Tribal Unity and Traditional Medicine Gathering

Tribal representatives discuss health issues at Tribal Gathering.

The "Gathering," held the first week of April each year, is a forum in which representatives from each regional village meet with YKHC administrators, board members and program directors to speak frankly about expectations, shortcomings, and desired improvements in all things related to health.

It is a learning opportunity not only for tribal representatives, but also for healthcare providers and corporate directors who are reminded that the true concerns of the people involve more than just health care delivery.

At each Gathering, participants from each of 11 districts in the region list their top healthcare priorities. Over the 11 years Gatherings have been held, these priorities have directly resulted in the corporation's establishment of an air ambulance service, prioritizing water and sewer systems for villages, improvements in family medicine care, inhalant abuse treatment services, and changes in attitudes toward the people of the region--not just as patients, but as customer-owners of YKHC.

• Read more about Tribal Gathering XII in the Messenger - April 15, 2005