HOPEmobile Offers Health Education To New Mexico’s Tribal Communities

Global NGO Project HOPE Offers Crucial Health Screenings And Education During New Mexico’s First-ever Tribal Preventive Health Week

Project HOPE is kicking off New Mexico’s first-ever State and Tribal Preventive  Health Week with consultations in a state-of-the-art mobile health screening unit dubbed the HOPEmobile. Screenings are designed to promote healthy habits for communities struggling with high levels of chronic disease by providing people with health statistics and empowering them to make changes in their lifestyles.

“In New Mexico, American Indians have the highest death rates due to diabetes -- three times that of Caucasians and one and a half times greater  than African-Americans.  It’s crucial that we teach, inspire and support families to adopt healthier lifestyles,” said Nancy E. Brown Connolly, Director for Project HOPE, New Mexico , a global health education and humanitarian assistance organization.

The goal of Preventive Health Week is to reduce the risk and advancement of chronic diseases among citizens in the state’s Pueblos, Tribes and Nations through increased awareness, access to information and activities that promote better health.

Tribal Governor, Richard Luarkie, and the Secretary of Health, Catherine D. Torres, MD, will be walking alongside tribal leaders at Laguna Pueblo in Casa Blanca on Monday, October 10, Columbus Day, a federal holiday, to show citizens that New Mexico’s Department of Health is taking Tribal health seriously, offering  a week of events intended to promote physical activities by walking daily and other healthy habits.

“Project HOPE is offering a full health fair, including free health screenings for diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol and body mass index.  We are also teaching families about the benefits of consuming more water, fruits and vegetables and being physically active,” said Connolly.

The HOPEmobile, a 64-foot office on wheels, is funded with the support of HOPE corporate partner, UnitedHealthcare.  The mobile health and education unit is outfitted with advanced telemedicine equipment and has been deployed to underserved areas of the state to provide free, comprehensive health screenings for diabetes and other chronic illnesses. 

Project HOPE
Founded in 1958, Project HOPE (Health Opportunities for People Everywhere) is dedicated to providing lasting solutions to health problems with the mission of helping people to help themselves. Identifiable to many by the SS HOPE, the world’s first peacetime hospital ship, Project HOPE now provides medical training and health education, and conducts humanitarian assistance programs in more than 35 countries.

For more information on activities at the State and Tribal Preventive Health Week, go to http://www.health.state.nm.us/