TIGUA - Road To Recognition: The Travails Of A Tribe

"This is probably the best project that we have done," said Dr. George Haddy, the tribe's health director. "It's amazing how many people we are catching by doing the screenings. By doing this prevention, we can stretch our dollars and do a lot more for the patients and their families."

The programs have been effective in gathering health statistics for the tribe and planning other health services for its members, Gaddy said.

"Now we have statistics on the prevalence of diabetes and hypertension," he said. "Patients receive the attention they need, the guidance, the transportation and more. We have done a good job, but we have a long ways to go. We still have obesity problems, high cholesterol, and sometimes it's hard to motivate patients. But we have been consistent, and we act as coaches to guide our patients."

Early identification has been the key to the health program's success.

"At every health fair or community program when we do screenings, we always find a person with either high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol or other problems," Gaddy said. "They usually are very surprised and would have not gone to the doctor had we not identified it.''