Morning Star Flower Song
Keith Bear

The SHARE Project

This project is designed to improve the health status of elderly Native Americans who experience a high rate of preventable acute and chronic illnesses.  Working collaboratively with Native American nurses and caregivers through the Aberdeen Indian Health Service, a culturally competent program has been developed. This program will effectively address the unique cultural, ethnic, and linguistic needs of the patient to ensure the best possible access to health care. This program includes preventive health care and chronic disease management sensitive to language barriers, economic factors and health beliefs. 

It has been determined that Elderly Native Americans can be better served by continuing nursing education programs that are designed to meet culturally specific needs, but they must get that education in a flexible and affordable system. This program will provide that service.

This project is implemented through special curricula that has been developed collaboratively with nurses within Indian Health Service (IHS). This program features video segments recorded by Madonna Blue Horse Beard and Hap Carlin with introductions by Valerian Three Irons. The nurses will have access to the curricula without significant travel, expense, or time through using distance education methodologies. The curricula are outlined in three Modules. Each module consists of 4 one-hour sections. The program curriculum is packaged for Internet delivery or video distribution to purchase or rent. Continuing education units are available for $20.00 per module from the Continuing Nursing Education Department at South Dakota State University, College of Nursing. 

This program is made possible through a SHARE Award. These  awards are designed to enhance the health and well-being of elders of diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds by fostering culturally appropriate or competent approaches that improve health care access and delivery.  The Awards Program is sponsored by SmithKline Beecham and administered through the University of Pennsylvania Institute on Aging.

This course was chosen as a MERLOT Classic for 2005 and received an award for Exemplary Online Learning Resources. MERLOT is a multimedia educational resource for learning and online teaching, which contains a collection of numerous learning objects.

This course also received an Honorable Mention award from the 2006 NOMA Award for Excellence in Multicultural Aging, sponsored by the American Society on Aging and AARP.