management Skills for Tribal Health Workers

Fitness Trainings for Native Communities

Love Your Heart, Mind, Body and Spirit Fest: Healthy Heart Skills and Networking Event for Tribal Health Workers

Other trainings identified by Tribes, Pueblos, Bands, and Nations, and urban Indian organizations in the IHS Administrative Albuquerque Area.

Southwest Tribal Tobacco Coalition

Technical Assistance to Support Chronic Disease Prevention in Native Communities

Evaluation

Group facilitation (experiential education/team building activities, Open Space Technology, World Café/Rez Café, etc.)

Health communication products and graphic design

Presentations (chronic disease prevention, commercial tobacco prevention and control, Indigenous Data Sovereignty, etc.)

Strategic planning

GHWIC PROGRAM STAFF

• Michele Suina, PhD (Cochiti Pueblo) – GHWIC PI, Indigenous Health and Wellness Director
• Janna Vallo, MPA (Acoma Pueblo) – Commercial Tobacco Control and Prevention Coordinator
• Daytona Raye, MS (Diné) – Program Coordinator
• Cody St. Arnold, BA (Jicarilla Apache/Keeweenaw Bay Ojibwe) – Health Communications Specialist
• Aisha Baloo, MPH (Diné) – Program Evaluator
• Martina Garcia (Diné) - GHWIC Administrative Assistant III

The Native Collective Research Effort to Enhance Wellness (N CREW) Program is a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded program that aims to conduct locally prioritized, culturally grounded, and strengths-based research to address overdose, substance use, and pain, including related factors such as mental health and wellness. The AAIHB N CREW Program has three main goals: · RESEARCH CAPACITY ENHANCEMENT: Enhance capacity throughout the AAIHB service area to conduct locally prioritized research by developing and providing novel, accessible, culturally grounded technical assistance and training, resources, and tools. · DATA IMPROVEMENT: Improve access to, and the quality of, data on substance use, pain, and related health and wellbeing factors to maximize their potential for use in local decision-making. · CULTURALLY-CENTERED RESEARCH: Lead community prioritized research projects, including research elevating and integrating Indigenous Knowledge and culture. AAIHB NCREW TEAM: Kevin English – Principal Investigator Charlene Poola – Principal Investigator Nathania Tsosie – Indigenous Health Researcher Cheyenne Jim – Program Coordinator Kori VanDerGeest – Epidemiologist Michele Suina – Indigenous Health & Wellness Director

The Southwest Indigenous Data Portal (SID) has the following features:

• HIPAA and HITECH Certified Compliant
• Secure online access
• Compatible with any computer and most mobile devices
• Eliminates the need for a local network
• Fast remote technical assistance from AASTEC
• Capability to import and export data through Excel spreadsheets

SID allows Tribal programs to manage programmatic information to:

• Track program activities
• Evaluate program services
• Monitor participant health status and outcomes
• Develop Report
• Provides a Data Repository

SID is a free service to Tribes and Tribal Organizations in the IHS Albuquerque Service Area but requires:

• • Adequate internet connect
  • Signed and approved data sharing agreement

Data sharing agreements between AASTEC and participating Tribes are designed to enforce Tribal ownership of all data, outline procedures for protecting the security and confidentiality of all data, and highlight AASTEC’s technical assistance and support role.

For more information or to request a database please click on the Database Image and submit a request and someone will contact you soon.

We are committed to empowering communities to sustain behavioral health systems and champions to promote wellness

SOW Programs

• Tribal Opioid Response Grant (TOR)

The purpose of the Tribal Opioid Response Grant (TOR) is to address the opioid crisis in Tribal communities by increasing access to culturally appropriate and evidence-based treatment.

• 988 Tribal Response Project

The overarching purpose of the AAIHB 988Tribal Response Project is to:

-Improve response to 988 contacts originating in Tribal communities and/or activated by American Indians in the AAIHB service area

-Improve integration to ensure there is navigation and follow-up care

-Facilitate collaborations with tribal/state health providers, tribal organizations, law enforcement, and other first responders in a manner which respects Tribal sovereignty.

• Equine Assisted Psychotherapy

AAIHB is in partnership with Equine Therapeutic Connections (ETC) to serve the needs of American Indian/Alaska Native(AI/AN) youth through equine assisted psychotherapy (EAP). EAP is a non-traditional experiential therapy which guides the clients to learn about themselves and others through the use of horses. This effective and unique therapeutic method serves to facilitate internal healing and a sense of well- being for youth and their families. Eligible participants are AI/AN youth who are 12- 18 years old. There is no cost to participate.

