Charting a Course to Hope, Healing and Health For Native Males

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following a successful series launch during Men's Health Month, the second in the webinar series will focus on Native boys and young men. Building Resilience, Community and Culture among Young Native Men and Boys will provide an overview of the health disparities among this population and highlight several innovative approaches aimed at reducing these disparities.

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TITLE – Building Resilience, Community and Culture among Young Native Men and Boys
DATE – Thursday, July 18
TIME – 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EDT

LOCATION:
To join the meeting:  http://ihs.adobeconnect.com/r3r3jb2nowr
Adobe Room Passcode:  ihs123

Audio Conference Details:  Conference Phone Number: 
United States: +1-800-832-0736 and please enter Room Number 7360200

Featured speakers include: Brian Yazzie, National Director of Native American Services, Boys and Girls Clubs of America; Keola Chan, Executive Director, 'Aha Kane Foundation for the Advancement of Native Hawaiian Males; Dr. Sylvester Briggs, Clinical Director, Aberdeen Area Youth Residential Treatment Center (YRTC); and Erin Bailey, Director of the Aspen Institute's Center for Native American Youth.  Ana Fadich, MPH, Vice President of MHN, will introduce the program.

The series is part of a historic, ground-breaking collaborative effort of concerned stakeholders who want to bring greater attention and understanding to this complex and pervasive public health problem. Hosted by the Indian Health Service (IHS), along with Men's Health Network (MHN), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Office of Minority Health (OMH) and Society of Public Health Education (SOPHE), the 6-part series will address not only the current challenges but also highlight solutions and promising practices now underway in the community.

"Particularly among the youth, there are some staggering statistics," said Leo J. Nolan III, an enrolled member of the St. Regis Mohawk tribe, who spent 25 years working at IHS, serving as Senior Policy Analyst for External Affairs for 12 years. "By motivating our young men to action, we hope to drive down the alarming suicide rates that are rampant in our communities, the issues with substance and alcohol abuse, and help these kids become warriors in their own right and assume their roles as our leaders of the future. This is our next generation and we must not fail them."

The webinar series seeks to raise awareness of the health disparities facing American Indian and Alaska Native males and their families, recently highlighted in a report entitled: A Vision of Wellness and Health Equity for AI/AN Boys and Men by Men's Health Network and the Office of Minority Health. http://www.menshealthnetwork.org/library/AIANMaleHealthDisparites.pdf

Based on data published by the IHS, for some age groups AI/AN males experience death rates 200 to 500 percent greater than AI/AN females for suicide, HIV/AIDS, homicide, unintentional injuries, diabetes, firearm injury, and alcohol-related deaths and 10 to 50 percent higher than AI/AN females from cancer, heart disease, and liver disease. Furthermore, based on the National Health Interview Survey, AI/ANs are the only racial/ethnic group in which males experience higher levels of self-reported psychological distress than females.  To date, these disparities are not widely acknowledged and subsequently, AI/AN male-focused interventions have rarely been attempted.

Future webinar topics include obesity and diabetes, family-focused interventions, domestic violence and sexual assault prevention, suicide prevention, veterans health, offender re-entry, and challenges associated with caring for the elderly in the community. 

SOURCE Men's Health Network