A Brief Overview of Gathering of Good Minds (GoGM) Projects
Gathering of good minds i
The goal of the “Gathering of Good Minds: Engaging Native Americans in Wellness” project was to build trust and lasting partnerships that will lay the groundwork for providers and Native American patients in the Riverside/San Bernardino area to address patient well-being and chronic health concerns. The University of California, Riverside, Center for Healthy Communities (CHC), and Riverside-San Bernardino County Indian Health, Inc. (RSBCIHI)represent the collaboration for this Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute, Engagement Award. This project is intended to increase the capacity of stakeholders to conduct partnered research. We intend to do so through a collaborative approach to research that equitably involves all partners in the research process and recognizes the unique strengths that each brings to our gathering.
Gathering of good minds ii: Developing a Historical Trauma Curriculum.
The primary goal of the second project is to enhance the growing partnership between UCR’s Center for Healthy Community faculty and Riverside-San Bernardino County Indian Health, Inc. providers and patients. This partnership is expanding and focusing in more depth on patient-centered research that will increase knowledge of Historical Trauma, improve provider/patient communication, and health outcomes among Native American populations. Historical trauma, as defined by Brave Heart, is the “cumulative emotional and psychological wounding across generations, including the lifespan, which emanates from massive group trauma”(1) and has been linked to chronic health issues in Native American communities. Through engagement and shared learning we will 1) continue to build our foundation of trust that will support future patient-centered outcomes research, 2) provide an opportunity for all to gain knowledge and experience important to future comparative effectiveness research in HT and trauma-informed care, and 3) adapt a historical trauma curriculum that can be tested in multiple contexts for engaging patients and educating physicians about the importance of historical trauma on patient wellbeing. The long-term objective of the proposed project is to use a hybrid design for implementing a comparative effectiveness intervention, wherein the new curriculum is compared to existing training.
NIH CEAL: STOP COVID-19 CA Project
The STOP COVID-19 CA Project is a statewide alliance funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL). This collaborative effort seeks to improve COVID-19 awareness, education, outreach, and resource access, with the UCR Center for Health Disparities Research's Indigenous/Native American Engagement team working primarily with Inland Empire Native communities. Through our continued partnership with Riverside-San Bernardino County Indian Health, Inc. and our community engagement team, this collaborative effort strives to develop resources, materials, and community connections that help combat COVID-19 and related hardships. Our aim is to incorporate capacity building and cultural humility into our work and develop resources that are accessible and rooted in community need. From highlighting community experiences and testimonials surrounding COVID-19 and the vaccine to developing a digital misinformation curriculum that incorporates Native language revitalization efforts, this continuously evolving project hopes to further build medical trust and break down barriers surrounding health information in innovative ways guided by the Inland Empire Native American community.