The New Mexico Health Equity Partnership (HEP) believes every New Mexican should have the opportunity to lead a healthy life, live in neighborhoods where children and families thrive, and have a say in the decisions that impact their lives. HEP supports grassroots organizations to educate decision makers on issues that impact the health of children and families. HEP invests in communities most impacted by inequities to conduct participatory research on institutions, systems, and policies and set forth recommendations and solutions. In this newsletter HEP is excited to announce four teams that will be receiving follow up Health Impact Assessment support! Also, a reminder that the deadline to submit a Request for Proposals to work with HEP to develop or co-create an Indigenous HIA Toolkit is June 30.
During the month of June, HEP staff served on the local funders committee to co-host the Chainbreaker Collective’s People’s Assembly Funder Track: Nuestro Corazón: Respecting the Land, Healing Our People, Transforming Our Future, joined the NB3 Foundation team to run the Snomass Trail relay in Colorado, and attended the 4 Corners Collaborative Food Justice Symposium co-hosted by the San Juan Collaborative for Health Equity. To learn more about HEP’s efforts and opportunities, please scroll down.
Please join us in supporting New Mexico’s communities to drive change by donating here.
Running for the Well-being of Current and Future Generations
HEP staff member, Jessi was honored to join the NB3 Foundation to run the Ragnar Trail Snowmass relay as part of the NB3 Foundation team on June 7-8, 2019. It was an amazing opportunity to spend time outdoors with NB3 Foundation staff and representatives from partnering organizations (IROOTS Media, Healthy Native Community Partners, Native American Community Academy) who are committed to the health and wellbeing of today’s youth, families, and communities and future generations. Thanks so much to the NB3 Foundation for the opportunity and for the work you do every day to ensure the health and well-being of Indigenous communities! Please consider supporting NB3 Foundation’s work here.
Building Bridges in the Four Corners for Healing,
Solidarity and Unity
The 4 Corners Collaborative hosted the Food Justice Symposium on June 14-16, 2019 in Mancos, Colorado to build bridges across communities for healing, solidarity, and unity. Hazel James, San Juan Collaborative for Health Equity Coordinator is part of the 4 Corners Collaborative and served on the planning committee for this important convening. The gathering opened with two amazing and thought-provoking key note speakers. Rowen White, a Seed Keeper and farmer from the Mohawk community of Akwesasne and a passionate activist for indigenous seed and food sovereignty opened the gathering on Friday night following a nourishing indigenous dinner. Her talk was called: Finding Our Way Home: Seed Rematriation and Indigenous Resilience. Lindsey Lunsford, a scholar activist and agriculture advocate inspired by her alma mater, Tuskegee University actively engaged participants via poetry and an open dialogue on addressing Black-Indigenous healing and solidarity on Saturday following a morning prayer, yoga, and an indigenous, locally sourced breakfast. Hazel James of the San Juan Collaborative for Health Equity began each morning with a sunrise prayer. Hazel James is Diné, of the Zuni Edgewater People; Born for Black Streak through Wood People; Maternal Chei/grandfather is Big Water; Nali/Paternal grandfather is Salt People. She is a proud wife, a mother of four, a grandmother of four grandsons, and a happy gardener who has dedicated her life to advocating for her people with love and compassion. Hazel honors Diné values, principles, and wisdom learned from her parents and grandparents by applying cultural protocols to carry out her work as the San Juan Collaborative for Health Equity-Coordinator. Thank you to Hazel and the 4 Corners Collaborative for bringing diverse communities together to discuss important issues.
HEP has served as a long-time supporter of Chainbreaker and its work to ensure development without displacement. On June 20 and June 21, Chainbreaker, as part of its broader campaign, brought together funders from around the state and the country as part of a People’s Assembly. HEP served on the host committee for the funder track. The gathering brought together key allies in philanthropy who are interested in taking a deeper dive on alternative land models. The funder track was an opportunity to engage field leaders, hear from community members on the front lines, better understand the inter-sectional nature of housing justice work, and discuss concrete opportunities to support the movement for community control of land and housing. HEP is committed to strategizing with local, regional and national colleagues to resource this key issue in New Mexico.
