We are starting the trip off with a bang. Day #2 is health promotion at the Tribal Health Fair in Pine Ridge that is part of the tribe’s sponsored pow wow activities. This will be our first attendance of this event, and I am not sure what to expect.
Health fair set up was at 8am in Pine Ridge, and we also needed to stop by Suzie’s in Kyle to pick up some of our shipped supplies. A 6am departure time to allow for the pick up and drive to Pine Ridge was going to be tough for Day #2 with everyone tired from traveling, but I got no complaints. I was exhausted but the new environment and being overly tired kept me tossing and turning all night. I maybe got 3 hours of sleep, and the 6am departure started to look iffy. I could easily say let’s forego the health fair—would anyone really notice or care? While it was a thought for about a minute, canceling was a hard no. Everything that I do on this trip is built around my word and doing what I say that I’m going to do. My word has to mean something, and I absolutely have to role model that for students. I did give everyone (and myself) an extra 15 minutes and that was enough.
Loaded up with health promotion supplies, donations, and students, we arrived for the health fair by 8:15. We were able to pick a spot for our booth under the pow wow arbor and worked on getting organized for a 10am start. The students are doing great with working as a team to get things done. I tend to bark out orders and directions during the trip, and I am trying very hard not to do this. They can problem solve, and I just need to let them!
We met Ted from Re-Member, a non-profit that works on the Rez. He gave us the scoop on what to expect at the health fair, and I nearly fell over when he told us that attendance may be 1200! I let the students know that we would likely run out of screening supplies and donations and that whatever we were able to do would be good enough. It’s also VERY hot with the temp around 95. Cholesterol monitor won’t work with that temp so blood sugars and blood pressures it is.
We got to work with screenings using two teams of students screening, two students doing giveaways of bubbles, sunglasses, and mini stuffed animals for the kids and marketing the screenings for the adults, and the final student keeping supplies organized and at the ready. We ended up being so busy! The students again pitched in however needed and switched off trading duties as needed. I love seeing them work and do all of the things that help the screening participants feel more comfortable with us, as strangers from Indiana. Things like getting down at eye level with the person getting screened; asking for permission before touching someone to do a blood pressure, reporting abnormal screening results, and providing information in a clear and simple way—it’s the little things that make a difference.
We were extremely well-received, and I felt very welcomed to be a part of this event. I met the elected secretary for the tribe, who conveyed in words what I felt here-that our presence was very much appreciated. By 1:30, we were done and everyone was ready to get out of the heat. We did as many screenings today as we usually do in a whole week, and our week just started!
A well-earned rest break back at the cabins followed by an eventful trip to the Badlands (that requires its own post!) completed our day.
Nursing Students at Pine Ridge 