Vol. 15, No. 4, Spring 2002

Keeping Health on Track:
A Profile on Youth Services at Toiyabe Indian Health

Margaret Romero

The Toiyabe Indian Health Project began in 1970 as a family-centered tribally controlled program. A project of considerable scope, we have a main clinic and two satellite clinics that serve Paiute, Shoshone, and Washoe people from seven federally recognized tribes and two Native communities. These include following: the Utu Gwaitu Paiute of the Benton Paiute Reservation; the Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community of the Bishop Colony; the Bridgeport Paiute Indian Colony; the Fort Independence Community of Paiute Indians, Fort Independence Reservation; Big Pine Band of Owens Valley Paiute-Shoshone Indians, Big Pine Reservation; Death Valley Timbi-Sha Shoshone Band; Lone Pine Band of the Owens Valley Paiute-Shoshone Indians, and the Paiute people from Lee Vining and Camp Antelope. Our board of directors includes two representatives from each reservation. In our work, we blend the best of Western medicine with the philosophy and guidance of our traditional ways.

Our project provides medical and dental services, community health, and family services. I am the director of the family services department, which started in 1981. Family services strengthens Indian families and communities by combining community prevention strategies and counseling intervention with positive cultural activities. In addition to providing services like professional therapeutic counseling, group counseling, and an Indian foster parent program, we have a particular focus on youth. Three special groups that we sponsor are the American Indian Youth Challenge Program, the Indian Child Welfare Act (ISCA) youth groups, and the Tye-Duam group. The American Indian Youth Challenge Program is a state-funded program focused on teen pregnancy prevention for young people ages 11-17. This program is making a difference; there are fewer teen pregnancies in our area now than in past years. The ICWA youth groups are for youth ages 8-17 and are focused on cultural and family preservation. Speakers come to this group to talk about respect and to lead cultural activities. Tye-Duam is for youth ages 8-14 and is focused on drug and alcohol prevention. Funding comes from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. We also provide tobacco education through schools and community presentations.

In all our programs, we maintain specific goals: keeping our young people healthy, keeping them learning about our cultures, and preventing them from drug and alcohol abuse in the future. Students support each other and keep in contact through monthly youth group meetings. Physical fitness and interaction with others is encouraged through major annual events such as our yearly volleyball tournament, youth encampment, and Junior Youth Olympics. Increased self-esteem and pride is built from gaining cultural knowledge that comes through learning the dances, songs, handgame, and Native foods. Elders help out in this teaching. Upcoming activities include demonstrations of basketweaving and cradleboard-making by elders. A highlight of the year was our social powwow in April. The girls in the youth programs created dance shawls for this occasion.

I like helping our youth in their everyday lives. It takes patience; you must be willing to put your all into this work. Our biggest challenge is recruiting students into the programs, but being in a rural area helps in this regard. For our youth to be healthy, they need to feel good about themselves and they need good role models. It is important that people who are knowledgeable about the culture come help the youth learn about it. All of our parents are supportive and grateful for the services we provide. Youth today are very powerful and if these types of programs continue, they will get stronger. I have seen personal transformations in our youth as they become more open and trusting. My dream for this community is to see these types of programs continue so that all the youth can benefit from the services and from each other.