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Creating Healthier Communities
Native Americans have lived and survived through decades and
decades of inequality, struggle, and the continued efforts at marginalization of our communities. More recently our challenges
come in the form of threats or actual cuts to the congressional budget, resulting in less than
optimal resources for Native American health care.
For some tribes, gaming revenue has provided a means to economic
growth and basic infrastructure improvement. To better serve tribal members and others who live among
us, greatly needed clinic and hospital based health care services have been added through wise use of gaming and other revenue
of tribal governments.
As Native Americans we must continue
to draw on our strengths as a people, looking towards the future and walking a new path, one that includes
a public health focus.
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Public Health
With the creation of the American local, state and federal public health
system beginning in the mid 1800's, government has seen one of
its roles as protecting the health of citizens. One example is the large proportion of the federal budget set aside for
health care services for the elders, women and children while more recently providing a large amount of federal funding to states to
prepare for bioterrorism and natural disaster emergencies.
There are other health care protections and improvements that tribal
governments can provide, just as other governments do, that will lead to a healthier community. One such protection,
public health, is actually the responsibility of government. Unfortunately, in tribal communities, public health has not
been considered as important as providing clinic and hospital care.
We are living in a fast paced and increasingly connected world, the
days of isolation and separateness are becoming a part of our past. Tribal government must now challenge
itself to create communities where our families thrive, not just survive, and proactively adopt the role of public health
protection for all who reside and visit within our tribal communities.
PLEASE CLICK FOR MORE PUBLIC HEALTH INFORMATION
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