Champion Program
The Community Wellness Champion Forums are part of a National Prevention Initiative by the Indian Health Service to gather "Promising Practices" in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Local Champions know "what works" in their community and go the extra step to support others to develop healthy families and healthy communities.
Who are Community Wellness Champions?
These people are really getting things done, making a difference for healthier families in the communities where they live, and work. They are educators, community leaders, youth mentors and health workers to name a few. What they share is a commitment to improve the health of their communities and the ability to make things happen.
It is often said that "health is created at the community level." Families and communities are like the "kitchen" where wellness is "cooked up" and supported. These Wellness Champions are master cooks in this kitchen; they know how to pull together the right ingredients to get things done at the local level.
We are all aware of the many barriers getting in the way of healthy change in our communities and neighborhoods. Many excellent plans with the best of intentions have been derailed by politics, shortage of resources, turf battles, apathy or misunderstanding. What makes these Community Wellness Champions special is they have overcome these barriers and succeeded where many others have failed. Their knowledge, skills, experience and dedication are valuable tools to helping our communities move toward a healthier future.
We brought these locally identified "Community Wellness Champions" together as a group, in order to share what has been working, learn from their experiences, draw lessons for other tribal communities, and develop regional support networks. Now we are privileged to share their stories with you.
As you browse this website, you will be able to read a complete description of each project nominated and hear the Champions themselves share their passion for the impressive work they are doing in their communities.