Talk will highlight Indigenous contributions to health care

Native American Heritage Month kicks off Nov. 7 with a presentation on Indigenous contributions to health care by Grace Johnson. 

Johnson, an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, will discuss the many contributions Native Americans have made to the health care field and how they continue to benefit us today. 

The hybrid event will be held from noon to 1 p.m. in the Wigton Heritage Center. To register for the webinar, see the event listing.

“Indigenous people have made significant contributions to health care that have long gone unrecognized by western medicine,” Johnson said.  

“Things like pain relievers, syringes, mouthwash, sunscreen and behavioral health care are just a few of the creative inventions that revolutionized medicine and public health,” she said. 

She also is the tribal and mental health consultant with Red Nation Healing Counseling and Consulting and a dual-licensed mental health therapist and drug and alcohol counselor. She currently serves on the board of the Nebraska Indian Child Welfare Coalition. 

Lunch, prepared by Indigenous chef Anthony Warrior, a citizen of the Muscogee Creek Nation, will be available for the first 30 people.

The session is co-hosted by UNMC College of Public Health NE-HEALING, the UNMC Office of Inclusion and Equity and the Nebraska Medicine Diversity and Inclusion Office.