VA Tribal Advisory Commission
Our CEO, Sonya Tetnowski, who is an appointed member of the Veterans Affairs Tribal Advisory Commission (VATAC), recently traveled to New Mexico in order to attend the commission's second convening. This committee is composed of 15 veterans, representing the 12 Indian Health Service (IHS) service areas, the Native Hawaiian veteran community, and Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs). Their work advises the VA on matters relating to Native American veterans.
"On this trip for the second VA Tribal Advisory Commission, we went to the Albuquerque VBA Regional Office, the Santa Fe National Cemetery, and Santa Fe Indian Hospital. We toured each site and spoke to providers, staff, and directors about how the VATAC could help support their work. On day two, we visited the Pueblo of Isleta Veterans Program, the Pueblo of Isleta Health Center, the First Nations Community Health Source, and the Albuquerque Vet Center. On day three, we visited the Raymond G. Murphy VA Medical Center and the Fisher House. Amazingly, we had meetings all morning and site visits each afternoon and evening. The VATAC lasted three days in total. Interestingly, we saw many wonderful tribal, IHS, Urban, Private, and VA programs in New Mexico.
It has been an amazing trip to Albuquerque for our Veterans Administration Tribal Advisory Commission. On day one, we went to the National Cemetery. The cemetery is beautifully kept, and the fact that they do their best to accommodate tribal burial ceremonies as much as possible is a tribute to the respect they show for tribal traditions. It’s hard to talk about this for many of us, but we need to hear from those who have chosen to honor our Veterans in this way. We also went to the Isleta Veterans Association, which is independent of the Pueblo but works for the benefit of the community members by helping other Veterans sign up for their benefits. The Isleta Veterans Association provides honor and color guard, and they support families, especially if the family is a caregiver of the Veteran. They also shared that the tribe gave them a special part of the tribal cemetery for veterans and their families. The state now also complies with the National Cemetery regulations regarding military veterans. It was an amazing trip; we learned so much from those providing direct support for Veterans and their families. It was also great to see the work that the First Nation’s Community Health Source, another Urban Indian Health Program, is doing to support the homeless or unhoused members of our community. Linda Son-Stone, CEO of that Urban Program, provided us a tour of her facility and shared that they provide food, clothes, showers, washer and dryers, and a place to rest while they wait on their clothes. All in all, each place we visited gave us insight into all types of veteran services provided.”
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2022 HRSA Badges Awarded to IHC
Based on our UDS data, we earned four badges from HRSA for 2022.
Congratulations to our amazing staff! We are so proud of all of you.
- Access Enhancer - The Access Enhancer badge recognizes health centers that have increased the total number of patients and the number of patients who receive at least one comprehensive service (mental health, substance abuse, vision, dental, and/or enabling) by at least 5% during consecutive UDS reporting periods (2020 and 2021 UDS).
- Advancing HIT - Recognizes health centers that meet all criteria to optimize HIT services.
- Health Disparities Reducer - Demonstrate at least a ten percentage point improvement in low birth weight, hypertension control, and/or uncontrolled diabetes CQMs during consecutive UDS reporting years (2020 and 2021 UDS) for at least one racial/ethnic group. All this is done while maintaining or improving the health center’s overall CQM performance from the previous reporting year; and/or meeting the defined benchmarks for all racial/ethnic groups served within the most recent UDS reporting year.
- Patient-Centered Medical Home - Recognizes health centers with PCMH recognition in one or more delivery sites. PCMH badge data is updated every quarter. HRSA contracts with the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for PCMH recognition. These organizations provide health centers with technical assistance in the accreditation and PCMH process.
This recognition from HRSA is because of the hard work each member of our staff does daily.
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Sonya Tetnowski
Chief Executive Officer
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We are constantly working to improve how we serve our members.
We believe communication is the foundation for all good relationships;
that’s why we are making exciting changes in how we communicate with you.
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Donation Drive: Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence
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Youth Group, Venture Up, Donates to IHC!
