Ti-chee  Native  AIDS  Service  Agency

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1210 Indian Street   PO Box 4124   Bellingham  WA  98227   P 360-734-2476 F 360-733-2075

As a member of your TRIBE, it is your  responsibility to get an HIV test and know your status. 

It is what we do for our PEOPLE!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Ti-chee (tuh-chee) has taken on the challenge of getting every tribal member from Lummi, Tulalip, Nooksack, Swinomish, and Upper-Skagit between the ages of 13 and 64 tested for HIV.  This is part of our National Strategy on HIV/AIDS and a $198,000.00 grant that Ti-chee was awarded in August 2010 by the Indian Health Service National HIV Program entitled The Expanded Rapid HIV Testing Initiative or E.R.H.T.I.

 

Ti-chee is currently working with the Health Clinics, Suboxone Clinics, and Chemical Dependency Organizations from the Lummi, Nooksack, Upper-Skagit, Swinomish and Tulalip Tribes to “routinize” HIV Screening in the Health Care setting and to bundle Rapid HIV Screening with other health screenings already in place. Ti-chee is offering 250 free Orasure Oraquick Rapid Oral HIV Test Kits to each Tribe and will be offering free Rapid HIV Tester Training for all Clinicians and CD staff for each Tribe.

 

To date, Ti-chee has trained 56 Rapid HIV Testers both back-end and front-end staff at the Lummi Tribal Health Center, Nooksack Medical Clinic, Upper Skagit Tribal Health Center, and the Tulalip-Tribes Health Clinic.  The Swinomish Medical Clinic will be receiving a Training for Trainers and will be partnering with Ti-chee as they already have a vigorous embedded HIV Testing program in place. 

 

Over the next year Ti-chee will be recruiting ordinary tribal members who are interested in becoming part of our Rapid HIV Testing Project as testers, trainers, event planners, event coordinators, and event staff.  We will be speaking at Tribal functions and community events to offer valuable information to tribal members regarding volunteer trainings and meetings throughout the coming year.  If you are interested in becoming a member of our Rapid HIV Testing Event Team please contact us using the information provided below.

 

Over the next year these tribal clinics and organizations in cooperation with Ti-chee will be offering free Rapid Oral HIV Tests to anyone who wants one to find out their status. These tests are free for all AI/ANs between the ages of 13 to 64.  To assist in getting the National HIV Strategy message out we have developed and produced 3 video messaging PSAs which you can view below.

In addition to the work we are doing to offer 2 different locations for free HIV testing for each tribe, we are also offering our new “In Home” testing where a trained Ti-chee Rapid HIV Tester will bring the test to the tribal members’ homes where privacy and confidentiality issues won’t be a problem. We feel that this service is invaluable and would really help in the need for better access to HIV testing.

 

For more information about our free Rapid Oral HIV Tests please contact us by either email or phone utilizing the information provided below -or- click on our “Contact Us” page” -or- you can visit our Rapid HIV Testing page for details of locations, addresses, and phone numbers as they become available over the next year.

 

CONTACTS:

Hamen Ides | Executive Director

Or

Ken Lamb | Managing Director | Project Lead

1210 Indian St

Bellingham, WA  98227

Phone:360-734-2476

Fax:360-733-2075

hameni@ti-chee.org

kenlamb@shaw.ca

 

Hy’shqe siam!