Church, tribe form bond

[Thunderwolf, MSN, RN]

As a registered nurse, Sharon Kiefer knows how hard it can be to navigate the health care system.

It can be daunting, but factor in generations of racial discrimination and poverty, and it can feel impossible for some American Indians. That's what Kiefer has encountered in the two years she's been volunteering at the Mattaponi Healing Eagle Clinic on the Mattaponi Reservation in King William County.

"In my experience, because I've done this in many settings, the issues in terms of the chronic illnesses are not that much different from the general population," said Kiefer, coordinator of a Williasmburg church's mission and outreach work. "The big problem is, because the Virginia tribes have not been recognized by the federal government, they do not have access to health care."

Twice a month, Kiefer and five other volunteers from Wellspring United Methodist Church, all registered nurses, visit the Mattaponi Healing Eagle Clinic. Kiefer works as a health care case manager at the clinic and also makes home visits. The others assist with intake at the clinic, updating charts, taking vital signs and whatever else is necessary.

Kiefer stressed that the conditions some of the tribal members find themselves in have nothing to do with a lack of effort on their part.

"All of the people on the reservation I have met work or have worked and are retired now but-due to longstanding discriminatory behaviors by the greater culture-do not have a lot of money," Kiefer said. "They don't have a lot of resources to bounce back from water damage or wind and that kind of thing."

Entire article: http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/community/williamsburg/dp-town_wwellspring_0905sep05,0,6956306.story