Category Archives: Press Releases

GANADO, Ariz. – The Community Health Department of Sage Memorial Hospital announces a new round of “Delicious Diné Cooking Classes.” These family-friendly sessions celebrate and educate on the nutritional benefits of traditional Navajo dishes.

Led by registered dietitian Denee Bex, the classes focus on food sovereignty and the importance of incorporating nutritious, traditional ingredients into daily meals. The program aims to foster appreciation for Native foods and support healthier lifestyles in our communities.

Event Details:

• Theme: Fitting in Fruits & Veggies
• Menu: Navajo Breakfast Scramble, Fruit Skewers with Dazzling Sumac Dip

Locations and Dates:

• Klagetoh Chapter House, June 12, 2024, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM MDT
• Kinlichee Chapter House, June 13, 2024, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM MDT
• Greasewood Chapter House, June 25, 2024, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM MDT
• Wide Ruins Chapter House, June 26, 2024, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM MDT

Registration:

Space is limited. Participants are encouraged to sign up via the following link: https://forms.gle/nXHqdJPTmBCWHZgc6. For more information, please contact the Sage Memorial Hospital Community Health Department at (928) 755-4835.

Join us to celebrate and learn about the nourishing benefits of Diné foods. Don’t miss out on this delicious journey towards better health!

Sage Memorial Hospital announces the upcoming release of its second-quarter newsletter for Fiscal Year 2024. This edition highlights our hospital’s accomplishments and initiatives from January to March 2024. Look out for the newsletter insert in the Thursday, February 8 edition of the Navajo Times.

Additional copies of the newsletter will be distributed to local service chapters in Ganado, Steamboat, Klagetoh, Wide Ruins, Greasewood Springs, Cornfields, Kinlichee, and Nazlini.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GANADO, Ariz. – The Community Health Department of Sage Memorial Hospital is excited to announce the “Delicious Dine’ Cooking Classes,” a series of engaging, family-friendly cooking classes designed to celebrate and educate on the nutritional benefits of traditional Navajo dishes. These classes aim to encourage community health and wellness through food sovereignty, focusing on dishes that prioritize nutritional value and traditional ingredients.

The classes will be led by registered dietitian Denee Bex and are open to all families in the surrounding Navajo Nation communities. Each class will showcase the “Blue Corn Mush Parfait ” and “Top Blue Corn, Pine Nut Granola” dishes. The series begins at the Klagetoh Chapter House on May 14 continues at the Kinlichee Chapter House on May 15 and follows with classes at the Greasewood and Wide Ruins Chapter Houses on May 21 and 22, respectively.

“We, the SMH P4 Outreach Team and the Community Health Department, are so excited to be working and collaborating with Ms. Bex, chapter house leaders and community members with the “Delicious Dine'” Cooking classes,” said Kathryn Barron, NP. “This will be the start of our Produce Prescription Pilot Program (P4) community outreach nutrition education series.”

“We hope to build on these events and include other events and activities in the future to support increasing access and knowledge to traditional foods, fruits and vegetables to the Dine people; and ultimately improving food security and food sovereignty on Navajo Nation through collaborative community partnerships,” Barron added.

Bex is a passionate advocate for using traditional foods and nutrition to improve health outcomes in Native American communities. She has worked in indigenous communities as a clinical dietitian, diabetes health coach and group facilitator for more than 10 years and is excited to share her knowledge and expertise in cooking classes that celebrate traditional Navajo dishes.

“I recognize the power of building on our local food systems to increase access to healthy and traditional foods, because that’s how we will make a change in our communities,” said Bex. “We must use our traditional knowledge of food to help heal our communities.”

“I love my community and I am excited use my formal education to empower my people,” Bex adds. “I’m proud to partner with sage Memorial because our mission to increases access to healthy and cultural response foods and education aligns.”

Interested participants can sign up for the classes through the provided link: https://forms.gle/s9fFZ2bodTaASEGCA. For more information, please contact the SMH Community Health Department at (928) 755-4835.