14 Jan Wildhorse Foundation Grants Yellowhawk $30,000 for Community Health Practitioner Education Program in Partnership with NPAIHB
Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center, in collaboration with the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB) is establishing a Community Health Practitioner (CHP) education program. One of the pilot sites, approved via resolution by the CTUIR Health Commission, for this program is at Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center (Yellowhawk) serving the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) in Umatilla County. This program will allow CTUIR members to become healthcare providers at Yellowhawk. These funds will help create an educational website and iPad application, “Electronic Community Health Aide Manual for Practice” (eCHAMP). Students and practitioners will utilize these resources during their education and practice as well as the educational curriculum for the students. This program is made possible by the generosity of a $30,000 grant from the Wildhorse Foundation.
“As we are one of four tribes operating a pilot education program in the Northwest, we believe this will be a great opportunity to incorporate our tribal community into developing updated healthcare pertinent to our tribal clinic while improving our quality of care. These videos will outline the standards our community health practitioners should abide and create a deeper understanding for all with aspirations to become a community health practitioner. With Carrie Sampson undertaking the heavy lifting of this project along with NPAIHB, I am excited to see the final product and the positive impact that will ensue for Yellowhawk and our community for generations to come. I would also like to extend a thank you to Wildhorse Foundation for their generosity as this contribution helps make everything possible,” stated Quincy George, Yellowhawk Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Carrie Sampson, Project Director, Community Health Aide Program (CHAP) of NPAIHB mentions “The Electronic Community Health Aide Manual for Practice (eCHAMP) Video Project, funded by the Wildhorse Foundation, is an essential learning tool to train the next generation of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) healthcare providers in Indian Country. AI/AN people do not often see themselves represented as healthcare providers or patients in medical training tools and resources. This video project allows AI/AN individuals to be fully represented in tools that will not only medically train them but also serve as a daily resource in their future roles as providers at Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center and other Tribal Health Organizations. We are grateful that the Wildhorse Foundation recognized this need as a priority, and thanks to their generosity, we will see the eCHAMP project reach its final stages of completion for the very first Tribal Community Health Practitioner cohort in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, beginning in January 2025.”
Each year, the Wildhorse Foundation makes grants to eligible nonprofit, government, and Tribal organizations within the homeland area of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla people. Also eligible for funding are Tribal government agencies or Indian charitable organizations with their base of operations within Oregon, as well as national or regional Indian organizations.
The Wildhorse Foundation has awarded a total of over $18 million in grant funding since its establishment in 2001. Grants are awarded on a quarterly basis with the deadlines being January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1. For more information, visit the Foundation’s website at www.TheWildhorseFoundation.com.