TY - JOUR
T1 - Our Collective Needs and Strengths
T2 - Urban AI/ANs and the COVID-19 Pandemic
AU - Maudrie, Tara L.
AU - Lessard, Kerry Hawk
AU - Dickerson, Jessica
AU - Aulandez, Kevalin M.W.
AU - Barlow, Allison
AU - O’Keefe, Victoria M.
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank Native American Lifelines for their expertize and collaboration on this article, as well as the community members who informed their community needs assessment. We would also like to acknowledge the efforts of national organizations, including, but not limited to, the National Council of Urban Indian Health and the Urban Indian Health Institute, who advocate on behalf of and bring attention to urban AI/AN communities’ health, wellness, and collective strengths.
Funding Information:
Over the last century, federal legislation has guaranteed healthcare for citizens of federally recognized AI/AN tribes (Snyder Act, 1921; Urban Indian Health Commission, 2007). Yet, these rights are not fully realized by AI/ANs who move to urban areas, as most Indian Health Service full ambulatory clinics and hospitals are located on reservation lands (Urban Indian Health Commission, 2007). To meet the needs of urban AI/ANs, the Indian Health Service (IHS) provides contracts and grants to 41 Urban Indian Health programs (UIHPs) (Indian Health Service, 2018). Despite the efforts of these programs, the Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI) had documented that lack of adequate health services are a serious problem for most urban AI/AN families (Urban Indian Health Institute, 2004). On average, UIHPs receive approximately half of their funding from IHS while the remainder of their funding is composed of federal health grants, state contracts, and foundation grants (National Council of Urban Indian Health, n.d.-a). Urban AI/ ANs experience the same health issues as AI/ANs nationwide, but these problems are exacerbated due to reduced access to Native-specific resources for health, social support, and cultural
Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright © 2021 Maudrie, Lessard, Dickerson, Aulandez, Barlow and O’Keefe.
PY - 2021/2/10
Y1 - 2021/2/10
N2 - The COVID-19 pandemic has raised national consciousness about health inequities that disproportionately impact American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities, yet urban AI/AN communities continue to remain a blind spot for health leaders and policymakers. While all United States cities have been the traditional homelands of AI/AN peoples since time immemorial, urban AI/ANs are consistently excluded in local and national health assessments, including recent reports pertaining to COVID-19. Today the majority of AI/ANs (71%) live in urban areas, and many cities have strong Urban Indian Health Programs (UIHPs) that provide space for medical care, community gatherings, cultural activities, and traditional healing. Many of these UIHPs are currently scrambling to meet the needs of their AI/AN service communities during the pandemic. While the COVID-19 pandemic brought new sources of funding to UIHPs, the lack of local AI/AN data and arbitrary funding restrictions precluded some UIHPs from addressing their communities’ most immediate challenges such as food and economic insecurities. Despite these challenges, urban AI/AN communities carry the historical resilience of their ancestors as they weave strong community networks, establish contemporary traditions, and innovate to meet community needs. This article focuses on the experiences of one UIHP in Baltimore City during the COVID-19 pandemic to illustrate present-day challenges and strengths, as well as illuminate the urgency for tailored, local data-driven public health approaches to urban AI/AN health.
AB - The COVID-19 pandemic has raised national consciousness about health inequities that disproportionately impact American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities, yet urban AI/AN communities continue to remain a blind spot for health leaders and policymakers. While all United States cities have been the traditional homelands of AI/AN peoples since time immemorial, urban AI/ANs are consistently excluded in local and national health assessments, including recent reports pertaining to COVID-19. Today the majority of AI/ANs (71%) live in urban areas, and many cities have strong Urban Indian Health Programs (UIHPs) that provide space for medical care, community gatherings, cultural activities, and traditional healing. Many of these UIHPs are currently scrambling to meet the needs of their AI/AN service communities during the pandemic. While the COVID-19 pandemic brought new sources of funding to UIHPs, the lack of local AI/AN data and arbitrary funding restrictions precluded some UIHPs from addressing their communities’ most immediate challenges such as food and economic insecurities. Despite these challenges, urban AI/AN communities carry the historical resilience of their ancestors as they weave strong community networks, establish contemporary traditions, and innovate to meet community needs. This article focuses on the experiences of one UIHP in Baltimore City during the COVID-19 pandemic to illustrate present-day challenges and strengths, as well as illuminate the urgency for tailored, local data-driven public health approaches to urban AI/AN health.
KW - American Indian/Alaska Native
KW - COVID-19
KW - Indigenous
KW - coronavirus
KW - urban Indian
KW - urban Indian health organization
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85101658141&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85101658141&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fsoc.2021.611775
DO - 10.3389/fsoc.2021.611775
M3 - Article
C2 - 33869561
AN - SCOPUS:85101658141
SN - 2297-7775
VL - 6
JO - Frontiers in Sociology
JF - Frontiers in Sociology
M1 - 611775
ER -