Health

Native Americans are more likely to have diabetes, heart disease, TB, and cancer at higher rates than other Americans.

Our health services support reservation programs that address preventative care, home health visits, and health education initiatives for Tribal members. The people PWNA serves on remote and isolated reservations rely on limited Indian Health Services (IHS) for medical care. Lack of transportation is a major problem because of the long distances to IHS clinics and grocery stores. Severely underfunded and understaffed for the size and location of the populations it serves, IHS focuses on crisis care. Thus, PWNA supports Tribal programs that address preventative care, home health visits, and health education, providing health and hygiene supplies they can use as incentives to boost participation of Tribal members. 

We support Tribal health programs that serve up to 200,000 people a year through:

• health screenings for diabetes, high blood pressure, tuberculosis, and cancer
• education classes on diabetes prevention, suicide prevention, and parenting
• immunizations, and pre- and post-natal care
• community events such as flu clinics

To support healthier diets, PWNA conducts Train-the-Trainer (T3) cohorts for nutrition skill building. This service targets cooks, cooks’ aides, and local practitioners working in K-12, senior center, and community or healthcare settings with a responsibility for nutrition and wellness. The training covers healthy cooking, Native food history, and food as medicine. The trainers are Native chefs who incorporate ancestral foods, foraging, and food preservation into the training, further supporting food sovereignty. Participants also gain the skills to teach other members of the community and beyond. 

Related programs: Northern Plains Reservation Aid® (NPRA), Southwest Reservation Aid® (SWRA), Native American Aid (NAA), Navajo Relief Fund (NRF), and Sioux Nation Relief Fund (SNRF)