Dear Community and Staff Members:

Since September 17, 2007 I have served as the Executive Director for the Indian Family Health Clinic of Great Falls, Inc.  I look forward to continue serving you by accomplishing the Indian Family Health Clinic's Mission and Vision.

As the executive Director, I will do everything within my abilities to help the Native and Non-Native community members meet thier health needs and to help the providers provide the best possible care to our patients/clients.

We are fully staffed at this time and most recently have added a physician part-time as well as a physicians assistant to compliment our current medical staff, consisting of one Adult Nurse Practitioner, one Family Nurse Practitioner and three nurses.

We would like to follow the lead of the Indian Health Service Health Promotion/Disease Prevention Initiative.  This initiative is focusing on enhancing and expanding health promotion and chronic disease prevention to reduce health disparities among American Indians/Alaskan Native populations.  The initiative focuses on cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, obesity and unintentional injury prevention and intervention efforts in AI/AN communities.  Focus efforts include enhancing and maintaining personal and behavioral factors that support healthy lifestyles such as making healthier food choices, avoiding the use of tobacco, alcohol and other harmful substances, being physically active and demonstration other positive behaviors to achieve and maintain good health.

The Indian Family Health Clinic can address some of these issues and we have numerous networking opportunities to address the above.  At this time we can help the patients/clients we serve with the prevention of diabetes, avoiding the use of tobacco, alcohol and substance abuse and being physical active.  I would like to invite you to the IFHC to take advantage of what all we offer through Special Diabetes Program, Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program, access to Recovery Program and the Fitness & Wellness Center so you can join and become more physical active.

I look forward to maintaining and improving the Indian Family Health Clinic Organization.  With that I would like to wish everybody a healthy day and remaining rest of the year.

Sincerely,

Ernestine Belcourt

Executive Director