Blog

By Stephanie Sy, Lena L Jackson, and Casey Kuhn, PBS News Hour April 24, 2020 COVID-19 is ripping through the Navajo Nation, infecting and killing people at rates that are above U.S. averages. Located across three states, the Navajo population is already vulnerable, with a high prevalence of underlying disease, a lack of infrastructure and limited access to care and supplies. Stephanie Sy reports on how the Navajo community has taken on the challenge of caring for its own. Read the Full...

By Mallory Moench, San Francisco Chronicle, April 22, 2020 UCSF sent 21 health care workers - seven doctors and 14 nurses - Wednesday to treat patients in the Navajo Nation hard-hit by the coronavirus. UCSF-trained doctors working on the largest Native American reservation in the U.S. asked San Francisco colleagues for help as the outbreak strains the health care system. Navajo Nation, where around 175,000 people live spread over 27,500 square miles in New Mexico and Arizona, has recorded...

By Bridget M. Kuehn, JAMA, March 25, 2020 Jasmine Curry feels lucky to be a first-year medical student. The daughter of a single mother in Arizona, she spent summers and winter breaks in Kaibeto, a small Navajo Nation town. Now, she’s looking forward to a primary care career to help combat preventable illnesses in Native American communities. “It’s everything my family and I have ever prayed for,” Curry said in an article describing her nontraditional path to medical education. She is 1 of 5...

Family Spirit® is an evidence-based, culturally tailored home-visiting program of the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health to promote optimal health and wellbeing for parents and their children. Family Spirit combines the use of paraprofessionals from the community as home visitors and a culturally focused, strengths-based curriculum as a core strategy to support young families. Parents gain knowledge and skills to promote healthy development and positive lifestyles for themselves...

By Victoria Ottomanelli, April 6, 2020, Stitch ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. — Skye Yannabah Poola learned how to perform a healing dance by watching other Native American jingle dress dancers throughout her life. Now, the 7 year old is giving back to her community by offering a source of brightness through dance to those facing dark times amid the coronavirus outbreak. Please click here to watch the video and to read the story: https://www.kcra.com/article/healing-dance-coronavirus/32056144

Press release from Congressman Jared Huffman’s office: https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2020/apr/9/local-community-health-centers-land-more-2-million/

By Nora Mabie, April 9, 2020, Great Falls Tribune When the first cases of coronavirus appeared in Montana, Jolene Barrientes quit her job. A member of the Blackfeet Nation, Jolene had been working at Big Sky Foods since she moved to Cut Bank in January, but she couldn’t risk exposure to the virus. Her husband, Joseph, was shot when he was 15 years old. Now, at 37, he has one functioning lung and no spleen. Jolene said he nearly died two years ago when he contracted the flu, so she fears...

Press Release, April 8, 2020. Today, IHS is announcing its expansion of telehealth across IHS federal facilities. Telehealth services means patients can stay home and reduce their risk of infection and also keep healthcare workers and others in waiting rooms and emergency departments safe from COVID-19. “Expanding telehealth allows more American Indians and Alaska Natives to access healthcare they need from their home , without worrying about putting themselves or others at risk during the...

Description: To support tribal public health emergency response to COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is announcing a new, non-competitive grant CDC-RFA-OT20- 2004 Supporting Tribal Public Health Capacity in Coronavirus Preparedness and Response. To carry out public health emergency response activities in response to COVID-19, CDC is awarding at least $40,000,000 of initial funding to federally recognized tribes and tribal organizations that contract or compact...

Yurok Indian Housing Authority letter to residents: Dear Yurok Indian Housing Households, Out of great concern during these uncertain times and unprecedented times, the Yurok Indian Housing Authority Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday, March 17, at 9:30 a.m. for an emergency call-in meeting to address the potential economic hardship being placed upon tribal families as they prepare for the current COVID-19 national emergency. While this may not be something that can be repeated, the Board...

Did you know that Indian Health Services' Maternal Child Health addresses ACEs? Check it out! https://www.ihs.gov/dccs/mch/aces/ Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic experiences or events that can have negative, lasting effects on health and well-being. ACEs range from physical, emotional, or sexual abuse to parental divorce, a parent with a substance abuse problem, or the jailing and absence of a parent or guardian. Economic hardship (poverty) is the most common...

Throughout the United States, Native communities are actively working to combat environmental racism and climate change. These Native leaders are working to elevate indigenous knowledge and practices as it relates to Native lands and natural resources. 1. Environmental justice is not a new idea in Native communities. It is important to acknowledge that Native communities have long had a different relationship with the environment compared to individuals from Western society. Although there...