Health Partners Fellowship Program
Leveraging and Strengthening Coalition Resources to Address a Community Health Problem:
An interview with D. Tecumseh Welch, JD
D.
Tecumseh Welch is the founder and Executive Director of American Indian Health & Services (AIH&S), Santa Barbara, California.
AIH&S has as its mission " to improve the health and general
welfare status of Urban American Indians within Santa Barbara County
by providing quality comprehensive health care services that are culturally
appropriate, accessible and socially responsive, while preserving the
American Indian culture and identity". From its small beginnings
in 1996, Ms. Welch expanded the program and spearheaded the development
of the organization to its current level of coordinated medical,
dental, outreach and referral services for Native Americans and Alaskan
Natives residents.
Ms. Welch received
a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University
of Santa Barbara and a law degree from Santa Barbara College of Law,
in 1997. One year later, when she entered the Health Partners Fellowship,
she was actively involved in addressing issues of inequity and lack
of trust that have negatively impacted the health and quality of life
of Native Americans and Alaskan Natives. To achieve her personal and
professional objective of "making an effective, ongoing, positive
contribution to the Native American community", she has assumed
leadership roles on a wide range of projects operating at national,
state and local levels.
In this leadership
story, she briefly reflects back to her activities during the late 1990's,
her decision to submit an application to the Fellowship and the primary
objective that she achieved. She then goes on to discuss her role in
initiating a successful oral health project - The Dental Access Program
- as a way of illustrating collaborative health initiatives and issues
to wto which she has devoted her life.
The following is
an interview of Ms. Welch, moderated by Marilyn Willis, BSN, MS, Associate
Director, ICHLD
(Audio Duration: 29.07.9)
