Parent and Caregivers Wellness Conference at Wild Horse Pass

April 15, 2016

Christopher Lomahquahu

Gila River Indian News

Hosted by the Gila River Health Care Corporation, Genesis Program and the Community Services Department, the Parent and Caregivers Wellness Conference was held at the Wild Horse Pass Casino & Hotel on April 4.

Health professionals and Community members came together at the conference to learn and share information about raising healthy children.

According to a statement by the Parent and Caregivers Wellness Conference committee, they wanted to set aside a day where professionals and Community members could gather and offer support to families. The conference also made it easy for parents to contact department representatives for assistance.

The conference was funded by the Special Diabetes Prevention Initiative and also included topics on nutrition, diabetes prevention and exercise.

Katherine Thomas, a Parent Educator, invited one of the parents she works with to attend the conference.

For professionals like Thomas, it is helpful in getting the latest information available to better inform the families she serves.

Francella Sunna, a Community member and parent from District 5 said, “I’m looking to obtain more information for my grandson and [my] children and to learn how I can be more involved with [them].”

Sunna said that she feels more informed about how a child develops and what she can do to care for her grandchildren.

The Conference educated parents and caregivers about how to interact with children in their teens and learn to think for themselves.