Native American communities experience many obstacles to health and well-being due to adverse social, economic, and environmental conditions. Few tribal public health programs are financed adequately to surmount these obstacles. Fewer still are locally financed and managed. This study will elicit the values and preferences of Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (CRST) members in order to enhance the implementation of the CRST’s first autonomous public health program, the Tasina Luta (Red Blanket). Through a series of focus groups and interviews with Tribal members and local service experts, this research will inform the efficient integration of the Tribe’s resources to better engage community members and achieve a larger collective impact.  This one-year developmental study will explore effective mechanisms for public health program diffusion within the CRST community, positioning the project for future quantitative work evaluating the impact of the identified implementation strategies.

Principal Investigators

• Barbara Quiram, PhD
  Professor
  School of Public Health
  Director
  Office of Special Programs & Global Health
  Texas A&M University
   
• David Washburn, ScD
  Assistant Professor
  Health Policy and Management
  School of Public Health
  Texas A&M University