Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health

02/18/2026

A new article spotlights several Indigenous-led programs improving sexual and reproductive health education for Native youth. We’re honored that Respecting the Circle of Life (RCL) https://cih.jhu.edu/programs/sexual-health-education-respecting-the-circle-of-life/ was included. Developed with Native youth and families, RCL helps spark important conversations at home and equips teens with knowledge rooted in culture.

As our colleague Barb Harvey (Diné) shared, “Parents often say, ‘We don’t talk about these topics.’ But once they begin, the conversations continue.”

Read the full story https://bit.ly/3ZFwcx1

02/16/2026

✨“𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐚 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞.”✨ — Dr. Allison Barlow, executive director, Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health.

Read an interview with Dr. Donald Warne, co-director, Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, who explains how 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 🇨🇭 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 🧑🏽‍⚕️👨🏽‍⚕️ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 throughout our communities.

👉These changes are open for comment 💬 through March 2nd. Use the QR code to let the federal government know how these changes could affect you and your community.

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Azhe’é Bidziil - Strong Fathers Family Spirit Home Visiting Program Chinle - Center for Indigenous Health Chinle - Center for Indigenous HealthShiprock - Center for Indigenous Health CIH Great Plains Hub

02/14/2026

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02/14/2026

To all the lovebirds out there...Happy Valentine's Day 💘

02/13/2026

Sharing an article by High Country News about an EPA ruling that could affect tribal communities' ability to protect their water.

There is a 30-day public comment period on the proposed rule, which ends Feb 17 at 11:59 PM EST.

Comment here https://www.regulations.gov/docket/EPA-HQ-OW-2025-2929

The agency’s plan would narrow water quality reviews and eliminate one of the few ways that tribes can their enforce treaty rights.

02/13/2026

Lunch and Learn on 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 scheduled for Friday, February 20 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐃. We are in the process of rescheduling and will announce the new date soon.

02/13/2026

Communities surrounding Waterflow, NM - the LiFT workshop is a wonderful opportunity for teens and parents to connect and improve the quality of communication with one another.

Next workshop is March 17th...register via the QR code.

Community members of Waterflow and the surrounding areas, we are offering a FREE LiFT workshop for you and your family! Scan the QR code or visit our linktree in our bio to sign up for our next scheduled workshop:
Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 @ 9AM-4PM

Participants can earn a $50 incentive for completing the workshop! *Eligibility required

Feel free to DM us if you need help registering.

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02/09/2026

Heart disease remains one of the leading causes of death in Indigenous communities, yet many heart conditions are preventable. Taking steps like:

❤️ staying active,
❤️ eating nourishing foods,
❤️ managing stress, and
❤️ keeping up with regular checkups can make a powerful difference.

Listen to your body. Prioritize your heart health—not just this month, but every day. Together, we can build healthier hearts and stronger communities.



Azhe’é Bidziil - Strong Fathers Family Spirit Home Visiting Program Chinle - Center for Indigenous Health Shiprock - Center for Indigenous Health Johns Hopkins Center For Indigenous Health - Great Lakes Hub CIH Great Plains Hub

02/06/2026

We are looking for community voices! 
 
The Center for Indigenous Health is recruiting Community Advisory Board (CAB) members in the Fort Defiance and Eastern Agencies of the Navajo Nation for the +Language is Medicine project.
 
Interested? Please contact Jessica Meese at jmeese1@jh.edu

02/04/2026

johnshopkinscih It's National Cancer Prevention Month and World Cancer Day 🎗💗

You know your body best. If you notice any irregular or unusual changes to your body or health, don’t wait—talk with your healthcare provider. Staying up to date on annual physicals and mammograms matters—early detection is one of the strongest tools in preventing and fighting cancer.

Explore our Cancer Care Initiative, which partners with communities to reduce disparities in cancer education, care access, and health outcomes among Native American families. https://cih.jhu.edu/programs/cancer-care-initiative-supporting-care-along-the-continuum-in-native-american-communities/



Azhe’é Bidziil - Strong Fathers Family Spirit Home Visiting Program Chinle - Center for Indigenous Health Shiprock - Center for Indigenous Health Johns Hopkins Center For Indigenous Health - Great Lakes Hub CIH Great Plains Hub

02/02/2026

Dr. Helen Russette, Assistant Scientist at Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health believes her homeland of Rocky Boy Reservation in Montana holds the power to heal and protect her people. “The healing powers are well evidenced in our literature and science, and we know that dosage matters,” she explains.

Dr. Russette leads the project, 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝 (E wahw nik otah Ahskik), in partnership with the Chippewa Cree Tribe. It is a 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝, 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲-𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐭-𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐚’𝐬 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐁𝐨𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. “For those with a history of addiction, instead of shaming them, we’re using land-based cultural practices to bring them closer, to reconnect them with culture, land, Elders, and other families as a way of fostering resilience and coping with any hardships. We want to instill a sense of cultural identity and belonging, whether they live on the reservation or nearby”.

Read the full story to see how culture is guiding healing, reconnection, and hope in Rocky Boy
👉 https://cih.jhu.edu/returning-to-the-land-healing-families-through-culture-in-rocky-boy/



Chippewa Cree Tribe Womens Safety Program Mahchiwminahnahtik Chippewa Cree Language Revitalization Chippewa Nature Center Rocky Boy Police Department Rocky Boy Buffalo Project/Buffalo Child Ranch St. Mary’s Catholic Church Rocky Boy Reservation Our Saviour's Lutheran Church - Rocky Boy, MT Rocky Boy Buffalo Project/Buffalo Child Ranch Chinle - Center for Indigenous Health Azhe’é Bidziil - Strong Fathers Family Spirit Home Visiting Program Johns Hopkins Center For Indigenous Health - Great Lakes Hub Shiprock - Center for Indigenous Health CIH Great Plains Hub