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Join Our Mailing ListNative American Health Center, Inc.
3124 International Blvd.
Oakland, CA 94601
Phone: (510) 535-4440
Fax: (510) 261-0646
Email: Dshaneb@nativehealth.org
Title: Shake the Feathers
Project Director: D. Shane Barnett
Target Population: American Indian/Alaska Native
Age Group: Adolescents, Adults
The Shake the Feathers project seeks to bring HIV/AIDS prevention, intervention, and care services to one of the most at-risk populations in the country. The project focuses on high-risk youth, injection drug users (IDU), men who have sex with men (MSM), lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and two spirit (LHBT-TS) populations. This project is a collaborative effort between Native American Health Center, Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits and Native American AIDS Project. The target area for the project includes the Northern California counties of Alameda and San Francisco and urban metropolitan areas of Oakland.
The objectives of the project are to: increase knowledge and awareness of HIV/AIDS; change behavior and utilization of HIV/AIDS services; increase the target population’s access to health care services; and mobilize coalitions and community networks within the Native American community to improve awareness and knowledge of HIV/AIDS. The project utilizes a holistic model that combines culturally appropriate health education and outreach, rapid HIV testing, primary care, mental health services, social networking, and a cultural wellness model to reduce the rates of HIV/AIDS in the Native American community. In this model, prevention, intervention and treatment are linked in an integrated support system that uses culture, community and spirituality as a foundation for service delivery. Activities include: development of HIV prevention curricula; annual dissemination to individuals through cultural wellness workshops; development and dissemination of culturally age appropriate health education materials; assessment and provision of risk reduction counseling to 150 individuals yearly; referrals to primary medical and mental health care; and HIV testing of 100 individuals referred to medical, psychological or preventive services. Shake the Feathers events are conducted in San Francisco and Oakland to mobilize coalitions and community networks within the Native American community by generating follow-up, spin-off events such as health fairs, presentations and forums.