Saturday, April 19, 2025
4/19/2025
Walking Groups and Walking Trails - The project Walking Groups and Walking Trails, (WGWT) aims to address the health challenges found in the Native American community, Pueblo of Pojoaque, through sustaining and improving an existing community walking group and constructing new or refurbishing existing walking trails on Pueblo of Pojoaque land. Walking is a low impact exercise that can be a great start to getting into better physical health. Families can walk together pushing babies in strollers or assisting elders in wheelchairs. The grant will hire staff who will take over facilitation of the walking group that started in January of 2024. Currently, the walking group meets four times a week for an hour walk on the Pueblo of Pojoaque track. One option for a new walking trail would connect the community living in the Pueblo of Pojoaque Butterfly Spring Apartments to the Behavioral Health offices in the Tapia Building 3.5 miles away. Thereby connecting the community to clinical services with the option of walking or biking instead of driving to Behavioral Health therapy appointments, case management appointments, groups, and workshops. The ideal staff to lead this project will have a Master's Degree in social work or therapy with skills in management. This Project Director will ideally have knowledge in Native American dance, Native American pottery building, Native American cooking, weight training, stretching, bicycling, and trail construction. To support the Director, a full-time Project Coordinator with a Bachelor's in physical education or other relevant field would be hired as well as a part-time Certified Peer Support Worker (CPSW) or other relevant field in the state of New Mexico. Pojoaque Pueblo Behavioral Health works with many community members in recovery from substance use disorder. In addition to physical improvement, improved mental health is a positive outcome of exercise. The Project Director would also be responsible for coordinating workshops. Workshops with 1-800-quit-now (tobacco cessation), Presbyterian Health Care Diabetes program, Pojoaque Pueblo Community Health Representatives (CHR), Pojoaque Pueblo domestic violence program, and the Butterfly Run half marathon are a few constituencies that collaboration with will be established with. More collaborations with other agencies will be added when possible and appropriate. The goal of the project is to lower the health risks of obesity, diabetes, and commercial tobacco use by developing a supportive walking group in the community. Other exercises such as Native dance, Native pottery building, Native cooking, stretching, weight training, and bicycling will be added and facilitated by the Project Director, Project Coordinator, or contracted teachers as the popularity of the walking group grows. Nutrition will also be addressed by the Pojoaque Pueblo (CHR) or another partner who has expertise on healthy eating to reduce diabetes and obesity. The Project Director, Project Coordinator and Peer Support Worker will work with the community and Pojoaque Pueblo Tribal government to select the best location for walking trail construction or refurbishment of existing trails and the best means of construction. The Project Coordinator may construct the trail with staff, volunteers, or the trail construction will be subcontracted to a company that specializes in walking trail construction.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).