HEALTH EDUCATION AND OUTREACH FOR THE CROW PEOPLE
Building strong partnerships
Messengers for Health allows our partners the opportunity to be aware of each other's unique cultural backgrounds in order to develop a relationship of understanding, acceptance, and trust.
Cancer Support Community Montana
Messengers for Health has become a resource center through Cancer Support Community Montana (CSCMT). Resource centers are often located in smaller or rural communities, CSCMT Resource Centers help facilitate referral arrangements, resource navigation and additional support in order to ensure no one goes through the challenges of cancer alone.
Together we will provide additional much-needed psychosocial support services to all who are impacted by cancer on the Crow Reservation. Such programs, which are provided by CSCMT, include professionally led support groups and individual counseling, educational workshops for nutrition and cooking, healthy lifestyle classes, travel assistance for care, help with navigation of resources, a wig program, and so much more, all at no charge. As a CSCMT resource center, Messengers for Health will provide information on CSCMT resources and one-on-one patient navigation services that will link cancer patients with resources.
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Health Facilities
Messengers for Health works in coordination with local facilities including OneHealth and Indian Health Services (IHS) to ensure high quality health care to Crow people.
A primary goal is to increase understanding and respect between providers and community members and ultimately to more open and effective communication between providers and patients and improved health of the Crow people. As community members become more educated about their health, they feel more empowered and comfortable about scheduling appointments and speaking with medical professionals.
Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council
The Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council (RMTLC) is dedicated to improving health, economic development and education for tribes and their members through a variety of programs, policy recommendations, and tribal leader meetings.
RMTLC provides support to Messengers for Health to allow us to provide the Báa nnilah health promotion program in the Crow community.
Colleges and Universities
The administrative Office for Messengers for Health is located at Little Big Horn College. This location allows easy community access as well as serving as an educational resource for students right on their campus.
Montana State University's impactful relationship with Messengers began in 1996 with a dialogue between members of the Apsáalooke Nation and a Montana State University faculty member who was invested in health equity.
They jointly developed Messengers for Health to study the effectiveness of utilizing community women to deliver education and encourage Crow women to receive cancer screenings.
Pictured on the right are faculty members Sarah Allen, Suzanne Held, Vanessa Simonds and Mark Schure who currently work with Messengers for Health.
(MSU photo by Adrian Sanchez-Gonzales)
Collaborations - Awards - Sharing Wisdom
Open Discussion about the Future of Community Led Health Programs
Messengers For Health had the honor and privilege to work with ComPASS at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) in partnership with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a one-day meeting in Billings, MT where community members, leaders, and organizations came together to discuss the future of community led programs and how we can strengthen relationships between communities and funders.
Community Health Justice Fund
We are proud to announce that Messengers For Health was awarded a grant from Genentech through their new Community Health Justice Fund to support our work to improve the health and wellness of the Apsáalooke community. Learn how this initiative is investing in community-led solutions to achieve lasting health and well-being for historically underserved communities.
Strong Partnership leads to National Recognition
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation National Health Equity Award
Alma McCormick, executive director of Messengers For Health, and Suzanne Held, MSU community health professor have been recognized nationally for their work to promote health equity and social justice through the Messengers For Health program. They received the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Equity Presented by Community-Campus Partnerships for Health. This award recognizes and celebrates individuals who have successfully changed systems and policies that help reduce health disparities and move the nation toward health equity.
MSU photo by Adrian Sanchez-Gonzales
Alma appointed to Advisory Panel for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
Alma is the only Native American panel member on the "Patient Engagement" Advisory Panel for this national organization.
According to the organization's website:
The Advisory Panel on Patient Engagement "is instrumental in helping the Institute to ensure the highest patient engagement standards and a culture of patient-centeredness in all aspects of our work. helping us refine and prioritize research questions, provide needed scientific and technical expertise, offer input on other issues relevant to our mission, and help us model full and meaningful patient and stakeholder engagement efforts."
HOW ENGAGEMENT HELPS US DO OUR WORK By engagement in research, we mean the involvement of patients, caregivers, clinicians, insurers, and others across the healthcare community in every aspect of the research process.
WHY ENGAGEMENT MATTERS We believe engagement influences research to be more patient centered, useful, and trustworthy, and will ultimately lead to greater use and uptake of research results by the patient and broader healthcare community. In fact, our stakeholders increasingly report that engagement has: • Improved study conduct, including effective recruitment and meeting enrollment targets • Substantial and positive impacts on stakeholders, patients, and communities such as improvements to personal health and healthcare and increased skills and professional opportunities • Improved the relevance of research
Executive Director Receives Award
Alma McCormick is awarded 2017 Local Impact Award by the National Indian Health Board
Montana Cancer Coalition honors Alma McCormick
2019 Bette Bohlinger Leadership Award
"She is being recognized for her exemplary work in health education and health promotion activities that benefit indigenous and non indigenous communities alike", Said Emily Coyle, co-chair of the MTCC Steering Committee, who nominated McCormick for the award.
Alma McCormick, BA
Executive Director adds Bachelor of Arts in Community Health as she graduates from MSU Billings
She also received the Dr. Frank Newman Rural Health Leadership Award from Montana Office of Rural Health & Area Health Education Center at Montana State University.
Executive Director, Alma McCormick
visits Cold Harbor Spring Laboratory
Alma is also a member of Community Partners for Human Genomic Research sponsored by Human Genomic Research Institute through the National Institute for Health.