NATIVE project unveils new building

Since 1989, the NATIVE Project has been serving youths and families with outpatient drug and alcohol treatment, wellness programs, summer programs for kids and more.

Now, the NATIVE Project, a nonprofit organization that stands for Native American Treatment InterVention Education, has a brand new building that includes space for its primary health care clinic, called NATIVE Health, in the West Central neighborhood at 1803 W. Maxwell Ave.

The programs include a Native American perspective, but they are not only for Native Americans.

To celebrate their new home, the two organizations will throw a grand opening celebration Friday.

The party will start at 11 a.m. with a blessing ceremony; supporters of the projects also will be honored.

Lunch will be served at noon, and tours of the new building will follow from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The new building includes the Gathering Place, a large room for weddings, movie nights and training, according to Tara Dowd of the NATIVE Project.

“There is something for everybody here,” she said.

Art by local artists Ric Gendron and George Flett adorns the walls of the building, which also includes a walking track.

The NATIVE Project offers several programs, many for teens, women and families.

It has received a grant from the Susan G. Komen Foundation to offer mammograms to low-income women.

The community wellness program meets at Havermale High School on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Classes cover nutrition, exercise and diabetes prevention. Participants can get a Native Meal-on-the-Go to take home, freeze and reheat when they need it.

“We’re trying to change how people eat,” Dowd said. She added that diabetes, breast cancer, heart disease and obesity are conditions that are prevalent among Native Americans.

The NATIVE Project also offers TeenPEACE (Project to End Abuse through Counseling and Education). It’s a 12-week program for kids 12 through 18 years old to help them recognize the signs of violence, come up with their own ideas about violence in their relationships and help them make healthful choices.

The teens never are referred to as the “abused” or the “abuser” because mentors in the program don’t want the kids to internalize those labels.

“We just say ‘people who have experienced violence,’ ” said Dowd.

Dowd said that while the programs include a Native American perspective, they are not only for Native Americans.

She said the clinic serves about 70 percent Native American patients and 30 percent non-Native Americans.

The outpatient drug and alcohol treatment center serves around 30 percent Native American patients and 70 percent non-Native Americans.

The clinic and treatment center accept payment through private insurance, medical coupons and Medicare. They also offer a sliding fee scale.

One of the Native American perspectives the programs include is respect for children and elders.

The elders carry the traditions and teach them to the younger generations. “They are precious and beautiful and have so much to share,” Dowd said.

Dowd also said that many of the teens who find help at the center like to spend time there. They can come in, get something to eat and spend time with other kids who probably are experiencing many of the same problems. The kids often have no other place to go and feel safe.

“This is a safe place to be,” Dowd said.

The new building was constructed with funds from grants, fundraisers and donations from the Kalispel Indian Tribe.