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Health Equity: Changing the Narrative About Indian Country

Native News Online is launching a year-long deep dive into critical health equity issues affecting Indian Country.  Through this reporting project, our team of journalists will explore four pressing challenges facing tribal communities and their citizens: mental health, environmental health, maternal mortality, and the overdose crisis.

American Indians and Alaska Natives face stark health disparities, with life expectancies 5.5 years shorter than the U.S. average and higher mortality rates across numerous conditions. Our coverage goes beyond statistics to examine innovative, culturally centered solutions developed by Native communities.

Led by award-winning Senior Editor Elyse Wild and Reporter Kaili Berg (Aleut), this project aims to shine a light on both challenges and successes in tribal healthcare. Through our Native News Online platforms and partnerships with Native-owned and mainstream media outlets, we'll work to ensure these stories reach tribal leaders, citizens, policymakers, and allies nationwide, advancing understanding of health equity issues in Indian Country.  Our goal is to help change the narrative about health in Native American communities. 

Want to submit news or share a personal story about how health equity in Indian Country affects you, your family, or your community? Contact editor@nativenewsonline.net. If you’d like to support our continuing coverage of boarding schools, please consider a one-time or recurring donation.

  • Health Equity Round-Up (January 12, 2024)

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    Here’s our weekly round-up of Health Equity News, including funding announcements, legislation, program launches, appointments and nominations, and data insights.

  • White Mountain Apache Tribe Sues Social Media Giants Over Youth Mental Health Crisis

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    The White Mountain Apache Tribe has filed a lawsuit against the five largest social media platforms—TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and YouTube—accusing them of contributing to a mental health crisis among Tribal youth. The suit, filed in the United States Federal Court for the Northern District of California, aims to hold these companies accountable for their platforms’ damaging influence on young users.

  • ‘Fatalities are Not Inevitable’ | New Report Maps Path to Reducing Native Overdose Deaths

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    A first-of-its-kind report confirms what tribal nations have long argued: federal policy changes and funding are critical to combat the fentanyl crisis disproportionately claiming Native American lives.

  • San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Awards $100,000 Grant to Support Native News Online's Health Equity Coverage

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    GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.— The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has awarded a grant of $100,000 to support Native News Online's reporting on health equity issues in Indian Country.

  • Q&A: Angela Gonzales (Hopi), on New Indigenous Health Research Dashboard

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    As health disparities continue to affect Indigenous communities across the United States disproportionately, the need for accessible, actionable health research has never been more significant. 

  • Health Equity Round-Up (December 22,2024)

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    Last week, plaintiffs filed a class action lawsuit against the state of Arizona for its role in a mulit-billion dollar sober living scheme that targeted Native Americans; the Senate passed a bill that could shore up medical staff for the Indian Health Service; and KFF investigated a medical billing system that leaves Native patients holding the bag for debt the government owes.

  • TWO MEDICINES | How Native-Led Programs Are Blending Culture and Western Science to Help Their Relatives Through the Opioid Crisis

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    Across Indian Country, tribal communities are proving that blending Indigenous practices with Western medicine creates more effective addiction treatment for their citizens. This 3-part series examines how Native-led programs are transforming care for tribal members through prevention, harm reduction, and recovery approaches that honor both traditional and clinical wisdom. This series was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. 

  • New Road Map for Brain Health Aims to Tackle Dementia in Native Communities

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    The Alzheimer’s Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have unveiled today the second edition of the Healthy Brain Initiative: Road Map for American Indian and Alaska Native Peoples, an important tool designed to tackle dementia and promote brain health in Native communities.

  • New Indigenous Health Research Dashboard Aims to Bridge Data Access Gap for Tribal Communities

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    Arizona State University (ASU) unveiled last month the Indigenous Health Research Dashboard, an online repository aimed at improving access to health research for Indigenous populations.

  • Senate Passes Bill To Help IHS Recruit and Retain Medical Staff

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    A new bill passed the Senate yesterdaythat would make it easier for the Indian Health Service (IHS) to recruit and retain healthcare workers.

  • Native American Patients Are Sent to Collections for Debts the Government Owes

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    Tescha Hawley learned that hospital bills from her son’s birth had been sent to debt collectors only when she checked her credit score while attending a home-buying class. The new mom’s plans to buy a house stalled.

  • Health Equity Round-Up (December 14, 2024)

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    From a new report showing disparities in Native Americans being prescribed drugs to treat diabetes to the Indian Health Service releasing its five-year strategic plan, here is Native News Online’s new weekly round-up of health equity news in Indian Country.
     

  • University of Alaska Anchorage Launches Alaska Natives into the Psychology Program

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     The Indian Health Service granted The University of Alaska Anchorage Ph.D. Program a $1.2 million grant to support Alaska Native and American Indian students pursuing degrees in psychology.