White Sands National Park, Doña Ana County and Otero County
The damage caused by colonization continues to harm Native communities. And the loss of cultures and Indigenous knowledge harms us all.
This page has sections on:
HISTORICAL TRAUMA
How the response to trauma can be passed down through generations
Historical trauma refers to a complex and collective trauma experienced over time and across generations by a group of people who share an identity, affiliation, or circumstance. Dr. Eduardo Duran and Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart defined the concept of historical trauma while working with Lakota communities in the 1980s. It has since been applied to other populations, such as African Americans and Holocaust survivors.
Historical Trauma Response refers to the manifestation of emotions and actions that stem from this perceived trauma. Historical Trauma Response is exhibited in a variety of ways, such as substance abuse, suicidal thoughts and gestures, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, anger, violence, and difficulty recognising and expressing emotions. The manifestations of violence and abuse in certain communities can often be linked with the unresolved grief that accompanies continued trauma.
Descendants who have not directly experienced a traumatic event can exhibit the signs and symptoms of trauma, such as depression, fixation on trauma, low self-esteem, anger, and self-destructive behavior.
When developing initiatives and direct services in communities that have experienced a traumatic event and may be exhibiting Historical Trauma Response, it's important that they be trauma-informed care.
Over the past 10 years or so, there have been a growing number of studies into epigenetics - which is the study of stable changes in cell function (known as marks) that do not involve alterations in the DNA sequence.
Unlike genetic changes, epigenetic changes do not change your DNA sequence, but they can change how your body reads a DNA sequence. This means that epigenetic changes are reversible.
SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH
A holistic approach to achieving health by breaking down racism and inequity.
The idea of social determinants of health (SDH) started in 1967 with the UK Whitehall study that demonstrated a health gradient based on social status—higher SES predicts better health, lower SES predicts poorer health. In 1999, Michael Marmot and Richard Wilkinson published a book entitled “Social Determinants of Health." In 2005, Marmot led the World Health Organization (WHO) global Commission on the SDH. In 2010, WHO provided a report called “Conceptual Framework for Action on the Social Determinants of Health.” Now, this idea has become the framework used by federal, state, and county agencies.
Social Determinants of Health are defined as the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life, such as economic policies and systems, development agendas, social norms, social policies, and political systems. The SDOH has 5 segments:
Economic Stability
Education Access & Quality
Health Care Access & Quality
Neighborhood & Built Environment
Social & Community Context
IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL CROSS-SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS TO ADDRESS THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH
Pursuing health equity means striving for the highest possible standard of health for all people and giving special attention to the needs of those at greatest risk of poor health, based on social conditions. Action requires not only equitable access to healthcare but also means working outside the healthcare system to address broader social well-being and development.
You already know where the gaps are in your communities. To find possible partners in different sectors, look at the various New Mexico State Departments and their subdivisions. Ask these (or similar) questions for each division in each department.
In what ways have you seen disparity, inequity, or overt racism in each area?
How can disparity in each area affect health outcomes?
How might historical trauma amplify the poor health outcomes in each area?
How might this department support the efforts to advance equity and improve health outcomes?
These questions are just a start. They will likely need to be adjusted for each area of focus you are looking at. Hopefully, the conversation will generate new ideas. Write down all ideas you come up with. Even if one idea is not a good fit, it may shine the light on new ideas.
Because the list of departments is long, for this exercise, select one department that will be easier to identify issues and one department where it may be less obvious. Schedule tims to do this same process with all of the state departments.
EXAMPLE:
Discuss areas of focus for Children Youth, and Families.
Domestic Violence
How do you see disparity, inequity, or racism in cases of Domestic Violence?
How do you see disparity, inequity, or racism in the system - including the process for reporting an assault through the court system and support services afterward?
How does Domestic Violence impact health Outcomes?
How might historical trauma amplify the trauma response when experiencing domestic violence?
Does the Department of Health have existing collaborative programs with this division at CYFD?
Brainstorm ideas for how the Health Councils can work with this division and/or address Domestic Violence.
Ask similar questions about Foster Care, Child Abuse & Neglect, and Juvenile Justice.
Now, discuss areas of focus for the Department of Information Technology.
Their services appear to be restricted to in-house department support. They are starting their strategic planning process, so now might be a good time to approach them about ways they can advance their mission to “to serve and support state agencies with innovative solutions to advance the delivery of their core missions and create progress for all New Mexicans.”
This year, the state is receiving funds to improve broadband and increase internet access across the state. Several communities were announced in March and four more communities were announced in June.
Are Native Nations located in the areas designated to receive the infusion of funds for broadband??
If broadband is not on the table for your community this year, how else might the Department of IT support your efforts?
What is the relationship between disparity, inequity, or racism with the lack of internet access by Native communities and rural areas?
How might historical trauma contribute to the sense of isolation or inability to access services due to lack of internet service?
How does lack of internet access impact health outcomes?
How might our communities see improvements in health outcomes if access to reliable internet service was increased?
How does the IT Department advance the work of the Department of Health?
In what new ways could the IT Department support the Department of Health?
Did the IT Department support the creation of IBIS?
Is everyone on your team comfortable with using the IBIS system?
How might the individual County and Tribal Health Councils utilize the support of the Department of IT?
What are health data needs specific to each Native Nation?
How can we improve tribe-specific data access and quality while protecting indigenous data sovereignty?
Once you start, you will find the questions will just keep coming. And, hopefully, so will the ideas for potential cross-sector collaborations to address the social determinants of health.
