Piikanii Lodge Health Institute

PIIKANI LODGE HEALTH INSTITUTE IS AN INDIGENOUS FOUNDED AND LED 501(C)(3) NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION FOCUSING ON TRANSLATIONAL STRENGTHS SUCH AS IMPROVED COMMUNITY ECONOMICS, ADAPTATION TO A CHANGING CLIMATE, HEALTH PROMOTION AND DISEASE REDUCTION, THROUGH BENCH SCIENCE AND THE RECLAMATION AND INTEGRATION OF TRADITIONAL CULTURAL LIFEWAYS, WHILE EXPANDING OUR CONNECTION TO THE LAND AND ITS BIOSYSTEMS.

FRONTLINE RESPONSE AND BASIC SERVICESIN THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF COVID, PLHI STAFF:* TRAVELED WELL OVER 27,000 MILES TO DELIVER MORE THAN 40,000 HOT MEALS PREPARED BY BLACKFEET TRIBAL EAGLE SHIELDS SENIOR CENTER TO ELDERS AND PARTNERED WITH FAST BLACKFEET TO DELIVER 13,000 FOOD BOXES TO FAMILIES IN NEED.* MAPPED ROUTES TO COLLECT DATA ON VULNERABLE PERSONS LIVING REMOTELY WHO WERE UNABLE TO ACCESS COMMUNITY RESOURCES.* DISTRIBUTED CDC-APPROVED INFORMATION, PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT, TOYS, BIKES, GAMES AND SWEETGRASS BRAIDS TO RESIDENTS THROUGHOUT THE BLACKFEET NATION.* ASSISTED 109 AGRICULTURE PRODUCERS, ECONOMIC PILLARS OF THE COMMUNITY, WITH APPLICATIONS FOR EMERGENCY GRANTS AND LOANS. THE PROGRAM HELPED ATTAIN 120 GRANTS AND LOANS TOTALING $1,594,277 FOR OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS.THE SUCCESS OF THIS CAMPAIGN LED TO PLHI BEING AWARDED A COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT THROUGH THE USDA FARM SERVICE AGENCY TO LEAD YET ANOTHER CAMPAIGN THAT WOULD EXTEND OUTREACH AND ASSISTANCE TO PRODUCERS INTERESTED IN APPLYING FOR GRANTS AND LOANS.TO COMBAT SOCIAL ISOLATION AND THE STRESS FROM BEING UNDER THE TRIBES LONG-TERM SHELTER-IN-PLACE ORDER, PLHI CREATED SKI PIIKANI, SSTO IPAPOKI TSIIMAAN, THE WINTER FAMILY WELLNESS PROJECT. THIS VISION CONTINUES TO PROVIDE SAFE CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING, SNOWSHOEING, AND TRADITIONAL GAMES EXPERIENCES TOWARDS RECONNECTION WITH THE LAND IN BOTH NOVEL AND TRADITIONAL WAYS HERE WITHIN BLACKFEET HOMELANDS FOR AS MANY OF THE 17,000 RESIDENTS OF THE BLACKFEET NATION AS POSSIBLE EACH WINTER.SKI PIIKANI BEGAN WITH OUTREACH TO TRIBAL MEMBERS, PARTNERSHIPS WITH SCHOOLS, AND BUILDING OUTWARDS TO POSITIVELY IMPACT FAMILIES AND THE ENTIRE TRIBE. WITH INITIAL POLLING, MORE THAN 150 LOCAL RESIDENTS AND FAMILIES INDICATED AN INTEREST IN PARTICIPATING. BALANCING THIS LEVEL OF INTEREST WITH SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS, STAFF ACCOMMODATED 38 COMMUNITY SKI DAYS FOR ORGANIZED SKI OUTINGS IN GROUPS OF LESS THAN 25. OVER THE LAST YEAR, OUR NUMBERS INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY.AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SOVEREIGNTYPLHIS RECENT EFFORTS AROUND REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE INCLUDE THE PIIKANI REGENERATIVE GRAZING INITIATIVE AND IN OUR CLIMATE ADAPTIVE AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS WHERE PLHI STAFF WORK CLOSELY WITH LOCAL RANCHERS AND PARTNERS AT BLACKFEET COMMUNITY COLLEGE, THE NATURE CONSERVANCY, USDA NRCS, MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE BLACKFEET TRIBE, AND MANY MORE. OUR WORK THUS FAR HAS ACTIVELY ENGAGED 20-25 RANCHERS AND SPECIFICALLY ASSESSED APPROXIMATELY 20,000+ ACRES FOR TRANSITION TO INDIGENOUS REGENERATIVE GRAZING PRACTICES THROUGH RANCHER OUTREACH PROGRAMS, SOILS TESTING, MANAGEMENT PLANNING, AND PILOT-SCALE SITE DEVELOPMENTS. THE LEARNINGS FROM THESE PILOT PROJECTS ARE NOW FORMING THE BASIS OF A WIDESPREAD ADOPTION OF REGENERATIVE GRAZING PRACTICES ACROSS THE ~1 MILLION+ ACRES OF GRASSLANDS AND 50,000+ ACRES OF WETLANDS WITHIN THE BLACKFEET NATION. EFFORTS ARE UNDERWAY TO RESTORE THE GREATER BLACKFOOT CONFEDERACY WILDLIFE CORRIDOR AND LAND USAGE PATTERNS THAT EXISTED PRE-CONTACT. THIS EFFORT IS TAKING PLACE THROUGH PLHIS REGENERATIVE GRAZING PROGRAM IN COLLABORATION WITH THE INNII INITIATIVE AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY.PIIKANI HEALTH AND WELL BEING * PLHI AND MSU STAFF DEVELOPED AND DELIVERED OPIOID AND METH EDUCATIONAL MODULES TO 327 PEOPLE AND ARE NOW CONDUCTING OUTREACH INTO TRIBAL SCHOOLS IN EVERY TRIBAL NATION IN THE STATE OF MONTANA. * PLHI AND THE TRIBE OFFERED (29) 45-MINUTE TRAININGS ON MENTAL HEALTH/SUICIDE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, SERVING 850 STUDENTS WITHIN THE BLACKFEET NATION.* PLHI AND MSU STAFF CONDUCT OUTREACH AND EDUCATION RELATED TO OPIOID USE AND MISUSE ON A WEEKLY BASIS, THUS FAR REACHING 197 INDIVIDUALS.* DURING COVID, PLHI STAFF AND THE TRIBE DELIVERED POP-UP CAMPS WHICH CONSISTED OF 402 CULTURAL CAMP PARTICIPANT DAYS AND 38 PARTICIPANT DAYS FOR ON-THE-LAND WELLNESS.RESEARCH AND PLANNINGIN 2021, PLHI AND MSU HOSTED INSPIRING SCIENCE CAMPS FOR 200+ PIIKANI K-12 STUDENTS WHICH FEATURED YOUNG PIIKANI LEADERS WITH DEGREES IN STEM, SHARING THEIR CHALLENGES AND TRIUMPHS ALONG THEIR CAREER PATHS.A RESEARCH AND PLANNING SOLUTION UNDER DEVELOPMENT BY PLHI AND PARTNERS IS PIIKANI WELLBEING INFORMATION SERVICE ENVIRONMENT OR PIIKANI WISE, A CUTTING EDGE DATA DECISION SUPPORT SOFTWARE DRIVEN BY AND SERVING AMSKAPI PIIKANI.