“…[we] are of one mind in our mission to provide healthcare and medical services to people on the Native territories…”
Irving, NY — Seneca Nation businessman, J.C. Seneca, and Raul Vazquez, M.D. F.A.A.F.P., founder of Buffalo’s G-Health Enterprises, have agreed to collaborate in bringing healthcare and medical services to Native territories and their surrounding communities across Western New York (WNY). According to Dr. Vazquez, the partnership was launched with a COVID vaccination program on February 20th at Native American Community Services (NACS) in Buffalo, N.Y.. The pop-up event was held in cooperation with The JC Seneca Foundation, NACS, and The Seneca Nation Health System
“On Saturday, my staff and I vaccinated 350 members of the Native Community from Buffalo and the Cattaraugus and Allegany Territories, as well as essential workers from Seneca businesses in those areas,” Vazquez stated. “While I am always working to get COVID vaccines into the community, I am particularly determined to ensure vaccinations for Native people. My reason is that those populations have been the most severely impacted by COVID-19 and represent the fewest of all Americans vaccinated to date. Going forward, I look forward to partnering with J.C. Seneca and his foundation in bringing my mobile medical unit to the rural areas of Southern Erie, Chautauqua, and Cattaraugus Counties in our shared goal of providing needed medical and health care services to Native people, and others in that area, who are often forgotten and continually underserved.”
Vazquez and Seneca began discussing a potential collaboration in late 2020. Seneca notes their discussions quickly advanced to an agreed-upon plan of action as the two men realized their shared goal of providing health care and medical services to southern tier rural areas.
Mr. Seneca stated, “Dr. Vazquez and I are of one mind in our mission to provide healthcare and medical services to people on the Native territories and surrounding communities across WNY where there is such a lack of available care. We are still working out the details regarding when Dr. Vazquez will begin bringing his mobile medical unit to these areas and what services he will initially offer. The one thing we have agreed upon is that when he is able to secure additional vaccines, he will bring them to my Tallchief Territory/Native Pride business where we will create a pop-up vaccine site. As soon as we have dates and times for his services, we will publicly announce that information. I am most grateful to Dr. Vazquez and his G-Health Associates who have worked with me and my JC Seneca Foundation Team to make this collaboration possible.”
ABOUT THE JC SENECA FOUNDATION: The JC Seneca Foundation (JCSF) is a non-profit corporation whose mission is to advance healthy living in body, mind, and spirit for the people of the Seneca Nation and surrounding communities. The foundation accomplishes these purposes through a variety of means including supporting the activities of other charitable organizations and conducting fundraising events. The foundation also sponsors programs such as It Takes A Tribe, a foster care project. http://www.jcsenecafoundation.org/
ABOUT J C SENECA: J C Seneca is a member of the Seneca Nation and owner of Tallchief Territory, Home of Native Pride Travel Plaza, located on the Seneca Nation in Irving, NY. He started out in 1987 as a young entrepreneur with big dreams. By 1995 he developed his own truck stop business and spent the next 25 years building a successful 22-pump gas and diesel service area complimented by a diner, a 24/7 convenience store and shower and lounge services for professional truck drivers. In 2019, Seneca was recognized as a Top 50 Native Business Entrepreneur and in 2020 he was awarded Native Entrepreneur of the Year, both honors accorded by Native Business Magazine, a national publication based in Bellevue, WA. Seneca’s civic leadership is reflected in the creation of the J C Seneca Foundation, a nonprofit corporation with a mission to advance healthy living in body, mind, and spirit for the people of the Seneca Nation and surrounding communities. Backed by a quarter century of goals and achievement, in 2020 Seneca made the decision to reformat his Native Pride Brand by incorporating it with his family’s Seneca Nation Heritage. It is a heritage tied to his great, great, great grandfather, Tallchief, who claimed the land where Seneca began his entrepreneurial journey and today continues to grow his business, now known as Tallchief Territory, Home of Native Pride. https://www.tallchiefterritory.com/
ABOUT G-HEALTH: G-Health Enterprises is a health care organization consisting of the following affiliates: The Greater Buffalo United Accountable Healthcare Network (GBUAHN), The Greater Buffalo United Accountable Care Organization (GBUACO), Urban Family Practice (UFP), The Greater Buffalo United Independent Physician’s Association (GBUIPA), The Raul & Toni Vazquez Foundation and The Greater Buffalo United Association Incorporated (GBUA Inc.) https://ghealthenterprises.org/
ABOUT RAUL VAZQUEZ, M.D. F.A.A.F.P: Dr. Vazquez opened Urban Family Practice in 1996. As president of GBUAHN, he leads a team of experts with 40 years of combined medical experience providing care to the poor through a single physician-patient relationship. He serves as the Governor’s appointed representative to the WNY Regional Economic Development Council, and the NYS Medical Advisory Committee. He serves as President of the Buffalo Chapter of the National Medical Association. He also serves as a board member of Health-e-link. Dr. Vazquez just received the 2012 National Federation for Just Communities of WNY Community Leader Award in Healthcare. He has a designation of NCQA Physician Practice Connections Patient-Centered Medical Home Certification of Recognition Level 3. He has also received the NYS Association of Black & Puerto Rican Legislators Health Award. https://www.linkedin.com/in/raul-vazquez-b2600119/
Native Business Magazine
Carmen Davis - Founder, Publisher and Executive Editor
Mrs. Davis is the founder, publisher and executive editor of the only Native American wholly owned and operated national tribal business publication, Native Business Magazine, and the producer of the annual and nationally attended Native Business Summit.
Mrs. Davis is also president of Davis Strategy Group has over 23 years of service to Indian Country and as an entrepreneur she has successfully established, operated, managed and grown several businesses in multiple sectors. She is equal parts a strategic visionary and behind-the-scenes implementor, essential in guiding and overseeing every process of brand development, business expansion, nation-to-nation relationship building and more.
She was named in 2009 as one of the first recipients of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development’s, “40 Under 40” award which recognizes up and coming community and business leaders from across Indian Country.
