The HIV / AIDS
Tribal B.E.A.R. Program

The HIV / AIDS program, which includes the Building Effective AIDS Responses Project (known as Tribal B.E.A.R.), provides training to tribal health care providers who serve Native Americans at high risk of HIV infection.

Jutta Riediger, HRSA-HIV/AIDS/BEAR Program Coordinator	Michael Maxwell, HIV/AIDS Training Coordinator

The South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency (SPIPA) Tribal B.E.A.R. Building Effective AIDS Response) Project works with several HIV grants for Native American Tribes in Washington and Oregon State, and provides training to tribal health care providers who serve Native Americans at high risk of HIV infection.

Tribal B.E.A.R.'s goal is to build an effective response to AIDS at each of the participating tribal health clinic. Too many tribal members with AIDS have moved away from their reservation and family support to receive treatment in larger, urban areas.

In 2002, SPIPA began working with the Nisqually and Skokomish Tribal Health Centers to build HIV Response teams that can provide treatment on the reservation to any Native American diagnosed with HIV. Response team members included providers, nurses, mental health and substance abuse counselors, community health representatives, dentists, pharmacists and traditional healers. These professionals received training on testing and counseling, HIV treatment and medications, side effects, high risk assessment, and end of life care.

The SPIPA Tribal B.E.A.R. Project now works with 14 Tribes in Washington and Oregon. The Tribal B.E.A.R. Project emphasizes providing training where the need is greatest – to the tribes already treating or seeing HIV/AIDS patients or to those with high numbers of Hepatitis C positive patients.

If you have questions about the HRSA-HIV/BEAR Project, please call Jutta Riediger Project Coordinator at (360) 462-3224, or
(800) 924-3984 x3224.

Or call Michael Maxwell Training Coordinator for information about Tribal BEAR HIV/AIDS training at
(360) 462-3225 or (800) 924-3984 x3225.

 

Expanding the Circle of Care

Five years ago, SPIPA was awarded a Special Project of National Significance (SPNS) grant that allowed them to provide culturally competent outreach and rapid testing services to several small rural tribes. This grant ends in June 2007 and SPIPA is working hard to find more funding to serve the tribal communities with HIV outreach.   

If you have questions about the HRSA-HIV/BEAR Project, please call Jutta Riediger Project Coordinator at (360) 462-3224, or
(800) 924-3984 x3224.

Or call Michael Maxwell Training Coordinator for information about Tribal BEAR HIV/AIDS training at
(360) 462-3225 or (800) 924-3984 x3225

Comprehensive Cancer Control
Planning Project

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently announced a major expansion of the National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program (NCCP) by adding 26 new programs. With $12 million the CDC will support 51 comprehensive cancer control building programs across the U.S., including five tribes and tribal organizations.

John Simmons, Coordinator Comprehensive Cancer Control Planning Project

SPIPA was one of those tribal organizations to receive a 12-month planning grant award. The $149,965 award will be used to develop, then implement, comprehensive cancer control programs that identify priorities and establish an integrated, multi-disciplinary approach to all cancer-related prevention activities and services. The program has recently received regional media attention.

John Simmons, Program Coordinator for SPIPA's Comprehensive Cancer Control Planning Program, will assess and address the tribal cancer burden to determine the critical target areas for cancer prevention and control using local and regional data. An epidemiologist and evaluator will also work on this planning project.

John explains that "comprehensive" means the cancer concerns of both men and women will be evaluated. "Tribal communities suffer from cancer deaths at a rate of 35.2% five years after cancer diagnosis. Cancer is the second leading cause of death for American Indians over the age of 45, and the third leading cause of death for those of all ages." He says this survival rate is low when compared to the national average.

When the control plan is complete, SPIPA will be eligible to apply to CDC for grant funding to implement the plan.

For more information about this program call John Simmons
at (360) 462-3226 or (800) 924-3984 x3226.