Building trust and advancing health equity alongside our Indigenous partners
The M Health Fairview Center for Community Health Equity continues to build trust with Native communities by showing up and working alongside our partners to advance health equity. May is American Indian Month in Minnesota. M Health Fairview is honored to recognize and celebrate the American Indian community.
“Our team is strengthening its partnerships with Indigenous people and organizations,” said Diane Tran, executive director, M Health Fairview Center for Community Health Equity. “As part of our health system’s commitment to restorative justice, it’s important for us to be present and engage with the community in meaningful ways.”
Two years ago, a cross-functional team came together to create an Indigenous land acknowledgment at the Fairview Community Health and Wellness Hub – the first event of its kind in our health system. The inaugural reading formalized our emerging efforts to build partnerships with Native communities and catalyzed further action to go beyond words. Since then, teams across M Health Fairview have gone through learning journeys to create a land acknowledgment for their geographic area, have hosted educational webinars for employees, and held a career opportunities and pathways open house for potential applicants. Also, employee volunteers participate in local Pow Wows throughout the year, where we offer free blood pressure checks, provide career information, and hold “ask the pharmacist” sessions.
Up next, M Health Fairview is presenting the Indigenous Peoples Match at the MN Aurora game on June 16.
A day of celebration and honoring
Pow Wows hold significant cultural and community importance; they address the physical, emotional, spiritual, and cultural dimensions of health. Each ceremony is an opportunity to promote healing and wellbeing within Indigenous communities.
On April 28, M Health Fairview co-hosted the Honoring John "Azhide" Bobolink Pow Wow in St. Paul. It was organized in close partnership with the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, American Indian Family Center, Saint Paul Public Schools Indian Education Program, and South St. Paul Public Schools American Indian Education Program.
The community Pow Wow included drum groups, dancers, local vendors, education booths, and food trucks. The Pow Wow paid tribute to St. Paul Public Schools' Indian Education Director and community partner, John Bobolink, who passed away in February. John is well-known in the St. Paul community for being a good relative and for his work with and support of youth and families. He was part of the community Pow Wow planning committee.
John Bobolink, along with other distinguished American Indian community members, including Chairman of Leech Lake Reservation Faron Jackson, Sr., and his wife, Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, and Minnesota Indian Affairs Council Executive Director Shannon Geshick were celebrated with honoring songs and gifts to pay tribute to their partnership and leadership.
Employees take the lead
In May, a group of employees passionate about Indigenous wellness formed the Indigenous Healing Circle Employee Resource Group (ERG). The ERG is led by Heather Maracle Fahey, Fairview pharmacist and enrolled member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, and Monique Nelson, American Indian cultural broker and descendent of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians in Wisconsin. Fahey and Nelson were instrumental in the planning of the community Pow Wow, along with helping our health system take meaningful steps to acknowledge the history of the land we’re on while strengthening our relationships in the community.
“Creating the Indigenous Healing Circle is one step in our promise to care for past, present, and future generations of people who have stewarded the land we live, work, and build our wealth on,” said Fahey. “We want to foster and create new relationships with Native organizations in the community, continue ongoing work with recruitment to increase and retain Native employees, and advocate for Native programs for our community and allies.”
In addition to her role as co-lead of the Indigenous Circle ERG, Nelson serves as an Native American cultural broker. A Fairview employee, she is hosted by the American Indian Family Center where she helps people in her community navigate complex services and resources, including housing, food access, and healthcare. Nelson’s work is helping communities address these social determinants of health.
Advocating for change
M Health Fairview once again participated in American Indian Day on the Hill at the Minnesota State Capitol in May 2024. The event was led by the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council and included support from M Health Fairview and other partners.
“It’s a way to spotlight Native leaders, celebrate the contributions of Indigenous communities in Minnesota, and create awareness among legislators and the community about the challenges facing Indigenous communities,” said Tran. “M Health Fairview is proud to stand alongside our Native partners and participate in this important day.”
Guest speakers at the Day on the Hill included Governor Tim Walz, Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, Senator Mary Kunesh, Minnesota Indian Affairs Council Board Chair President Robert Larsen, and Secretary of State Steve Simon.
Nelson also spoke at the event. “Today is about being our authentic selves, whatever that may look like to you, and breaking free. It may be breaking free from a box that the system has put us in or a box that we’ve put ourselves in. I think that we can all say that we can break free from something that may be a barrier in our lives with the support of others, by changing our environment, or through embracing our spirituality.”