SOW Database Link

The SOW team can provide:

• Technical Assistance
• Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) Presentation
• NARCAN Training & Distribution
• Adult Mental Health First Aid training
• Deterra Drug Disposal pouches
• Referral to the EAP project

The SOW TEAM

• Charlene Poola, PhD, LCSW, PhD Tribal Behavioral Health Program Director
• Randi Begaye, MPH – Equine Program Coordinator
• Phillip Garcia, CPSW – Peer Support Specialist
• Rob SilverFox, BA – Substance Abuse Counselor
• Kylie Cayedito, BS, BA– Program Specialist
• Stephanie Paz, MPH, CHES- Program Evaluator
• Ivan Toya, CPW- Peer Support Specialist
• Willa Ortega, MS- Evaluator

April 15, 16, 17, 2025

Although tribal governments have been dealing with emergencies and disasters for centuries, many are just now beginning to establish formal programs to address them. Consequently, there is a critical need for sustained resources and culturally appropriate technical support to bolster tribal public health infrastructure in all four domains of public health preparedness – mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery.

AASTEC aims to establish and maintain public health resources and culturally appropriate technical support to the 27 tribes in its assigned region. This support is critical to rural tribal communities that face natural and human-made disasters with increasing frequency. Research suggests that American Indians and Alaskan Natives are at a higher risk of disaster exposure, and consequently, disasters are often exacerbated by limited access to resources. Many tribes face unique challenges to disaster planning, stemming from geographic isolation and limited or no access to critical emergency response services. AASTEC is chartered to bolster tribal public health infrastructure in four domains— preparation, mitigation, response, and recovery.

Ultimately, the outcome will include:

1. Increased regional surveillance of public health emergencies and tribal preparedness capacity
2. Increased comprehensiveness of tribal public health emergency plans and protocols
3. Increased reach and utilization of culturally relevant communications tools
4. Increased regional partnerships focused on tribal public health preparedness

View the following links for more information. (Links Under Development)

• Assessment:
• Communication:
• Community Partnerships:
• Workforce Development:
• Technical Support:

The Tribal Environmental Health Program (TEHP) aims to ensure tribes can continue to maintain a healthy connection with their environment. The program promotes health and wellbeing by addressing exposures from the natural and built environment. TEHP provides advanced technical assistance, assists tribes with home assessments, and facilitates environmental health advocacy at the community level.  

Tribal Healthy Homes Projects

• Aims to use a community engaged model to assist with the development of a GPS data collection tool and to train staff to conduct home indoor radon assessment, chronic health conditions, and potential injury risk factors. 
• To learn more about our program, visit our website at Tribal Healthy Homes

Indigenous Healthy Homes & Healthy Communities Project

• The Indigenous Healthy Homes & Healthy Communities Project (IHHC) aims to identify and decrease indoor environmental exposures, such as radon, fall injury risks and hazards, asthma triggers, and everyday stressors to support healthier homes and communities.  
• IHHC is funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH) Community Partnerships to Advance Science for Society (ComPASS) program. The Albuquerque Area Southwest Tribal Epidemiology Center (AASTEC), a subsidiary of the Albuquerque Area Indian Health Board, Inc. (AAIHB), is partnering with two academic institutions, University of Arizona (UA) and University of New Mexico (UNM) on this project.

AASTEC Spatial

• Supports the use of spatial data to advance the health and wellbeing of tribes

The Tribal Epidemiology Centers Public Health Infrastructure (TECPHI) Program aims to enhance the public health capacity of the Albuquerque Area Southwest Tribal Epidemiology Center (AASTEC) and the 27 tribes in the Indian Health Service Albuquerque Area to effectively identify and address underlying social determinants of health.

AASTEC TECPHI provides technical assistance, training, and funding for tribes to collect, manage, and use data to make data-driven decisions.

• Tribal Data
• Trainings
• Technical Assistance
• Tribal Data Users Workgroup
• Success Stories

Program Overview

The AAIHB Injury Prevention Program focuses on reducing injuries, particularly older adult falls, and motor vehicle crashes, within American Indian communities. Using a combination of evidence-based strategies and Indigenous methodologies, this program aims to build capacity at the community, policy, system, and environmental levels, ultimately improving the health and wellness of the AI/AN population in our service area.

Key Objectives

Our goals include fostering collaboration among tribal injury prevention partners, offering fall prevention training, and supporting low-cost home safety interventions for elders. In the area of motor vehicle-related injuries, we focus on increasing the proper use of motor vehicle seats for children under 13, distributing Child Passenger Safety (CPS) seats, conducting seat installation trainings and inspections, and offering National CPS Certification training and educational resources.

Culturally Relevant Resources

Through the Albuquerque Area Tribal Injury Prevention Coalition, we support tribes in developing culturally appropriate, trauma-informed injury prevention materials, including fact sheets on fall prevention and CPS as well as bringing subject matter experts to the coalition. The program encourages networking and resource sharing to collectively address injury prevention across the region, strengthening tribal staff capacity and advancing community well-being.

Program Support

AAIHB AASTEC coordinates the Tribal Injury Prevention Cooperative Agreement Program (TIPCAP) with funding from the Indian Health Service to develop injury prevention infrastructure. We also participate in the CDC’s Alcohol-Impaired Driving Prevention Program, addressing alcohol-related injuries in AI/AN communities using evidence-based strategies and Indigenous evaluation approaches.

