Sacramento, California – January 24, 2024– The Sacramento Native American Health Center (SNAHC) received $1,000,000 in federal funding for our Florin Road site thanks to Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-07). “Now more than ever, it is important for patients to know they have somewhere to go for primary care, mental health care, immunizations, women’s health services, and much more. SNAHC is that trusted beacon for our Sacramento community,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “The Florin Road expansion brings SNAHC’s services right to the heart of South Sacramento – reaching folks where they are and allo ..read more

By Marisela Featherstone (Chicane/Lipan Apache) Rock Your Mocs (RYM) is a week-long worldwide social media event designed to share Native and Indigenous pride. Originally set for just one day, November 15th, it has now been extended to a week giving schools and other organizations an opportunity to participate. This year’s RYM event runs from Sunday, November 12th to Saturday, November 18th.   What started as a Facebook event for friends of founder Jessica Jaylyn Atsye (Laguna Pueblo, NM) soon turned into the worldwide social media event it is today. Rock Your Mocs began in 2011 when foun ..read more

Written by Marisela Featherstone (Chicane, Lipan Apache)    Content warning! The stories in this blog may be triggering for some people.    National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day, is recognized on September 30th commemorating the over 150,000 Native American children who attended Indian Residential Schools and the 6,000 plus First Nations children who died under their care. Every Child Matters is a slogan used in tandem with the day and is dedicated to ending the oppression of Native People and normalizing the discussion of the traumas they ..read more

Sacramento, California – September 15, 2023— Latinx Heritage Month begins on September 15th. Originally just a week-long celebration declared by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968, was later extended to a full month in 1988 by President Ronald Regan. Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and El Salvador all share the 15th as their day of Independence. Mexico, Chile, and Belize celebrate their own respective Independence on the 16th, 18th, and 21st of September (Romo, 2021)1. When President Johnson declared September 15th a National Holiday, he said, “The people of Hispanic descent are t ..read more

Sacramento, California – July 31, 2023— Historically, our communities were built on a foundation of interdependence and generosity. Our communities lived in balance with our environment and were guided by each of the four seasons to achieve sustainability (health) and feed (nurture) our people. Each changing season brought about new challenges and obstacles that tested our resilience and way of life. Generation after generation, our communities have continued to carry this commitment forward to ensure our children and loved ones have access to medicine, nutrients, and in contemporary times, he ..read more

Sacramento, California – July 12, 2023— The Sacramento Native American Health Center (SNAHC) has officially opened a full-service health center at 3800 Florin Road in South Sacramento. This is the third SNAHC location including another full-service clinic on J Street in Midtown and a school-based health center at Grant Union High School in Del Paso Heights.   SNAHC Florin Road is approximately 35,000 square feet and offers medical, dental, behavioral health, traditional, and supportive health services, including onsite Medi-Cal enrollment via Sacramento Covered. The site serves both ..read more

June is widely known as LGBTQ+ Pride Month (formerly known as Gay Pride). This celebration has continued to evolve over the years, adding more voices from various subcommunities within the greater Queer umbrella. For the purposes of this article, I will be using the labels Queer, for simplicity, and 2SLGBTQIA+ (Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and more) to affirm a wider representation.   In its origin, Pride began as a protest and riot, rooted in the fight against 2SLGBTQIA+ oppression. In 1969, the era of Stonewall, BIPOC (Black ..read more

Sacramento, California – June 21, 2023—The Sacramento Native American Health Center. (SNAHC) received a $3 million dollar investment from Sutter Health for its second full-service health center at 3800 Florin Road in Sacramento County. SNAHC Florin Road is in the vibrant South Sacramento neighborhood and provides medical, dental, behavioral health, traditional, and supportive health services to Native and non-Native patients. SNAHC Florin Road can serve up to 12,000 patients annually and includes a dedicated Youth and Family Space, called Sali To’a’su Kochang, which roughly translates to “the ..read more

May is designated as Mental Health Awareness Month, established by The Mental Health America organization in 1949. The purpose of Mental Health Awareness Month is to shed light on the realities of mental health issues and reduce the stigmas associated with them. It’s a time for communities to unite and acknowledge the profound impact mental illness has on individuals, their families, and society.    Since the COVID-19 pandemic, alarming rates of suicide among adolescents have amplified the importance of mental health and suicide prevention. Legislative initiatives such as the Garrett ..read more

Written by Outreach & Engagement Coordinator, Marisela Featherstone (Chicane, Lipan Apache) May 5th is designated as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Day, or MMIP Day. Its purpose is to increase the visibility of the ongoing violence against Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people. The movement is generally recognized by its abbreviation MMIW, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, but as the conversation has evolved, so has the awareness of intersectionalities within Native communities and the understanding of who has fallen victim to this colonial violence. Furthermore, rec ..read more