How to Protect Your Home and Family from Hantavirus

Relatives,

As we move into summer and spend more time cleaning, organizing, and enjoying our homes, there’s one important health topic to share with you today.

Hantavirus is a serious respiratory illness carried by rodents — especially deer mice. While it’s not common, it can become very serious. The best news? Prevention is simple and something we can all do.

What Is Hantavirus?

Hantavirus spreads when people breathe in dust from rodent urine, droppings, or saliva. This often happens when cleaning areas where rodents have been nesting. The good news is that by keeping rodents out of our homes and cleaning safely, we can greatly lower the risk.

4 Simple Steps to Stay Safe

Here are the practical steps from our PSA that every household can follow:

1. Clean up food and water sources Seal food in airtight containers. Wipe up crumbs right away. Don’t leave pet food or dirty dishes out overnight. Rodents love easy access to meals.

2. Eliminate clutter Keep storage areas tidy. Remove piles of paper, cardboard, or fabric that could become cozy nesting spots.

3. Seal your home Close up holes, gaps, and cracks around doors, windows, foundations, and pipes. This helps keep rodents outside where they belong.

4. Clean rodent areas the safe way If you find droppings, nests, or urine, never sweep or vacuum them dry — this can send virus particles into the air. Instead:

  • Wear gloves and a mask
  • Spray the area with disinfectant (like a bleach solution)
  • Let it sit, then wipe it up

Why This Matters in Our Community

Many of our homes are in rural areas where deer mice are common. Taking a few extra minutes to clean and seal up spaces can make a real difference for our families, especially our elders and little ones.

These steps aren’t just about avoiding illness — they’re about caring for our homes and protecting the people we love.

Stay Informed and Share the Message

I encourage you to take a moment this week to walk through your home and check these areas. Small actions today can prevent big problems later.

For more information, visit the CDC’s official page: CDC.gov/hantavirus

Stay safe, stay well, and take care of your home.

Sage Memorial Hospital Partners with St. Mary’s Food Bank for Free Community Food Distribution

Ganado, AZ – February 3, 2026 – Sage Memorial Hospital, partnering with St. Mary’s Food Bank, will host a free drive-thru food distribution to combat food insecurity in the Navajo Nation.

The event is Monday, March 2, 2026, from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM (event start time may vary depending on food truck arrival) at Sage Memorial Hospital, entering from Round Top Road in Ganado, AZ. Participants must stay in vehicles; volunteers will load food boxes (one per vehicle, valid ID required). Items may include fresh produce, canned goods, and staples. No pre-registration needed.

For details, contact Mercede Johnson at (928) 654-8037.

Sage Memorial Hospital Wins Prestigious 2025 ENR Southwest Best Health Care Project Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 19, 2025

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Sage Memorial Hospital has been named the winner of the 2025 Best Projects Award in the Health Care category by Engineering News-Record (ENR) Southwest. This recognition highlights the hospital’s new facility as an exemplary project in design, construction, and community impact, selected by a panel of industry experts from across the southwest, which includes Arizona and New Mexico.

The project was featured in the October 27, 2025, issue of ENR Mountain States & Southwest and celebrated at the Best Projects Awards Luncheon on November 13, 2025, at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona. This win also makes Sage Memorial Hospital automatically eligible for ENR’s national Best of the Best Awards, to be announced in spring 2026 in New York City.

The award-winning project includes a new 140,296 sq. ft. hospital. The main hospital (95,614 sq. ft.) opened Sept. 30, 2025; the medical office building (39,797 sq. ft.) opened Nov. 9, 2025; and a 4,885 sq. ft. (Human Resources building) was added.

The facility features 16 inpatient beds (seven swing beds), two operating rooms with eight pre/post-op bays, three labor and delivery rooms, two postpartum rooms and a four-bed ICU. The 24/7 ER has two trauma bays and eight exam rooms supported by CT, MRI, mammography, DXA, X-ray and ultrasound with echocardiography. It also offers 30 outpatient exam rooms (including telehealth), five specialty clinics, full rehabilitation therapy, nine optometry rooms,12 dental operatories, a complete pharmacy and lab/microbiology services.

To aid staff recruitment in the remote area, the campus added Apartments at Sage, a 27-unit complex with one-, two- and three-bedroom units.

Jarom Prow, Facility Director at Sage Memorial Hospital, shared the following:

“It’s a true honor to accept the ENR Southwest Best Healthcare Project Award on behalf of our entire Sage Memorial Hospital team. This recognition means so much—not just because it celebrates design and construction excellence—but because it represents what happens when talented, dedicated people come together around a shared purpose.

From the very beginning, this project was guided by a purpose greater than bricks and steel. It was built to be a place of healing, hope, and renewal—a space where our relatives can find comfort, care, and connection. Every decision, every design element, and every hour of hard work was done with that intention in mind.

I thank the incredible team who made this vision possible—the architects, Hoefer Welker, the owner’s rep, Brad Oliver, our construction partners at Layton Construction and our outstanding Sage Memorial leadership (From the Board of Directors, the CEO and Executive Team). Each of them brought creativity, discipline, and heart to this project. The collaboration, respect, and commitment that carried us from concept to completion are truly remarkable.  (To Layton, thank you for taking on this challenging project, however one person stood out, Luke Haplin Project Manger. I want to personally acknowledge his professionalism and dedication to his projects… He embodies the true meaning of project ownership and accountability).

This project reflects the strength of our collaboration and the spirit of our community. It honors our Diné traditions while looking toward the future. It stands as a reminder that when we build with heart and with purpose, we create more than buildings—we create healing environments that nurture the body, mind, and spirit.

To everyone who contributed to this effort—thank you for believing in this vision. And to ENR, thank you for recognizing the deeper meaning behind this work.

This award belongs to all of us, and to the Diné people- our relatives we serve, whose wellbeing and healing journey inspire everything we do.

ahéheeʼ nitsaago”

Join us for a Food Distribution event

Join us for a Food Distribution event

Oct. 6, 2025 | 9 AM – 12 PM

East Campus of Sage Memorial Hospital, Ganado, AZ

Drive-thru service only – stay in your vehicle, and volunteers will load food directly into your trunk or back seat.

Food items may include fresh produce, canned goods, and more!

For more info: Contact Mercede Johnson, Community Health Division (928)654-8037

#FoodDistribution #CommunitySupport #SageMemorialHospital #StMarysFoodBank

Sage Memorial Hospital Releases First and Second Quarter Newsletter for Fiscal Year 2025

GANADO, Ariz. – Sage Memorial Hospital (SMH) announces the release of its first and second-quarter newsletter for Fiscal Year 2025. This issue highlights the hospital’s key achievements, ongoing community efforts, and future goals, all reflecting SMH’s commitment to improving healthcare access and supporting community well-being.

The newsletter celebrates significant milestones, including the successful completion of the Joint Commission survey and the impactful work of Dominic Clichee, SMH’s new Chief Community Health Officer. It also features inspiring stories, such as firewood deliveries to elders, and recognition for promoting indigenous culinary traditions and innovative housing initiatives.

Newsletter Distribution

The newsletter will be available as an insert in the Navajo Times on Thursday, May 29. Additional copies can be found at local chapters in Ganado, Steamboat, Klagetoh, Wide Ruins, Greasewood Springs, Cornfields, Kinlichee, and Nazlini, as well as the main hospital.

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