Rates of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and poverty are high among Native Americans, compared to other minority and ethnic populations, and the community needs help to address the problem, Native health care providers told U-M staff gathered Oct. 15 for a Tribal Health Summit on campus.
Phyllis Davis, co-chair of the Michigan Tribal Health Directors Association, said 40 percent of her 400-plus member Gun Lake Band Potawatomi tribe members have Type 2 diabetes. She also cited a high incidence of colorectal cancer as a concern.
Davis and other tribal health professionals agreed that a lack of money and insurance keeps many Native Americans from seeking appropriate medical and dental care, and the pharmaceutical drugs needed to treat related conditions.
The group detailed their concerns and asked for help from the University.
“We are desperately in need of expertise and community building activities,” said Jessica Burger, registered nurse and health director for the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians in northern Michigan.
“The University of Michigan stands ready to be of service, to promote better health in our communities,” said Cynthia Wilbanks, vice president of government relations.
Dana Sitzler, associate director of state outreach, said, “We’ll follow up with tribal leaders and find out what are the priority areas and what are the next steps. We hope this is the beginning of a longer-term commitment to working with the tribes across the state.”
People within the Native American community tend to assume the general populace knows more about their situations than they really do, said Jerilyn Church, executive director of American Indian Health and Family Services in Detroit.
Less than 2 percent belong to tribes that have gained from casino wealth, 25.7 percent of Native Americans live in poverty, 43.1 percent of children live below the poverty line, and this population is 2.6 times as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes as the general public, Church said.
The Indian Health Service, formed by the former U.S. War Department, historically is under-funded, and is one of the first agencies to feel budget cuts when such cuts happen, Church said.
“I’m hoping we can establish a dialogue between the tribal health centers and the University of Michigan and establish some partnerships,” Davis said.
Dr. Josette French, medical director of the AIHFS who helped form the first Native American student group at Yale University, echoed concerns of other health care providers. “Most of these clients aren’t able to see specialists, we can’t pay for that. The pharmacy is one of our huge challenges, getting people the medication they need.”
Obesity is a concern particularly with youth, Burger said, adding 12 percent of the young Native Americans in the Little River Band are morbidly obese. A diet higher in fresh fruits and vegetables is needed, but the cost to provide proper foods is prohibitive, she said.
Further, many Native Americans traditionally shy away from hospitals, Burger said. Instead, they rely on health professionals going onto reservations.
“We need to have a better understanding of resources the University is ready to provide,” she said.
Bill Piskorowski, director for community and outreach with the School of Dentistry, said the school is seeking to expand its current program involving fourth year dental students going out to underserved and never-served populations. “We have 600 able bodies ready to work,” he said.
Event sponsor The Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research Community Engagement Program aims to ensure that the Michigan tribal population can partner with U-M faculty and outreach staff to develop sustainable partnerships to help meet the health care needs of tribal communities through health research. MICHR has funding opportunities and dedicated staff available to support the growth of these partnerships.
