HEALTH EDUCATION AND OUTREACH FOR THE CROW PEOPLE
Reaching out
to educate and encourage
Crow Warriors for Health
This project encourages Crow Indian men to take the lead in coordination of outreach activities so that there will be improved cancer awareness, advocacy, and accessibility to quality cancer screening services among men in the Crow community.
Crow men fulfill an important role as the provider of their family. Traditionally, Crow men do not discuss their personal health concerns and are reluctant to receive preventative health care. They tend to keep to themselves when it comes to their personal health and may be experiencing symptoms or pain, but will not talk about it with his family members. Often times, a Crow man will wait until his health condition is unbearable before he goes to the clinic to seek care.
Overall, Crow men are not aware of important cancer education and the health benefits of preventative measures. Crow men are in need of health advocacy and support services. The Crow community does not have a resource that is specific to men’s health. This project helps provide Crow men with cancer awareness, knowledge, and referral to cancer screening resources not currently available in the Crow community.
Our program encourages, recruits and refers Crow men for colorectal cancer screening.
Our outreach includes planning and coordinating outreach activities with partner entities on an on-going basis.
Our services include:
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referring/scheduling appointments for colorectal screening,
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making reminder telephone calls for appointments,
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ensuring follow-up care in the event of an abnormal
finding,
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providing transportation for follow-up visits and accompanying patients if necessary,
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advocating on behalf of the patient,
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providing gas vouchers for cancer patients to travel to treatment facility, and
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ensuring that there will always be a shoulder to lean on when there has been a cancer diagnosis and provide emotional and spiritual support.
Artist: Allen Knows His Gun
Cancer is the leading cause of death on the Crow reservation. According to the Montana Cancer Tumor Registry in 2016, the cancer burden on the Crow reservation was greater than that of Montana statewide. An average of 45 American Indians (AI) residing on the Crow reservation are diagnosed with cancer yearly.
Approximately, 48% of AI adults in Montana have received colorectal cancer screening, which was lower in comparison with the average for Montana and the United States.
"Education is our strongest weapon."
- Chief Plenty Coups