American Indians and Wellness

Staying healthy in New York City isn’t always easy in a place teeming with germs, grime, pollution, poverty, overcrowding and racial inequality. This is particularly true for American Indians, who already suffer disproportionately from a range of serious health afflictions as a group.

Historically, American Indians suffered catastrophic loss of life (as well as land, culture and political power) as a result of European colonization. In addition to war, genocide, suppression and forced labor, American Indians were assaulted by the infectious diseases brought by new immigrants, from smallpox to influenza—diseases that indigenous people had no resistance to. By 1900, the population of native peoples in America had plummeted to 240,000 from an estimated 12 million in 1500.

Today, American Indians face high rates of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, substance abuse, alcoholism, domestic violence and suicide. According to research from the Harvard School of Public Health, overall life expectancy for American Indians and Alaska Natives is now 71 years, compared to 75 years for the total United States population. That’s a marked improvement from 1981 figures (from the National Indian Council on Aging), in which life expectancy for American Indians was 65 while the national average was 73.3. However, the group still lags other populations, and certain native communities have especially alarming statistics. In parts of South Dakota, life expectancy of some American Indian groups is 59.

Pam Albert, a wellness and health coordinator with the AICH, said that many American Indians who arrive in New York City are shocked to find out that healthcare is not available through Indian Health Service (IHS). That’s because federally recognized tribes are entitled to the services of the agency, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Today, most of IHS’s efforts are directed at reservations, while only two percent of its budget is applied to urban programs, even though a majority of American Indians no longer live on reservations.

Age-adjusted rates of diagnosed diabetes (11 percent) and obesity (30 percent) are three and two times higher, respectively, for American Indians than for whites. The incidence of heart disease (the population’s number one killer) is twice as high among American Indians as compared to non-Indians. Reasons for such discrepancies in health include lower average incomes, poor diet (including over reliance on low-quality subsidized food), genetic factors (including difficulties adjusting to a high-fat Western diet, which is sometimes called New World Syndrome), and mental health issues—many of which stem from racism, marginalization, loss of traditional culture and values and generational memory of past atrocities.

American Indians also experience per capita rates of violence that are more than twice those of national averages. Experts estimate that three-fourths of American Indian women have endured sexual assault, a staggering statistic.

Albert, who is Ojibway and is originally from Canada but grew up in Detroit, said the AICH has an ever-growing range of education and assistance programs to help native New Yorkers live healthier, and is hopeful for the future. She said increased funding would go a long way to shore up the community house’s efforts, however.