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A new report in @CDCMMWR shows that rates of #COVID19 were 3.5 times higher among American Indian and Alaska Native populations compared to non-Hispanic white people in the first six months of the pandemic: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6934e1.htm?s_cid=mm6934e1_e&deliveryName=USCDC_921-DM35683
Native people have long experienced lower health status when compared with other Americans. The IHS has worked diligently to address these disparities with available resources and implemented plans that were in place to respond to a public health emergency such as #COVID19.
Through the support of Congress, IHS has allocated $2.4 billion to IHS, tribal & urban Indian health programs to prepare for & respond to #COVID19. We have worked closely with tribal/urban partners throughout the pandemic to get resources out to facilities as quickly as possible.
To enhance patient care during #COVID19, IHS announced a Critical Care Response Team of expert physicians, registered nurses & other healthcare professionals to provide urgent lifesaving medical care to COVID-19 patients admitted to IHS/tribal hospitals: https://www.ihs.gov/newsroom/pressreleases/2020-press-releases/critical-care-response-team-will-further-enhance-patient-care-across-the-indian-health-service/
We are grateful that Congress, the @WhiteHouse, and @HHSGov continue to make our tribal and urban Indian communities a priority for resources during #COVID19. We will continue our work to address health disparities faced by American Indians and Alaska Natives in #IndianCountry.
