Город Тулса и племя чероки заключили соглашение на 375 тысяч долларов для борьбы с раком легких

The City of Tulsa and the Cherokee Nation have signed a memorandum of understanding to launch a new public health partnership aimed at improving health outcomes across the city, beginning with expanded lung cancer screening in north Tulsa. The agreement, signed Wednesday, is backed by a $375,000 grant from Cherokee Nation Health Services over the next three years. The funding will support a culturally relevant lung cancer screening initiative serving Cherokee citizens and other north Tulsa residents. City leaders and Cherokee Nation officials said the partnership also creates a long-term framework for collaboration on public health priorities, including maternal health, mental health access and chronic disease prevention. Partnership begins with cancer screening Mayor Monroe Nichols said the agreement builds on efforts to improve preventive health care and reduce disparities across Tulsa. “We signed an MOU with the Cherokee Nation to continue our work in preventative health, particularly around cancer screening,” Nichols said. “There’s a broader set of things that we’re working on, all focused on how do we improve health outcomes in the Cherokee Nation, which is a big portion of the city of Tulsa.” Nichols said improving health outcomes is foundational to strengthening communities and complements existing partnerships in areas such as affordable housing, education and economic development. He said the initiative is especially important because health outcomes often vary by neighborhood. “We still live in a community where zip codes really dictate oftentimes what health outcomes look like, so this is one of the ways in which you begin to curb that,” Mayor Nichols said. The mayor said the Cherokee Nation’s investment will provide another resource for expanding cancer screening efforts while increasing the city’s ability to deliver services in the community. Cherokee Nation invests in community health Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said the funding comes through the tribe’s Public Health and Wellness Fund Act, which supports both Cherokee Nation programs and outside partners working to improve public health. “We have funding under our Public Health and Wellness Fund Act, which provides funding both internally at the Cherokee Nation, but significantly externally to partners,” Chief Hoskin said. He said the partnership will help support the Mayor’s Office of Health and Well-Being through staffing, outreach and access to Cherokee Nation’s public health expertise. “We have a great health system at the Cherokee Nation. It’s getting better and better. We have a lot of public health and direct health care expertise, and so to bring those experts to Tulsa, to this cause of public health that we all share is really meaningful,” Chief Hoskin said. Building a long-term public health strategy Beyond lung cancer screenings, the memorandum of understanding establishes a framework for the city and Cherokee Nation to work together on future health initiatives, including maternal health, mental health services and chronic disease prevention. Hoskin said the city has developed a clear strategy for improving public health and that the Cherokee Nation’s resources can help expand those efforts. “The City of Tulsa has a game plan. They have a strategy for public health. This will help them execute on that. It’ll also help them utilize some of the other resources that we have,” Chief Hoskin said. He said preventive care remains one of the most important investments communities can make. “Public health is something that we can often take for granted,” Chief Hoskin said. “It’s often about, though, prevention... making sure that our friends and neighbors are as healthy as they can be, even before they go into a hospital or clinic.” Chief Hoskin said stronger public health benefits every aspect of a community. “A healthy population is a population that is better educated. It’s a population that is better equipped for any economy,” Hoskin said. “That’s why this is commanding my attention and the mayor’s attention.” Looking ahead City and Cherokee Nation leaders said they expect the partnership to grow beyond its initial cancer screening initiative as both governments continue working together to improve access to preventive care and address long-term health challenges facing Tulsa residents.