Great Plains Good Health and Wellness Program - The Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board (GPTLHB) provides quality public health support and health care advocacy to the tribal nations of the Great Plains states of South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa by utilizing multifaceted and culturally credible approaches. Our vision is that all tribal nations and communities in the Great Plains Area (GPA) will reach optimum health and wellness through lasting partnerships and culturally significant values empowered by tribal sovereignty. Hecel Oyate Kin Nipi Kte, So that the people may live. Since 2014, GPTLHB’s Great Plains Good Health and Wellness (GPGHW) program has used evidence-informed, culturally rooted health promotion and disease prevention initiatives to help Great Plains Area (GPA) tribes combat their high rates of obesity, commercial tobacco use, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. In the GPA, chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are among the leading causes of death for American Indians/Alaskan Natives (AI/AN). AI adults in the GPA are five times more likely to die from diabetes than Whites and report higher rates of smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, and unhealthy diets. GPTLHB is applying for a Component 2 award to reduce health disparities and increase health equity among AI/AN populations in the GPA. During a third funding cycle, the proposed GPGHW program will increase the number of GPA tribes/villages/UIOs/tribal entities that are implementing Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country (GHWIC) Component 1 (C1) strategies and activities to lay the foundation for a more comprehensive, holistic approach to health and well-being that will help prevent, manage, and control chronic diseases in the region. The program will accomplish outcomes that: 1) subaward 50% of the annual award to at least two (2) GPA tribes/villages/UIOs/tribal entities; 2) provide funding, training, technical assistance, and evaluation support to all tribes/villages/UIOs/other tribal entities within the GPA to conduct activities across all C1 strategies; and 3) provide training, technical assistance, and support to all tribes/villages/UIOs/other tribal entities within the GPA to establish policy, systems, and/or environmental (PSE) changes that promote health and prevent chronic diseases and their risk factors. These strategies and activities will strengthen GPGHW program efforts and increase the infrastructure for chronic disease prevention by implementing community-chosen, traditional AI/AN practices that build resilience and strengthen connections to family, culture, and community.
