Fort Defiance Service Area is located five miles north of the Capital of the Navajo Nation, Window Rock, Arizona. Fort Defiance is rich in Navajo history. It served as the outpost for soldiers exploring Navajo country as far back as 1840s. It was known as Fort Canby during the campaign against the Navajos beginning in 1862 when Kit Carson was assigned to round up Navajos. Fort Defiance became the gathering point before Navajos were marched to Fort Sumner in eastern New Mexico beginning in 1864.
The Navajo people know Fort Defiance as “Tsèhootsooì” or “Meadow Between the Rocks or Canyon.” The Mexicans called it “Canon De Bonito” or “Beautiful Canyon” because there was a green meadow with a stream running through it at the bottom of the small canyon. When the campaign against the Navajos were being planned, efforts were made to build a fort aroundKinlichee area, but due to lack of water and pasture for military livestock, Fort Defiance was considered the best place because of the meadow and water nearby. When the Navajos returned from Fort Sumner in the summer of 1868, Fort Defiance became the distribution place and eventually became the headquarters for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in dealing with the Navajo people.
The first hospital was constructed there and served the people reservation wide for many years. Today, the stone structures of the hospital remain along with some of the government buildings and housing.
The Fort Defiance Service Area covers a wide-range from Crystal, New Mexico to the north to Lower Greasewood to the southwest with a population of over 30,000. We serve people who reside in the low-laying desert country down by Greasewood to the mountain ranges along the Defiance Plateau and the Chuska Mountains to the north.
We provide services to promote wellness and healthy lifestyles by continuously educating people about diabetes prevention. This involves our staff doing health screening for glucose levels, high blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. We are constantly advising people to cut back on intake of sugar and fatty foods and making referrals to their health providers for diabetes check up. We go to local chapter houses for health fairs as well as working with schools and attending community events to deliver our message for healthy lifestyles. We also make home visits for one-on-one sessions with clients where our staff train and work with families about nutrition, healthy eating, and exercise activities such as chair exercises to walking or running.
Our major annual event is the Navajo Nation Fair in Window Rock, Arizona where we participate in Youth Day activities and holding the “Great Navajo Nation Chili Cook-off.” For the Youth Day, we develop an obstacle course that kids have to maneuver through with activities such as gunny-sack race, ball relay, hula hoops, and walking with rubber balls between their knees. It is a fun activity for the kids and we usually have long lines waiting for participation. Along with the games for the kids, we do health education and diabetes prevention for parents and adults. We invite other health entities to set up booths in our facility for the day.
Our Senior Community Health Worker from Greasewood made a referral on a client to her health provider. The doctor confirmed that she was at risk for diabetes and placed her on a diet and exercise routine. The lady came back and thanked our SCHW for the referral and has since then worked hard to lower her numbers and her risk of diabetes.