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Thank you to Venture Up’s founders for their generous donation of 15 learning kits to our Pediatrics Department!
Venture Up is a youth founded and led 501(c)(3) non-profit organization aiming to reduce the inequality in entrepreneurial education by providing the necessary social and life skills to next-generation budding entrepreneurs. Learn more about the founders here:
Nitin Jaladanki
My name is Nitin Jaladanki, and I am a high school Senior at BASIS Independent Silicon Valley in San Jose, California. Since middle school, I have been interested in the fields of engineering, technology, and entrepreneurship.
As a student in STEM, I soon realized that, while having a technological mindset to generate an idea is important, it is also equally important to develop an entrepreneurial mindset to execute and deliver on this idea. Doing research on this topic, led me to an article from National Research Center for College & University Admissions, that provides insight into only 4% of high school seniors wanting to become business owners and entrepreneurs. This signals a serious deficit of necessary fundings in schools to promote entrepreneurial education and a lack of inclination or preparation among high schoolers to be future entrepreneurs.
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Dhruva Paul
After joining a business club in my freshman year of high school, I realized that business was not the one-dimensional subject I had thought it was my whole life. Instead, business covered finance, marketing, management, and entrepreneurship. Amazingly, I found myself drawn to these topics, especially entrepreneurship. As I researched more about the topic, I found that not many organizations in the area taught the subject, making it hard for kids like me to understand the basics of business and entrepreneurship. This led me to collaborate with my team on Venture Up and supply this need for kids in my community so more can become acquainted with entrepreneurship and start their own ventures.
Pranav Singh:
I was born and raised in Silicon Valley and currently attend BASIS Independent Silicon Valley. The Bay Area and the issues it faces have great importance to me. I have loved problem-solving from a young age, and I look to see how our current societal problems can be lessened through creativity. As the years have gone by, that has translated through applying computer science and business to address issues faced by the community. I have always wanted to make a meaningful impact on the local community, and through Venture Up, my team and I can do just that.
To stay connected with Venture Up, please visit:
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IHC at Silicon Valley Pride 2022
Proudly Authentic
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Thank you to SV Pride for letting us march in the parade this year! We were also a sponsor of the event. It was such a nice feeling to be out in the community representing our indigenous community and reminding others that we are still here.
Saturday’s Night Festival was filled with activity! We loved engaging with our community about who we are and how we serve the community. IHC gave out lots of swag, such as Pride shirts, fanny packs, tote bags, flashlight pens, stress balls, and many other goodies. Our amazing Outreach staff provided translations to community members in English, Spanish, and ASL (American Sign Language). It was quite a sight to see!
Sunday’s parade was full of nervous energy as we got ready to march. The pride merchandise carts strolled by, painting people in rainbows with a wide array of goodies and fun trinkets.
Sunday’s Land Acknowledgment was a beautiful ceremony held by Gerado Loera and his wife, Corina Herrera-Loera. They read a land acknowledgement from the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe and led their ceremony to honor all the directions (East, West, North, South, Above, and Below). They concluded with a song to close out their ceremony.
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Sunday’s Two Spirit Opening was led by Marissa Hemstreet, IHC’s Fitness Coordinator and Two Spirit Group Co-Founder. She led a talk about what the term “two-spirit” means and its origins.
“It is an umbrella term intentionally introduced by native peoples in reference to another gender role believed to be common amongst most, if not all, first peoples of turtle island, and one that had a proper and accepted place within native societies. This acceptance is rooted in the spiritual teachings that say all life is sacred. 2 Spirit first came about in 1990 at the 3rd annual native American lesbian and gay gathering to solve the ‘naming problem.’ It was intentionally conceived to replace the French term used by European settlers, berdache, which has offensive roots and is considered derogatory. The word means male prostitute or slave. The role a two-spirit person had in their community varied by tribe. In addition to wearing “opposite gender” clothes, they were often healers, name-givers, ceremony leaders, matchmakers, or warriors.”