For more details, please visit our website - CLICK HERE

The Albuquerque Area Southwest Tribal Epidemiology Center (AASTEC), a program of the Albuquerque Area Indian Health Board, Inc. (AAIHB), collaborates on multiple Tribal Maternal and Child Health (MCH) programs and projects with our tribal communities and partners in New Mexico, Southern Colorado, West Texas and Southern Utah.
Program and project goals vary to:

1. provide a survey to assess the health needs of Native American mothers and babies in New Mexico,
2. develop a toddler survey that features questions designed to understand toddler health through an Indigenous lens,
3. increase knowledge and availability of tribal specific Sudden Infant Death Syndrome/Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SIDS/SUID) prevention materials and resources,
4. build awareness around maternal health, enhance review of maternal deaths, formalize tribal partnerships, and policy assessment to improve maternal health outcomes, and
5. engage a statewide maternal health task force to create a shared space to strategize and bring awareness across all maternal health areas.

MCH PROGRAMS:

1. Tribal Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS)
2. Tribal PRAMS Toddler Survey
3. Contributing to Healthy Native Babies Program (HNBP)
4. ERASE Maternal Mortality
5. New Mexico Maternal Health Task Force (NMMHTF)

The Tribal Overdose Prevention Program aims to prevent overdose deaths in southwest tribal communities by making American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) overdose data more accurate, accessible, and actionable.
Our key strategies are : 1) Improvements to Overdose Data

• Enhance existing overdose datasets and public health surveillance systems to strengthen the identification of emerging trends.
• Build an overdose data portal that tribal programs can use to collect, manage, and report tribe-specific overdose data.
• Develop and disseminate data products on AI/AN drug overdose trends and hotspots in the Southwest.

2) Health Systems Interventions

• Facilitate provider detailing sessions on opioid prescribing practices for clinicians in IHS/Tribal/Urban Indian Health facilities.
• Provide trauma informed care trainings for health professionals in tribal communities.

3) Harm Reduction Awareness

• Increase awareness of and access to harm reduction resources.
• Combat stigma around substance use with culturally specific communication products.

For more information about our program, please contact Kori VanDerGeest at kvandergeest@aaihb.org.

• Data collection and management
• Survey design
• Program evaluation
• Community-based health research
• Developing health education/communication materials

For more information on our internship program and how to apply, please visit our internship webpage.

Click below to download pdf

2025
• Gonorrhea Brochure for Clinicians
• Chlamydia Brochure for Clinicians
2024
• STI & HIV Partner Services Social Media Posts
• STI & HIV Partner Services for Clinicians
• H5N1 Bird Flu – What You Need to Know
• HIV Clinician Brochure
• 2021 Marijuana Use Among American Indian Youth in New Mexico
• 2021 Alcohol Use Among American Indian Youth in New Mexico
• Racial Misclassification of American Indian/Alaska Native Patients in New Mexico Emergency Departments
• Accessing Public Health Data on Opioids
• Congenital Syphilis Brochure for Clinicians
• Syphilis Brochure for Clinicians
2023
• Hantavirus Prevention Education
• The Opioid Crisis-Overdose Reversal with Naloxone
• The Opioid Crisis - Opioid Addiction & Treatment for Native American Communities
• The Opioid Crisis -Impact on Native American Communities

Aggregate Reports

2023
• 2023 New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey high School Report
• 2023 New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey Middle School Report
• 2023 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey High School Report
• 2023 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey Middle School Report
2022 2021
• 2021 High School New Mexico (NM) Youth and Risk Resilience Data Highlights
• 2021 Middle School New Mexico (NM) Youth and Risk Resilience Data Highlights
• 2021 New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey Middle School Report
• 2021 New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey High School Report
• 2021 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey High School Report
• 2019 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey High School Report
• 2019 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey Middle School Report
• 2019 New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey Middle School Report
• 2019 New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey High School Report
• 2020 Navajo Nation Maternal and Child Health Needs Assessment
• A Guide to HIV Related Resources in the Albuquerque Tribal Area
• Tribal Injury Atlas
• 2017 NM YRRS Aggregate Report – High School
• 2017 NM YRRS Aggregate Report – Middle School
• 2017 Health Risk Behaviors among American Indian Youth in SW Colorado – High School
• 2017 Health Risk Behaviors among American Indian Youth in SW Colorado – Middle School
• Health Risk Behaviors among American Indian Youth SW Colorado (High School)
• Health Risk Behaviors among American Indian Youth SW Colorado (Middle School)
• Tobacco Use Among American Indian Youth in New Mexico
• Tobacco Use Among American Indian Adults in New Mexico
• 2015 NM YRRS Aggregate Report – Middle School
• 2015 NM YRRS Aggregate Report – High School