Cherokee Wigwam

[Jana]

Weitergeleitet von Lakota Oyate Information in Germany

Kurze Zusammenfassung:
Die Porcupine Klinik ist die einzige unabhängige, von einer indianischen Gemeinde kontrollierte Klinik in den USA. Hier werden auch Patienten behandelt, die wegen fehlender Versicherung oder Zahlungsunfähigkeit sonst keine Behandlung erhalten würden. Viele Patienten sind Ältere, die nicht Englisch sprechen und auch nicht in ein Krankenhaus gehen würden, in dem die Schwestern nicht Lakota sprechen und nicht die Zeit haben, ihnen zuzuhören.
Die Klnik hat ein Programm gegen Diabetes gestartet, zu dem unter anderem Untersuchungen von Schulkindern und die Beratung von Familien über die Risiken der Krankheit gehören. Im Rahmen dieses Programms wurde auch das "Project Grow" aufgelegt, das Schulkinder zu gesunder Ernährung erzieht und die Menschen ermutigt, selbst Obst und Gemüse anzubauen.

Porcupine Clinic http://www.lakotamall.com/porcupine/

The only independent Indian community-controlled health clinic in the US.

The Porcupine Clinic

Built by a group of committed Lakota community leaders with grants from private foundations. It has had more than 12,500 visits from 3,200 patients since opening in 1992.
No one is turned away for lack of insurance or inability to pay. The Porcupine Clinic has provided over $400,000 in free health care to people who would not otherwise have had treatment.

Addressing Indian needs

Many of the Porcupine Clinic's patients are elders who do not speak English and would not go to a clinic that did not have bilingual nurses who are willing to take the time to listen to their needs.

Campaign Against Diabetes

In 1995, Porcupine Clinic launched an aggressive campaign against diabetes under the leadership of Darleen Bear Killer. The program included a screening for children in three schools in the Porcupine area to find those at risk, and meetings with families to educate on the danger of the disease and the benefits of healthy lifestyle choices. But for many other children on the Reservation, the screening can't come soon enough. STORY http://www.lakotamall.com/porcupine/anit-diabetes.htm

The Campaign Against Diabetes

The staff of Porcupine Clinic recognize that diabetes is a major killer of our people. Dr. Mark Butterbrodt came to the Porcupine Clinic in 1995 and immediately took up the cause of combating the disease with the Lakota people. When the Doctor arrived he brought with him a $10,000 grant to initiate a program for at risk diseases. He applied this grant to the Diabetes project.

Many of the staff and Dr.Butterbrodt worked tirelessly, volunteering hundreds of hours to the program. They designed a project to screen children to find those at high risk for diabetes. They also designed information components for the schools and the families of children at risk.

The screening was completed at four schools during the first two years. A coordinator was hired for the program with the grant moneys and the activities were implemented with small donations from other sources. Dr. Butterbrodt donated two days/week of his time to the project, as did other community and staff members.

The program was a great success and at the end of two years. It identified 25% of the students who were screened as at-risk of diabetes. The informational sessions also informed the families and community of diabetes prevention and that it CAN BE PREVENTED! The project also was a catalyst for a major federal grant for diabetes prevention, that is now administered by the clinic.

Porcupine Clinic Health Board
PO Box 275
Porcupine, SD 57772

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Project Grow http://www.lakotamall.com/porcupine/projectgrow.htm

Project Grow was started by the Porcupine Clinic in response to the Diabetes epidemic on the reservation. Over 44% of the adult population of the reservation have been diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. The project was launched April 24, 1995 with virtually no money but a lot of commitment.

Project Grow's mission was to encourage the community to get back to growing their own healthy foods, which is a major factor in Diabetes prevention. The program targeted youth and was introduced into three schools the first year. The schools reported tremendous interest and enthusiasm in the project. Children were planting and tending their gardens and spurring interest in the adults of the family.

Prevention is a major emphasis at the Porcupine Clinic and this project was a model for healthy eating. Although there was minimal financial support from different organizations, the Project Grow was ended in September of 1995 because of lack of funds.

There just aren’t moneys for projects such as Project Grow, to promote prevention. We then end up with epidemic statistics such as 44% of the adults being diagnosed with Type II Diabetes.

Q. Why is there an epidemic of diabetes among Indians? http://www.lakotamall.com/porcupine/Ydiabetes.htm

A. Indian people did not have diabetes in the past. Because they were hunters and gatherers, they had very high-fiber, low fat diets and their lives required continuous daily exercise. Because they lived in times of feast and famine for thousands of years, their bodies developed the genetic ability to store calories and release them during times of scarcity. This is called the storage or fat gene.

On average, Lakota children do not consume more calories or fat than non-Lakota children nor do they get less exercise. But because they are so few generations removed from traditional tribal lifestyles, their bodies have not had time to adjust to the high fat, prepackaged foods of today. The "modern" highly-processed diet has taken this special ability to store fat and turned it against Indians with a vengeance, creating the conditions that bring on diabetes.

Many believe that if the Lakota people could return to traditional methods of gathering and preparing foods, then balance and health would return to the people. That is why the Porcupine Clinic has created Project Grow, which works with families to make gardens and provide education about the importance of proper diet and exercise.

Become an Ally http://www.lakotamall.com/allies/become.htm

Please send your contribution to:

Allies of the Lakota
Attn: Paul Iron Cloud
PO Box 275
Porcupine, SD 57772

Allies of the Lakota is a joint campaign of Lakota Communications Inc. and the Porcupine Clinic Health Board. All donations are tax exempt as allowed for by law. The fiscal agent of Allies of the Lakota is the Porcupine Clinic Health Board. IRS Number 36-3347019. PO Box 567, Kyle, SD 57752-0567
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Clinic tour http://www.lakotamall.com/porcupine/porcupinetour.htm

Text selection by Evelyn Cervenkova - Lakota Oyate Information in Germany