Sandia Community Defense
Clarice Sanchez (Sandia Pueblo) - Community Outreach Coordinator
By Clarice Sanchez - Pueblo of Sandia
Pueblo of Sandia Office of Emergency Management
Community Outreach Coordinator
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Recruiter/Trainer
Being from a small, close-knit community like the Pueblo of Sandia, I grew up helping my family, my clan, my people, in any way I could. It was natural for me to transition into the position of Community Outreach Coordinator for the Pueblo in the area of emergency preparedness. Living in the Southwest, our potential for disasters mainly included such events as wildfires, flooding and drought. Pandemic/Epidemic was certainly on our list of risks, and in late 2019, our entire focus shifted.
As word of a novel coronavirus in China made headlines in December 2019, my Emergency Management DIrector and I made sure we were on the receiving end of any kind of information made available. Everything on the virus; transmission, infectiousness, symptoms, complications, prevention and treatment, was in constant development and it was our duty to get information out as fast it was coming in. When the United States saw its first positive case of COVID-19 in January of 2020, we saw the potential for our community being at risk so we sent out our first informational memo on the virus to the community.
Our Pueblo, like many other tribes, is home to generations of Native people with insights, stories, teachings, wisdom and knowledge. Some homes hold up to 5 generations in one dwelling. Not only were lives at stake, our very essence and way of life was threatened. In an effort to avoid this devastation, my department worked closely with our tribal Leadership and our Health Department to execute our defense against the spread of COVID-19.
We stressed the importance of restrictions on travel, gatherings and traffic inside the Pueblo. Food distribution, weekly pantries and partnerships with MoGro started. A constant stream of information was maintained to the community not only in memo form, but also through the use of our mass text system via Verizon.
We also became proficient in operating COVID-19 test sites for our community with the help of the New Mexico Department of Health. The Pueblo is currently using a pilot program through the NM Department of Health’s COVID-19 testing portal. Using this portal, test registration and test results are streamlined in an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19.
The Pueblo of Sandia has also worked hard, in conjunction with the Albuquerque Area Indian Health Service, to procure enough vaccines for our people. We have initiated plans to safely and efficiently administer vaccines in a timely manner. Currently, those 17 years of age and older have received at least the first dose of the vaccine and we are working on giving out the second dose. This is a huge accomplishment for our community.
I am constantly on-call, ready to help as needed, so my family has had to adjust as needed. I am very grateful for both of my daughters, as they have recognized how my schedule for the past year has become increasingly busier. They are very self-sufficient and I know I can count on them to maintain focus and be successful in their online studies. My oldest daughter is a member of our Teen CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) and I know she understands how important my job is. I also hope I am setting a good example for them and show them how important supporting the people of our community is. I have always volunteered here in my Pueblo for many events, but I am truly blessed to be able to focus solely on being a supportive component to my community and a supportive mother as well. Our children learn by example and I will do my best to stress the importance of community and family as a Mother, an Aunt, a Daughter and a Sister. Herkem.
