Healing and Women’s Health in Corrections
By Public Relations Specialist Levi Oyster
Family Wellness Warriors employee connects with a resident of Hiland Mountain Correctional Center.
Southcentral Foundation’s Family Wellness Warriors meet people where they are, and part of their efforts is bringing healing to residents of Hiland Mountain Correctional Center. Of the 357 HMCC residents, 174 are Alaska Native or American Indian women. With 49% of the population being Indigenous people, it is important for SCF to grow this partnership.
FWW continues to grow its efforts to foster a therapeutic community inside of HMCC. Part of this has been obtaining a separate residential wing for participants.
“As a part of Nu’iju Healing Place, women at HMCC can apply for this program and are admitted after a screening process by a FWW clinician,” SCF’s FWW Learning and Development Associate Tyler Young said. “FWW was able to secure a separate wing at HMCC so the women who are admitted can focus on their healing journeys with limited distraction. There are 20 beds available for women in Nu’iju.”
Engaging with the Native Community speaks to FWW’s Recovery and Reentry team’s mission. They support the Nu’iju Healing Place program by having a daily presence through learning circles and training intensives. Learning circle topics include mindfulness and relaxation, co-dependency, healthy boundaries, and recovery support. In addition, this past May they hosted the first Arrigah House — a culturally connected training intensive that explores the impact of stories, including adverse childhood experiences and generational and historical cycles of harm.
“One thing I can see as a success right now is the fact that six women took the initiative and volunteered to become learning circle leaders for the learning circles and Arrigah House trainings moving forward,” Young shared.
In addition to mental and spiritual wellness, FWW partnered with SCF’s Health Education to bring resources for physical well-being to HMCC residents. Partners for Progress invited SCF to participate in their Women’s Resource Fair Nov. 11 to provide outreach about women’s health services.
Health Education’s effort at the fair focused on sharing information about the five main types of gynecological cancers: ovarian, cervical, vaginal, vulvar, and uterine. Health educators consulted with residents about gynecological cancer symptoms and their personal cancer risks. Upon checking in with residents about screening due dates for mammograms, Pap smears, and colonoscopies, health educators referred residents to schedule the necessary appointments with their providers. Health Education plans to increase access to resources for HMCC residents in the future.
At the event, FWW connected with residents and community partners to discuss the Nu’iju program and the services FWW provides outside of HMCC.
“The partnership at this event is important to me because it can be a real opportunity for these women to plan out their next steps so they can move forward in life,” Young stated. “It’s meeting them where they are, as they are about to get released from prison and essentially saying, ‘We want to help and support!’”
For more information about Family Wellness Warriors trainings and to view a learning circle schedule, visit here. For more Health Education resources, visit their page here.
