Native Americans ‘Left Out in the Cold" and still exploited, mistreated, and neglected! #indian #nativeamerican #covid #exploited #healthcare

 

COMING IN FROM THE COLD?

                           Yes we are!

“Long before the coronavirus, the Indian Health service, the Government program that provides health care to the 2.2 million members of the nation’s tribal communities was plagued by shortages of funding and supplies, a lack of doctors and nurses, too few hospital beds and aging facilities.”

“Now the pandemic has exposed those weaknesses as never before contributing to the disproportionally high infection and death rates among Native Americans and fueling new anger about what critics say has been decades of neglect from Congress and successive administrations in Washington.”

These paragraphs are taken from an article “Pandemic Highlights Deep-Rooted Problems in Indian Health Service” by Journalist Mark Walker. It was published in the New York Times September 29, 2020 (updated Jan. 3, 2021)

On February 18, 2021 Walker wrote that there was “a deeply flawed response to the pandemic on tribal lands,” now Native Americans are however hoping that President Biden “will back a far-reaching agenda to address the poverty that has long ravaged their communities.”

“They are pushing to ensure that any infrastructure plan the Biden administration pursues includes substantial money to improve access to water and electricity and to improve roads and bridges.”

“Native Americans ‘Left Out in the Cold’ under Trump Press Biden for Action” is the headline to the article.

Walker had interviewed more than a dozen tribal leaders, health officials and lawyers across the country to find out what they were feeling. Many of them, he said, expressed “cautious optimism that the Biden administration would follow through on efforts to address 150 years of systematic failures and breaches of treaty agreements.”

“We were left out in the cold when it came to the pandemic,” Tim Davis, chairman of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana said. “There is so much we are going to have to do, and we are hoping we will get that opportunity with the new administration,” he added.

The nomination of Ms. Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe to lead the Interior Department has brought a great deal of optimism to the community. She is the first Native American to be chosen for a cabinet position. She represents New Mexico.

Jonathan Nez who is President of Navajo nation is hoping that federal support will be given to improve access to water and electricity for native Americans among other infrastructure improvements.

Other changes are coming! The Indian Health Service which has been underfunded and understaffed and criticized for providing inadequate care is to be fully funded.

The Dakota Access pipeline that crosses just north of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation is to be shut down. “The pipeline has drawn significant opposition from environmentalists and tribes over the years.”

Chairman of the Puyallup tribe in Washington State, Bill Sterud says he still plans to “closely monitor” the performance of the new administration “on delivering promises of change.” He will pay close attention to the education of the young people. Making sure that school continues to be and gets better and becomes a top-flight school is important.”

And in response to Mark’s article (Feb. 18, 2021) one reader wrote:” This is pretty important. The original civilization of North America needs to get the essentials promised to them by the invaders centuries ago. After years of broken promises, they should at least be given the common decency that civil rights require.”

Another person wrote: “Since Europeans first set foot on this land our Native Americans have been exploited, mistreated, and neglected. I hope that President Biden will not let these Native Americans down.”