Health News in Brief: October 2003

EMS Ambulances Delivered to Indian Country

Washington, D.C. - Eight emergency ambulances were recently delivered to Indian communities from Massachusetts to Alaska as a result of a collaborative program co-sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense’s TRANSAM Project, according to the Indian Health Service.

The refurbished emergency vehicles were made available as part of an ongoing effort to respond to health emergencies on Indian reservations. A total of 18 ambulances have been delivered as a result of the joint effort.

In many parts of the Indian Health Service and tribal delivery areas, Emergency Medical Technicians and paramedics may be the only health care available for an extended period of time following an emergency. However, a 2001 IHS assessment of the 80 EMS programs operated by the Tribes and the IHS found that 50 percent of responding programs reported that they did not have any emergency vehicle backup, and most indicated an urgent need for an EMS vehicle.

Through the collaboration, the most recent delivery of ambulances have gone to the San Carlos Fire and Emergency Medical Services (San Carlos, Arizona); the Navajo Fire and Rescue (Window Rock, Arizona); Blackfeet Tribal EMS (Browning, Montana); Fort Belknap Health Center (Harlem, Montana); Ute Mountain Tribe EMS (Towaoc, Colorado); Winnebago EMS (Winnebago, Nebraska); Cheyenne River Ambulance Service (Eagle Butte, South Dakota); and the Wampanoag Tribal Council (Gay Head, Massachusetts).

Health Board Seeks to Stem Use of Commercial Tobacco

The Indian Health Board of Billings, Montana is developing a program targeted at helping Indians quit smoking and chewing by convincing them there is nothing sacred about using commercially cultivated tobacco products. The use of cigarette smoking has reached epidemic proportions on Indian reservations, with smoking rates much higher than the general population. But in Montana, the problem is particularly severe, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the Southwest, 4.1 Indians out of every 100,000 die from lung cancer caused by smoking. In Montana and Wyoming, the rate is nearly seven times higher at 28.5 deaths per 100,000. Cigarettes have almost entirely replaced herbs in many Indian ceremonies and for special occasions.

The board is reminding Indians that there is a big difference between traditional tobacco and commercial brands. Originally, tobacco was the word adopted into tribal languages to describe a mixture of sweetgrass, sage, red willow bark and kinnick kinnick. A New Mexico-based company, Native Scents, sells a traditional tobacco product over the Internet that is a blend of bear berry, mullen, red willow bark, osha root and yerba santa.

Tribes Not Taking Advantage of All Federal Resources

ST. PAUL, MN - American Indian tribes are making significant leaps in diabetes treatment and prevention programs, yet they're not tapping into all the federal resources available, national health leaders report. Tribes are eligible for 125 programs - or about 40 percent - of the 315 grant programs offered by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. However, tribes only take advantage of about 85 of those 125 programs.

To aid the fight against diabetes in Indian country, for instance, congress has increased funding for the national Indian diabetes program to $150 million per year through 2008 - a dramatic hike from the prior $30 million it set aside for the program. Of the roughly 320 diabetes grant programs created in recent years throughout Indian County, more than 80 percent are tribally run, said Kelly Acton, director of the Indian Health Service National Diabetes Program. Of the 318 diabetes programs that receive federal grants, about 21 percent incorporate traditional Indian practices, including 17 percent that use traditional healers and 16 percent that include traditional medicines.

Still, tribes are not taking advantage of all grant programs under HHS, said Quanah Crossland Stamps, commissioner of the Administration for Native Americans. As a result, the department is holding "regional consultation sessions" to determine if there are any regulatory or policy barriers that prevent tribes from accessing the resources. Nine such reviews were recently completed, and regional offices plan to discuss their findings with local tribes.

Indian Leaders and Senators Discuss Key Issues

WASHINGTON, DC - Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, Democratic Steering Committee Chair Hillary Rodham Clinton and ten other senators recently met with more than two dozen Native American leaders from across the country to discuss issues impacting tribal communities. Led by Clinton and National Congress of American Indians President Tex Hall, participants addressed a series of issues, including trust reform, health care, poverty on tribal lands, appropriations and tribal sovereignty.

Senator Daschle highlighted the continued under-funding of the Indian Health Service (IHS), noting that the United States spends nearly two times more per capita to provide health care for federal prisoners than it does for Native Americans, and pledged to fight to improve health care for Native Americans. Currently, per capita health care spending for federal prisoners is $3,803, compared to $1,914 for Native Americans. Tribal leaders also joined Senator Daschle's calls for improved health care, noting high incidences of diabetes and the need for increased funding for health centers on tribal lands.

"The United States government has made a commitment to provide health care to Native Americans," said Senator Daschle. "Yet we continue to under-fund the IHS, making it difficult, if not impossible, for many Native Americans to get the care they need. This inequity must end, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure that Native Americans receive the care they need and deserve."

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