United Indian Health Sevices' POTAWOT Health Village is located at 1600 Weeot Way in Arcata. It is a 42,000-square-foot facility located on a 40-acre site next to the Mad River Hospital. It serves 9 tribes and over 13,000 Native Americans in Northern California. Traditionally, health services for Native Americans have been quite under par. POTAWOT is the result of Native peoples' taking the health of their communities into their own hands rather than relying on the government or other private organizations to help. They offer medical, dental, mental health, and nutrition services to the Native American community. Conventional health services may hinder rather than help the sick, in terms of isolation, dependance, and separation from the natural environment. POTAWOT incompasses traditional means towards healing by integrating processes that are 10,000 years old. One of the most interesting things about this facitily is that it was planned to be completely sustainable. The building is made out of recycled redwood and it has a fully functional photovoltaic system. The grounds around the main building are marked with trails and a completely organic farm. They are even attempting to restore the natural grasses that once dominated the area before being driven out by invasive species. It is truely a remarkable facility.
Visit their website at: http://uihs.org/