Health and the Urban Indian

New Report Shows Serious Health Disparities
Among Urban American Indians and Alaska Natives

Figure A-1. Cities with Urban Indian Health Organizations funded by the
U.S. Indian Health Service, 2003

The study is the first major report issued by the Urban Indian Health Institute, a division of the Seattle Indian Health Board that was created in 2000 to study the health status of American Indians and Alaska Natives living in cities. While the Indian Health Service studies and attends to the needs of federally-recognized tribes living on or near reservations, it does not routinely study the disparities of Indians living in urban areas. The UIHI began compiling the report in 2001 and completed it in 2003. Forquera said the aim of the study is to draw attention to the fact that urban Indians, like Indians that live on rural reservations, face severe health and social challenges that demand greater attention from health care providers and policy makers.