My name is Tashina Buffalohead. I’ve been involved in the community since I was little. I’ve been dancing in the arena since I could walk. I come from the Osage and Ponca Tribe.

I have always had a great passion for my community. Currently, a group of lovely ladies and I have focused on bringing our native community back together again with community nights at the Mid-America All-Indian Museum. I am also one of the founders of the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women chapters of Wichita, Kansas.

I decided to serve as a Facts Not Fear ICT Community Health Facilitator because I saw it as a great opportunity for our Native people and other minority groups to be involved in lessening the impact of COVID-19.

It’s my nature to help people! This is truly an opportunity to support my community with the proper facts and resources related to COVID-19 and lead everyone in the right direction. I am well aware how COVID-19 has impacted our Native people. I plan to use my role as a community health facilitator to advocate for health, so we can all dance and be together again!

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My name is Valeria Adame. I graduated from Wichita State University in May 2019 and obtained a degree in the Spanish language with a minor in criminal justice. During my time at WSU, I helped develop and translate a book publication written by a couple of professors from WSU, titled “Mexican Americans of Wichita’s North End,” published in 2022. As a part of the project, I connected with community members and created conversations on the experiences of being involved within the community along with the needs and struggles faced as part of the Hispanic/Latino community. I’ve also been involved in volunteering, utilizing my interpreting and translating skills for programs ranging from clinics to art at WSU.

My background is in education, and I worked with Wichita Public Schools as a certified interpreter/translator for the special education program. After interpreting, I was presented the opportunity to work in the mental health field as a hospital discharge specialist and mental health liaison for children’s services. I worked directly with young community members, providing services to help them get reintegrated into their community with daily routines at school and with their family/home lives. These positions made me realize the drive and passion I have for the community, and I wanted to use my language skills in the Hispanic/Latino community to help connect people and increase awareness of the importance addressing health needs.

I started working for Fact Not Fear ICT in May 2023 as a Community Health Facilitator and I’m excited to be a part of this project to help community members understand what their health means to them. I want to empower, educate and connect community members to the point where they can advocate for themselves and have confidence and knowledge of resources offered within the community. I want to continue building relationships and connect with others to help unify the Hispanic/Latino community. As I like to say, “¡Querer es poder!” which translates to “If you want it, you can do it!”

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My name is Chan Phommachanh. I am from Laos and lived in Thailand as a refugee for about four years. I then moved to the United States of America, the land of freedom. I first lived in Washington D.C. for a few years and moved to Wichita, Kansas. I graduated from Southeast High School, attended WSU and graduated from Butler County Community College. I went on to work at Hunter Health INC as a case manager and a Thai and Lao interpreter for the Asian Service Pacific Islander program. I also worked as a contract interpreter for VN Translation INC., St. Francis, and St. Joseph Hospital for over 15 years.

I’m always interested and involved with the Asian communities, and it’s my joy and experience to help people who need health care services when English is not their first language. It is my passion to educate those who need medical, immigration and/or legal services. I have been involved with Thai and Lao communities, Temples and churches for over 20 years. I am a member of the Lao and Thai associations and also have been a member of the Wichita Indochinese Center for over 15 years. I have also attended the Wichita Asian Festival events every year in October.

I love to help the Asian community and reach out to those who need help with their health care needs, and educate them about how to eat healthy and live well as part of my job. Here at Facts Not Fear ICT, we are here to serve and help all Asian communities!

I have engaged with community members by sharing information and important resources that empower them to make decisions. I’m committed to improving health outcomes in Wichita. Helping people is my expertise, specifically the Asian community.

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