Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has raised national consciousness about health inequities that disproportionately impact American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities, yet urban AI/AN communities continue to remain a blind spot for health leaders and policymakers. While all United States cities have been the traditional homelands of AI/AN peoples since time immemorial, urban AI/ANs are consistently excluded in local and national health assessments, including recent reports pertaining to COVID-19. Today the majority of AI/ANs (71%) live in urban areas, and many cities have strong Urban Indian Health Programs (UIHPs) that provide space for medical care, community gatherings, cultural activities, and traditional healing. Many of these UIHPs are currently scrambling to meet the needs of their AI/AN service communities during the pandemic. While the COVID-19 pandemic brought new sources of funding to UIHPs, the lack of local AI/AN data and arbitrary funding restrictions precluded some UIHPs from addressing their communities’ most immediate challenges such as food and economic insecurities. Despite these challenges, urban AI/AN communities carry the historical resilience of their ancestors as they weave strong community networks, establish contemporary traditions, and innovate to meet community needs. This article focuses on the experiences of one UIHP in Baltimore City during the COVID-19 pandemic to illustrate present-day challenges and strengths, as well as illuminate the urgency for tailored, local data-driven public health approaches to urban AI/AN health.
Highlights
All United States cities are located on ancestral and contemporary Indigenous homelands and bear complex histories regarding American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) peoples and settler colonialism (Furlan, 2017)
In 1956, the United States federal government passed the Indian Relocation Act to encourage AI/ANs to move to urban areas with the goal of assimilating them into the general population and reducing the federal government’s trust responsibilities to Native peoples (Madigan, 1956)
The City has started to “report” AI/AN data, it is unclear if the Baltimore City Health Department is reporting the data for AI/AN peoples from the beginning of the pandemic or if the current available AI/AN only represents testing and cases since updating the racial categories for COVID-19 data. This lack of clarity is concerning as Native American LifeLines (NAL) is unable to discern if there has been a spike in AI/AN testing and cases, or if delayed testing numbers are just being reported
Summary
All United States cities are located on ancestral and contemporary Indigenous homelands and bear complex histories regarding American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) peoples and settler colonialism (Furlan, 2017). These boxes were to include traditional, cultural, and prepackaged foods, as well as fresh produce, cultural craft kits, hand sanitizer, face masks and COVID-19 educational materials specific to AI/ANs. These boxes were to include traditional, cultural, and prepackaged foods, as well as fresh produce, cultural craft kits, hand sanitizer, face masks and COVID-19 educational materials specific to AI/ANs They made plans to assist with financial shortfalls for rent and utilities. NAL is partnering with local churches to arrange future “drive-through” and walk-up distributions for school supplies, flu vaccinations, and other wellness materials
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