Beyond Borders

Written by: Clayton Long CDC Advisers to Review Data on Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine | U.S. News® | US News   The virus SARS-CoV-2 has been an unprecedented burden on the Native American population for almost the past year. They have seen a death rate percentage that is higher than any other race, an infection rate that is higher, and an economic impact that could have lasting effects longer than any other population might see. A light of hope is that they are now getting the Covid-19 vaccine at a positive rate, quicker than many other communities as well. This is something that needs to keep happening, as they are more susceptible to the virus and need some form of help in regards of immunity to it. Death rates have varied among different races in the United States, but one thing has remained common, Native Americans have seen a higher death rate than any other race. One in every 475 Native Americans has died from Covid-19, compare this to others and you see statistics like ...

  Written by: Heather Lloyd https://www.mhanational.org/issues/native-and-indigenous-communities-and-mental-health Historical Trauma is a type of psychological trauma that is passed down through generations of people as the result of “massive cataclysmic events,” according to Dr. Donald Warne of the University of South Dakota. American Indians and Alaska Natives have faced numerous traumas since the colonization of North America, such as large-scale population loss due to European diseases, forced relocation, and forced separation of families, to name a few. (Sandoiu) Dr. Roger Dale Walker of the Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine describes Historical Trauma as “Generational Post Traumatic Stress.” According to Dr. Walker, the trauma that Native Americans faced in the past has a direct correlation to the health and wellbeing of living Natives. (Sandoiu) The statistics on the harmful effects of this trauma are troubling. Dr. Walker notes that the Native America...

Written by: Billie Marcheva Photo credit:  https://apnews.com/0227910d4339a262b5c0227ee0a5c157             Few across the globe were prepared for the unprecedented outbreak of the dangerous and deadly coronavirus. The response time and approach are critical in how many lives are lost and how quickly the virus spreads. Some populations throughout the states are demanding that their states’ businesses be reopened, while others are dying alone in hospital beds because they’re too contagious to sit by their loved ones. The COVID-19 pandemic affects each group differently, and each community has a different challenge to face in overcoming it. Some countries were prepared, such as South Korea, whose experience with the MERS outbrake taught health officials the importance of tailing the contaminated patients and limiting the spread early on. Their laws reflected this necessity and South Koream health officials were able to limit the spread of...

Written by: Michael Solazzo Photo Source:  (Graef) There are many issues going on within the Department of Health and Human Services that affect many in the United States. Though a larger number affected by poor policy and oversight are the native people of North America, particularly within the United States. A common saying that health professionals hear is that native Americans get free health care from the federal government. While natives gave up there lands and resources in order to gain support from the United States, the government in question has done the bare minimum and has fallen short to help the very people they swore by treaty to protect. Indian Health Services provides comprehensive health care for 573 recognized tribes in the United States, in total that is close to three million people out of the estimated total of five million indigenous within the United States and its territories.   (Services) It is estimated that the native populations wit...

Written by:  Gurpartap Singh Navajo silversmith with examples of his work and tools. Photographed by Ben Wittick, ca. 1880. National Archives Identifier: 518913 With the COVID-19 pandemic spread throughout all corners of the world and affecting normal life as we know it, there has been an extreme increase in precautionary measures for each and every country, state, and community. However, with everyone doing their part in helping others—wither that be by physical distancing or making face masks for medical staff—there are still many communities in the United States which are being underprovided for. One such people are the Native Americans of North America. Not only have they been greatly affected in the past by disease, but the health of Native Americans has always been at risk in the contemporary when compared to other groups. Furthermore, with this recent outbreak, Natives are concerned about the well being of their people which, they say, is not rightfully being ac...

Written by: Benjamin Schuller As at this point I’m sure all of you are aware, at the time this is written, we are undergoing a global health crisis due to the emergence of a novel coronavirus, referred to as COVID-19. The virus has quickly spread across the world, and has found its way into Native American communities. These communities are generally under equipped with medical supplies and facilities, and struggle to facilitate quarantine since many people generally live under the same roof with their families, often without running water or enough funds to acquire the substantial amount of foodstuffs to practice the highest degree of social distancing (1).             Furthermore, due to complex genetic markers, Native Americans are particularly susceptible to conditions that put them in the high risk category for COVID-19, such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, cancer, and cardiovascular disease (1). Furthermore, i...

Written by: Olivia Oser https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/coronavirus-hits-indian-country-hard-exposing-infrastructure-disparities-n1186976   As 2019 ended and 2020 began, hope and excitement was in the air. Now only a few months into 2020, the morale is taking a nosedive while COVID-19 is on the rise. While the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting everyone in some way here in the United states and across the world, it is the tribal communities that are being hit the hardest. The Navajo Nation, the largest in the United states, spans over three states (Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico) with a population around 174,000 (Chappell). The first confirmed case came on March 17 th and in just a month the numbers skyrocketed to 1,206 cases and 48 deaths as of April 22 nd (Associated Press). According to the President of the Navajo Nation, Jonathon Nez, the numbers are growing “alarmingly fast”, surpassing many other states (Woods). New York, the state affected the most as of Ap...