Running for the Love of All Humanity
On June 20, more than twenty indigenous youth and environmental justice allies ran nearly 50 miles from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rio Puerco Field Office in Albuquerque to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) state headquarters in Santa Fe to deliver a message to acting BLM director asking for suspension of online sale for oil and gas leases for Rio Puerco & Farmington BLM Field offices, including honoring the current moratorium in place around Chaco park. The U.S. House recently passed a ten mile buffer zone around the park to begin saving a significant part of the national park system from further destruction. The prayer run holds a message of love for all humanity to protect lands, animals, waters, and humans with no more drilling, fracking or desecration of ancestral lands. Hazel James, San Juan Collaborative for Health Equity and her dear, husband Robert helped to coordinate and participate.
Submitted by Hazel James, San Juan Collaborative for Health Equity
Health Impact Assessment Follow Up Small Grant Awards
HEP is excited to announce that we will be supporting four Health Impact Assessment (HIA) teams with grants to advance their HIA efforts to strengthen leadership, build community power, and impact policy on issues important to them. Congrats to the following HIA teams!
Together for Brothers’ HIA focused on the health impacts of free bus passes on youth in the International District and Westgate communities of Bernalillo county. This summer Together for Brothers will work with Mavel Photography to train young men of color leaders -- staff, summer Youth Organizers and neighborhood cohorts -- to use PhotoVoice to document their transit sovereignty stories. They will share a “gallery” of photos at their Summer Celebration on August 12.
Global 505’s HIA examined the health impacts of language and cultural access policies on immigrant and refugee families in Bernalillo county. This summer they will design and produce reusable artwork templates that can be shared among partners to collect community feedback regardless of language(s) spoken. Solidifying this process will model to private, government, and other entities that culturally and linguistically inclusive feedback can be gathered simply and respectfully.
The Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium’s HIA focused on the health impacts of the amendments to the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act on New Mexicans. This summer they will educate people in Doña Ana county on the health effects of over exposure to radiation from the Trinity test and potential to bring back much needed health care coverage and compensation to those suffering with cancer as a result. They will support community members impacted by this issue in Doña Ana county to take ownership and leadership of the process.
Doña Ana Communities United’s HIA examined the health impacts of trails and parks in the Doña Ana Comprehensive Plan. Residents in two colonias will engage their fellow community members in novel and culturally appropriate ways to inform development of trails funded by the New Mexico Department of Transportation.
Capacity Building
RFP to Co-create an Indigenous
Health Impact Assessment Toolkit
While listening, reflecting, and learning with community partners in 2019, HEP recognized the importance of working with a community partner to co-create an Indigenous Health Impact Assessment Toolkit focused on decolonizing practices to serve as part of the 2020 HIA curriculum. If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity and would like to submit a proposal to work with HEP on this toolkit, please check out the Request for Proposals here.
Proposals are due June 30, 2019
Health Care Reform Dialogues with Together for Brothers
The Con Alma Health Foundation is partnering with HEP to strengthen the health-care safety net in New Mexico and support a network of organizations to advocate for health policies and health-care reform.
As part of this project, HEP has been collaborating with Together for Brothers to conduct health care with young men of color. The dialogues have been led by young men of color. They have taken place at their leadership circle, Monday night circle with youth organizers, and at a soccer tournament with broader community. The young men of color have served as leaders throughout this process and have strengthened their skills in facilitation and data collection. The dialogues will help the young men to advance their own organizing efforts related to health care reform and the dialogues will help the Con Alma Health Foundation to illustrate the actions taken by stakeholders, advocates and others. This information will shape an ‘actionable agenda’ that can guide New Mexico and local leaders to act to ensure children in New Mexico are getting the full advantages of health care reform.
Partner Capacity Building Opportunities and Events
Santa Fe Community Foundation - The HEP’s institutional home, the Santa Fe Community Foundation (SFCF), is committed to supporting nonprofits in achieving their missions with excellence. The SFCF’s Philanthropy HUB has been designed as a learning and gathering place for the philanthropic sector. The HUB's programs strive to: 1) deepen philanthropic practice; 2) build nonprofit capacity; 3) provide support for professional advisers; and 4) provide platforms for learning about social issues in community. Upcoming trainings and presentations include:
If you are a HEP network member and you have an upcoming training, workshop, or other capacity building opportunity open to community members and organizations, please send information about it to David Gaussoin and the HEP team can include it an upcoming newsletter.
