Blog: Taos Pueblo exerts sovereignty over health care programs

A small, incredibly close-knit community, the pueblo struggled with huge state and federal bureaucracies for years. At one point residents on pueblo land had to navigate 36 different programs, from diabetes prevention to early childhood education—each run by a different manager, some from the pueblo, many from outside. It was a fractured and uncoordinated system.

Then, in 2007, the tribe made a daring decision. Taos Pueblo, which is a sovereign nation, took over many of those programs through self-governance, giving the tribe more independent control in setting its own goals. Taos Pueblo receives government funding and operates within certain parameters, but the community has the freedom to manage and direct the programs. Tribal leaders take this stewardship very seriously because they know other tribal nations are looking to Taos Pueblo as a model.

After self-governance, the tribe reorganized these services and streamlined efforts. Community meetings are now held regularly to discuss what people want in programs, and the Tribal Council weighs the community input in establishing priorities. Although progress has been made with these programs, they are relatively new and collecting data can be a challenge.