The US Has Neglected Indian Country for Years. Now Comes a Pandemic

Nationally, health experts and tribal leaders are sounding the alarm that Native Americans are particularly vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19. Native Americans are more likely to live in overcrowded and intergenerational housing, lack access to running water, and experience health disparities that increase their risk of hospitalization and even death during the outbreak. “When you look at the health disparities in Indian Country, they align exactly with the vulnerabilities the CDC is citing,” said Stacy Bohlen, CEO of the National Indian Health Board (NIHB). Native Americans face the highest rates of diabetes and asthma in the country, and are nearly twice as likely to die from influenza and pneumonia during the regular flu season.

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