Improving American Indian Health Care

Improving American Indian Health Care
Author: C. William Steeler
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
Total Pages: 188
Release: 2001
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9780806133560

Indicators point to continuing lower health status among Native Americans as compared to the general population. Just a decade ago, the mortality rate of Native Americans was 37 percent greater than the rate for the general population, and Native Americans are still more likely to suffer from diabetes, tuberculosis, alcoholism, depression, and suicide. To address the basic health concerns of all Native Americans, this book examines the response of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma to critical medical issues. After 1976, the Cherokee Nation aggressively addressed inadequate levels of health services for tribal members and better coordinated efforts to deal with the health problems of their population. Improving American Indian Health Care shares the Western Cherokee experience so that other tribal governments may adopt or adapt the approaches particularly suitable to their own circumstances.

American Indian Health

American Indian Health
Author: Everett R. Rhoades
Publisher: JHU Press
Total Pages: 769
Release: 2003-05-22
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0801877776

Disease processes among American Indians and Alaska Natives often have distinct manifestations that need to be considered by clinicians and health policy makers involved with these populations. Equally important, all aspects of Indian life—including health—are governed by the special relationship between Indian tribes and the U.S. federal government. For American Indian Health, Everett R. Rhoades has gathered a distinguished group of scholars and practitioners to present a comprehensive assessment of the health of American Indian peoples today and the delivery of health services to them.

Tip 61 - Behavioral Health Services for American Indians and Alaska Natives

Tip 61 - Behavioral Health Services for American Indians and Alaska Natives
Author: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 239
Release: 2019-03-17
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 0359520383

American Indians and Alaska Natives have consistently experienced disparities in access to healthcare services, funding, and resources; quality and quantity of services; treatment outcomes; and health education and prevention services. Availability, accessibility, and acceptability of behavioral health services are major barriers to recovery for American Indians and Alaska Natives. Common factors that infuence engagement and participation in services include availability of transportation and child care, treatment infrastructure, level of social support, perceived provider effectiveness, cultural responsiveness of services, treatment settings, geographic locations, and tribal affliations.

Strong Hearts and Healing Hands

Strong Hearts and Healing Hands
Author: Clifford E. Trafzer
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
Total Pages: 422
Release: 2021-04-06
Genre: History
ISBN: 0816542171

In 1924, the United States began a bold program in public health. The Indian Service of the United States hired its first nurses to work among Indians living on reservations. This corps of white women were dedicated to improving Indian health. In 1928, the first field nurses arrived in the Mission Indian Agency of Southern California. These nurses visited homes and schools, providing public health and sanitation information regarding disease causation and prevention. Over time, field nurses and Native people formed a positive working relationship that resulted in the decline of mortality from infectious diseases. Many Native Americans accepted and used Western medicine to fight pathogens, while also continuing Indigenous medicine ways. Nurses helped control tuberculosis, measles, influenza, pneumonia, and a host of gastrointestinal sicknesses. In partnership with the community, nurses quarantined people with contagious diseases, tested for infections, and tracked patients and contacts. Indians turned to nurses and learned about disease prevention. With strong hearts, Indians eagerly participated in the tuberculosis campaign of 1939–40 to x-ray tribal members living on twenty-nine reservations. Through their cooperative efforts, Indians and health-care providers decreased deaths, cases, and misery among the tribes of Southern California.

American Indian Health Disparities in the 21st Century

American Indian Health Disparities in the 21st Century
Author: Cornelius M. Dyke
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 145
Release: 2021-09-22
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1527575128

Equity in health care is a basic human right, yet disparities in health and wellness exist across racial lines. Despite the fact that disparities in Indigenous People’s health are particularly dramatic, they are less well understood. This volume focuses on the American Indian, in whom disparities in health are particularly severe. In a disease-specific format, health disparities in the American Indian are identified and discussed, with an emphasis on causes and solutions. Edited by experts in healthcare disparities, one of whom is a member of the Oglala Lakota Tribe, this book focuses attention on the historically overlooked and underappreciated problem of inadequate healthcare for the American Indian and has relevance for Indigenous People’s health around the world. Of interest to all concerned with equity and inclusiveness in healthcare, it will be essential reading for physicians, public health workers, academics, and Indigenous People worldwide.

American Indian Health and Nursing

American Indian Health and Nursing
Author: Margaret P. Moss, PhD, JD, RN, FAAN
Publisher: Springer Publishing Company
Total Pages: 417
Release: 2015-12-16
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0826129854

The average life expectancy of a male born on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota today is 40 years oldóthe lowest life expectancy of all peoples not only in the U.S. but also in the entire Western Hemisphere. Written by and for nurses, this is the first text to focus exclusively on American Indian health and nursing. It addresses the profound disparities in policy, health care law, and health outcomes that affect American Indians, and describes how these disparities, bound into the cultural, environmental, historical, and geopolitical fabric of American Indian society, are responsible for the marked lack of wellbeing of American Indians. American Indian nurse authors, natives of nine unique American Indian cultures, address the four domains of healthóphysical, mental, spiritual, and emotional--within each region to underscore the many stunning disparities of opportunity for health and wellbeing within the American Indian culture as opposed to those of "Anglo" culture. In an era of cultural competency, these expert nurse authors bring awareness about what is perhaps the least understood minority population in the U.S. The text covers the history of American Indians with a focus on the drastic changes that occurred following European contact. Included are relevant journal articles, historical reports, interviews with tribal health officials, and case studies. The book addresses issues surrounding American Indian nursing and nursing education, and health care within nine unique American Indian cultural populations. Also discussed are the health care needs of American Indians living in urban areas. Additionally, the book examines the future of American Indian Nursing in regard to the Affordable Care Act. Key Features: Focuses exclusively on American Indian health and nursing, the first book to do so Written by predominately American Indian nurses Covers four domains of health: physical, mental, spiritual and emotional Highlights nine specific cultural areas of Indian country, each with its own unique history and context Includes chapter objectives, end-of-chapter review questions, and case studies

Broken Promises: Evaluating the Native American Health Care System

Broken Promises: Evaluating the Native American Health Care System
Author: U. S. Commission on Civil Rights
Publisher: CreateSpace
Total Pages: 156
Release: 2013-02-15
Genre:
ISBN: 9781482551396

The report reveals that the Native American health care system created by the federal government has used only limited and incremental responses to the health care challenges faced by Native Americans.

Communities in Action

Communities in Action
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 583
Release: 2017-04-27
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309452961

In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.