Our Mission:
The mission of the Center for Native Health is the reduction of health disparities for Native communities through engagement in the preservation and respectful application of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS). The mission and approach of the Center are unique in the nation because we are driven first and foremost by a community agenda and guided with the advice of community members. University or other institutional partners must be willing to accept this agenda and provide the flexibility necessary to support it. The Center for Native Health actively moves projects away from the scenario in which Western research “studies us [American Indians] to death.”
The concept for a dedicated Center for Native Health grew out of the Culturally Based Native Health Programs, which initiated a partnership between Western Carolina University, Wake Forest University and The EBCI’s Health and Medical Division to address cultural competency issues among health care providers. We believe in the inherent value of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS).
We make it happen:
The Center for Native Health addresses several health needs:
West of the Mississippi there are a multitude of tribal colleges that address the needs of native communities in a culturally grounded manner, but in the East this is not available in most communities. In lieu of a tribal college the CNH works with the EBCI and other sovereign tribal nations in the southeast to address issues related to the significant health disparities that exist in native communities. These disparities are reflected in the following health statistics:
The numbers of tribal members who have at least one chronic disease (e. g., diabetes, heart disease) is increasing. “Baby Boomers” are getting older with many health needs
About 35% are currently diagnosed with diabetes and younger folks are being diagnosed more and more
Childhood obesity is a serious health issue (in 2003, 61.9% of EBCI male children 6-11 years old were overweight or obese and 58.6% of female children in the same age group were overweight or obese)
The suicide rate for American Indigenous youth is 4x greater than for all others in US
A recent CDC report concluded that, “The findings in this report indicate that AI communities bear a greater burden of health risk factors and chronic disease than other racial/ethnic minority populations”
The Center for Native Health also recognizes social & economic disparities:
In addition to the health disparities, there are also social and economic disparities that affect native peoples, including those in Western North Carolina:
About 23% of Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ enrolled members live at or below the poverty level.
The portion of non-native population at or below poverty level in western North Carolina is around 15%; the rate for North Carolina overall is a little over 12%, as is the National rate.
Only about 65% of high school students in western North Carolina (including Cherokee Central Schools) graduate from high school.
In 2000, only 12% of American Indians had earned a bachelor’s degree or higher.
The percentage of those students who are enrolled EBCI members going into health fields is less than 2%.
Our History
The Start
More than 60 people met in Cherokee and decided that a non-profit, autonomous Center needed to be established to allow community members and university members to work together at the request of tribal and local communities to address health & education issues
Lisa Lefler, PhD named first Executive Director
Lisa Lefler, PhD; was named the Center for Native Health’s first Executive Director - She would be instrumental in the creation of and expansion of the CNH’s activities, and would lead the CNH for 13 years
Initial Funding
Funding from the Cherokee Preservation Foundation helps CNH get off the ground
Non-Profit Status
Awarded 501c3 non-profit status: We put together a 16-member executive board – 10 are enrolled members of Native Nations, 6 represent our university partners
Clinicians & Elders Meetings
We helped facilitate a series of conversations and workshops between medical clinicians and EBCI elders to dialogue about ways to better situate cultural knowledge and traditions into medical care
Partnership with Wake Forest Medical School
Wake Forest Medical School and the Center for Native Health partnered in order to expand Medical Careers and Technology Pathways (MedCaT) into a multi-faceted summer camp and program to promote post-secondary and careers in Medical professions for Native youth
First Annual Medicine Walk
The first “Medicine Walk” was held in the Snowbird community at the Junaluska Museum with Onita Bush, Tom Belt and TJ Holland
MedCaT expansion
MedCaT was expanded to be a year-round program to create a pathway for students, specifically American Indian and Appalachian Rural, that addresses the above-mentioned barriers through integration of cultural education into the traditional health and biomedical science curriculum and teaching paradigm
Further Funding Partners
DogWood Trust awarded the Center of Native Health with a 25K grant to support the Doula project, update the CNH website, and to support professional development for the Executive Director
Trey Adcock, PhD becomes Executive Director
Trey Adcock (ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ, enrolled Cherokee Nation), PhD, was chosen by the board as the next Executive Director of The Center for Native Health - Read More
Further Investment from Dogwood Health Trust
Dogwood Health Trust invested over 1M dollars for three years to continue to support MedCaT, in order to continue to provide access to STEM and healthcare education and career preparedness to native, indigenous, and rural Appalachian youth - Read More
Masters of Public Health (MPH) Partnership Announced
We partnered with the UNC Asheville-UNC Gillings Masters of Public Health Program, along with Mountain Area Health Education Center, UNC Asheville and UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health teamed up to launch the Masters of Public Health Program in November (previously UNC Gillings had permitted students in the Asheville area to pursue the degree through distance learning). The program is unique in that it focuses on “place-based health” — in this case, on rural communities - Read More
Madison Leatherwood - Program Officer, Education & Training
Thanks to support from Dogwood Health Trust, we strengthened our capacity as an organization through the hiring our first full-time staff member, Madison Leatherwood. The grant provided for significant funding over three years to hire and retain Program Officers to oversee all Programs from logistical support to strategic planning and implementation - Read More
Additional Administrative Staffing
We have added to our Staff! Emily Herzog joined the Center as our new Administrative Assistant, and Kilyne Oocumma (EBCI) joined as our new Digital Media Coordinator
Bonnie Claxton - Program Officer, Land & Wellness
We have added to our Staff! We are thrilled to announce that Bonnie Claxton (Chickasaw Nation) has joined us as the new Program Officer for our Land & Wellness Program Area. She will be working with community members and organizations in relation to land, conservation, sovereignty, and food equity - Read More
Kristina Hyatt - Program Officer, Maternal & Child Health
We have added to our Staff! We are delighted to share that Kristina Hyatt (EBCI) has joined us as the new Program Officer for our Materinal & Child Health Program Area. She will be working with community members and organizations in relation to health concerns of women and families, including traditional birthing, community support in parenting, and afterschool programs in rural communities. She will also be supporting those issues surrounding gender as it relates to health, including MMIW / MMIR, LGBTQIA+, 2 Spirit, and other gender non-conforming members of our community - Read More
Center for Native Health former Executive Director, Lisa Lefler, PhD; given advisory council honorific by the Executive Board
The Executive Board of the Center for Native Health has voted to create a new advisory council ᎠᏥᎸᏉᏗ "A Tsi Lv Gwo Di", meaning “they are well liked” or "they are loved". The advisory council was created to honor those who have given selflessly to CNH over a number of years, while recognizing their ongoing contributions. The council will advise and mentor members of the Executive Board, staff and the Executive Director. In light of her work and dedication to The Center for Native Health and the EBCI community in Western North Carolina, the Board has voted to honor Lisa Lefler, PhD as the first recipient of this honorific position.
