The Regional Wellness Forum met in December with new energy and focus on mapping future goals for wellness in the Bering Strait region. The Forum gathered regional entities including Norton Sound Health Corporation, Kawerak, Inc., UAF Northwest Campus, Nome Community Center, and more at the King Island Hall in Nome to discuss regional wellness needs. A regular working group, pre-Covid, the forum is gaining momentum again as an area for collaboration and resource pooling.
Kawerak Wellness Director Kimberly Ayek said the December meeting was a moment for refocus for the Regional Wellness Forum. The attendees split into working groups to brainstorm regional wellness needs and discuss the resources that are available through the various regional entities at the table. They asked questions, assessing current services, and identified potential gaps and areas for improvement.
“You have to assess before moving forward,” Ayek said. “Now that we’ve assessed, we have gathered information together. This will help develop a plan of action to chart the course for the next year.”
Another goal for this December meeting was to have representatives from each community in-person in Nome to fully participate in the meeting. Invitations went out to Tribal Coordinators and Village-Based Counselors across the region. Though travel and attendance did not work out for all communities, five regional community members, representing three additional communities in the region, were able to attend.
Ayek says the goal is to have everyone interested in wellness to have a voice and an opportunity to contribute to the discussion. “We want to have those interested in regional wellness to gather and work together, so that we’re using resources well – working together in collaboration –to support wellness in the region.” This way, Ayek says, the region is able to work together and pool resources for collaboration.
Kawerak Wellness, which sponsored the December Regional Wellness Forum gathering, extends a sincere “thank you” to Regional Wellness Forum co-chairs, NSHC Liitfik Director Bridie Trainor and Kawerak’s Darlene Trigg, for their leadership and guidance. Special thanks also to Kunaq Tahbone, who co-hosted the two-day forum alongside the co-chairs. Kawerak also recognizes Carol Piscoya and Berta Wilson for their support and contributions in making the meeting a success.
The next Regional Wellness Forum meeting is set to take place in March.
