A Navajo woman standing in her yard with a faraway look in her eyes.
A Navajo woman standing in her yard with a faraway look in her eyes.

What are Sentinel Communities?

Since 2016, we have monitored activities related to how a Culture of Health is developing in 30 diverse communities around the country. We have analyzed these communities’ efforts to promote health and well-being through the lens of our Action Framework.


Explore Our Sentinel Communities

What We Are Learning from Sentinel Communities?

Over time, we’ve gained insights about key themes around Building a Culture of Health. 

See how these themes and insights have emerged across many of our Sentinel Communities.


Snow-capped mountains, glaciers, and lush boreal forests framing Chickaloon Native Village, Nay’dini’aa Na’ (name in Ahtna), meaning “the river with the two logs across it”, is a vibrant, innovative, and culturally rich Ahtna Athabascan Tribe located in Sutton, Southcentral Alaska for the past 10,000 years.
Grantee Story

Chickaloon Native Village, 2020-2021 Culture of Health Prize Winner

This community’s story centers on restoration and raising children in ways that honor the strength, tenacity, and foresight of their ancestors and elders.