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The Indian Health Board of Billings
is launching two new health promotion efforts. The IHB medical clinic is
offering free rapid HIV tests on a walk-in basis; it also is kicking off a
campaign to prevent teen pregnancy and help pregnant Native American teens and
their babies.
The majority of patients who visit
the Billings clinic are Native American, executive director Marjorie Bear Don’t
Walk said. The clientele is about one-third Crow, one-fourth Cheyenne, and
includes other tribe members from Montana, Wyoming, and North and South Dakota.
Last year it saw nearly 6,000 people, according to Robert IronMaker Jr., the
clinic’s health site manager and grant writer.
The IHB HIV testing effort is part
of a national pilot program launched by CDC in 24 cities and rural communities.
The IHB is the only urban Indian clinic to be part of the pilot project,
IronMaker said.
The teen pregnancy program was
prompted by IronMaker learning that Yellowstone County has the highest rate of
teen pregnancy in Montana. “And of that, 40 percent of the babies born to moms
between the ages of 15 and 17 are American Indian,” he said. The IHB outreach
received a $60,000 grant from the Montana Department of Health and Human
Services’ Pregnancy Assistance fund.
The program will target Native
American teens who are pregnant or parents and include education and care, both
pre- and post-natal, IronMaker said. Young fathers will be encouraged to
participate as well.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