- IHC Fitness Coordinator Marissa Hemstreet
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Medical
Get your flu vaccine and COVID-19 Omicron boosters! By mid-September, our Medical Department will be distributing both vaccines. Protect yourself and your loved ones from these respiratory viruses this fall.
Medical - Peds is the Winner!
We are thrilled to share the 2022 Virtual Gala Department Gift Basket Competition winner!
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Congratulations, the Medical Pediatric Department, which has won the gift basket contest! With your enthusiastic support, and that of the other departments who donated to the auction items, we were able to were able to raise over $140,000. Thank you for all that your department does for our community.
To view the recorded broadcast of our 2022 virtual gala, or donate, click here.
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Community Wellness and Outreach (CWO)
Community Message: In Indigenous culture, exercise is seen as a way to honor the body and stay spiritually and mentally strong. Honor your body through movement today.
IHC’s Fitness Center T-shirt raffle was a success!
For the month of July, the IHC’s fitness center had a special raffle for free fitness center shirts for new and current gym members. All members received a raffle ticket for each gym visit, group exercise class, and completed a personal training session. The event concluded in early August with a T-shirt raffle drawing. The raffle drawing took place via Facebook live on August 4th. After a very competitive month, we had a total of 21 winners! The competition and month-long event were fun to host and participate in.
Current gym members found a new drive to attend multiple classes (sometimes as many as three classes in one day) and try new things, such as scheduling a personal training session. All classes and training at IHC’s fitness center are completely free to the community. All anyone needs is a medical clearance form to be filled out and signed by their primary care physician. Once the form is completed, they can call 408-960-0662 to schedule their orientation. All in all, IHC’s fitness center looks forward to hosting another T-shirt raffle, as this past one was full of fun and prizes.
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Staff Recognition:
Thank you to our amazing staff for all the work that they do!
This month, Ronalyn Valdez, Community Wellness and Outreach (CWO) Program Manager, purchased the fitness center shirts for the competition. Thank you for your leadership, Ronalyn!
Valerie Monteros, Community Wellness and Outreach Support Specialist, has been amazing by assisting the fitness coordinator, ensuring all new and current fitness center members received a raffle ticket for each gym visit, class taken, and personal training session.
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August Two Spirit Group
We had guest speakers from SV Pride’s subcommittee “Hey Girl” for the month of August. It was an awesome presentation, followed by a fun Q&A session. Thank you, Silicon Valley Pride, for hanging out with us!
Here is the link for the Youtube Video made with Nicole and Liz’s talk about SV Pride and Hey Girl. https://youtu.be/wy9Xy7pfW6M
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September Two Spirit Group and more events!
IHC’s two-spirit groups meet every third Friday of the month. We have guest speakers, talking circles, and craft sessions. For the month of September, join us for a Talking Circle on Friday, September 16th, from12-1 PM PST. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, please refer to the flyer below, call 408-960-0662, or email mhemstreet@ihcscv.org.
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Powwow Song and Dance Class:
Please join us every Tuesday evening for in-person Powwow Song and Dance classes from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM. Classes will take place in the parking lot of 602 E. Santa Clara St., San Jose, CA 95112. Please bring water and dress comfortably. All ages are welcome!
Please RSVP with jduran@ihcscv.org.
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San Jose Native Youth Empowerment Group:
If you know any native youth who would be interested in our San Jose Native Youth Empowerment Group, we offer a supportive and positive space that serves to strengthen their cultural pride and educational value and to achieve their full potential in their personal and professional development. Thursdays from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM.
Please email jduran@ihcscv.org to register!
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ITRD
ITRD will host three events for the month of September at ConXion. They include:
- Talking Circle on Wednesday, 9/14/22, at 6:00 PM.
- Movie Night on Wednesday, 9/21/22, at 6:00 PM.
- Night of Fun on Wednesday, 9/28/22, at 6:00 PM.
THESE ARE ALL FREE EVENTS! Everyone is welcome.
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