Body and Soul Sovereignty, United

Description

Our mission was developed in response to the sudden loss of a significant healthcare system serving American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) women in urban Arizona affecting local and regional Tribal communities. They were not given choices nor guidance on how to proceed in seeking equitable care. The experience deprived them of their right to be part of the equation and to act as advocates in the decisions needed for their own healthcare.

In the aftermath, the members of Body and Soul Sovereignty, United (Aka BASS U) now strive to provide an alternative forum of knowledge, resources and advocacy by firstly, enlightening AIAN women on the body during the childbearing years, to support contraceptive choice, to provide direction regarding women’s health issues, to offer comfort and well-being during the menopausal years and to serve the health needs of Elder women. Secondly, BASS U aims to nurture the healing of the soul which embodies both a woman’s psyche and heart through education, community resources and culturally-sensitive mental health services focusing on mood and anxiety disorders. The evidence has confirmed the negative effects of untreated or inadequately managed mental health issues on the impact of one’s physical health, on one’s life course and on the course of future generations.