2019 Health & Welfare News Stories
Navajo Nation to create its own managed health care entity in New Mexico (Indian Country Today) 12/18/19
'We can help ourselves:' Native women come together to confront high rates of maternal mortality (Indianz) 12/17/19
Muckleshoots among 30 tribes selected for expansion of program enhancing tribal access to national crime information databases (Auburn Reporter) 12/16/19
Wyoming, Northern Arapaho agree to find solutions to money problems in tribe's child social services (The Billings Gazette) 12/12/19
Minnesota task force looks to stories, data to get 'broad picture' on MMIW crisis (Duluth News-Tribune) 12/12/19
DHS awards over $1 million in grants to Mille Lacs Band for opioid treatment (Mille Lacs Messenger) 12/11/19
Indian Health Service Rosebud Hospital accredited by The Joint Commission (Indian Country Today) 12/11/19
Building partnerships in Indian Country through relationships: Rules for the road (Nonprofit Quarterly) 12/9/19
Grants available for Tribal Crime Prevention (Public Radio Tulsa) 12/5/19
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe secures $5 million to help address damaged infrastructure (Indianz) 12/5/19
USDA invests in rural ed, health care (The Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan) 12/4/19
Thousands of historical seeds preserved by the Onondaga Nation Farm (Indian Country Today) 11/28/19
Indigenous food sovereignty movement gains traction (Indian Country Today) 11/28/19
Washington State Patrol hires first of two full-time tribal liasons (Yakima Herald) 11/26/19
New Cherokee outpatient facility will transform health care for generations (Tahlequah Daily Press) 11/21/19
Association of American Indian Physicians supports Rear Admirable Weahkee for Director of Indian Health Service (Indian Country Today) 11/19/19
American Indian traditions interconnect with public health at Changing Winds exhibition in Atlanta (Indian Country Today) 11/18/19
Many Native Americans can't get clean water, report finds (NPR) 11/18/19
Gazette opinion: Better care for Native American children (Billings Gazette) 11/18/19
'We want to be calling the shots': Naat'aanii partnership poised to deliver Medicaid to Navajo (Navajo Times) 11/14/19
Cherokee Nation celebrates grand opening of largest tribal outpatient health center in country (Tahlequah Daily Press) 11/14/19
Wyoming lawmakers look to address public safety on Wind River Reservation (The Casper Star Tribune) 11/10/19
Healing with tradition (Moab Sun News) 11/7/19
Working to protect Cherokee Nation families (Indianz) 11/4/19
An Inuit approach to cancer care promotes self-determination and reconciliation (Indianz) 10/31/19
Grant allows Native American nonprofit to expand medical services in Phoenix (Indianz) 10/30/19
Oklahoma City Indian Clinic planning to use grant money for state-of-the-art mammogram machine (KFOR-AM Oklahoma City) 10/28/19
Prediabetes screenings may lower rate of diabetes among Native Americans (Indianz) 10/28/19
StrongHearts Native Helpline awarded $2.7M for domestic violence and sexual assault outreach (Indian Country Today) 10/25/19
Montana tribal nations receive $3 million for public safety (Montana Public Radio) 10/23/19
Breaking the silence: Native Americans overcome taboos in battle against suicide (Indianz) 10/23/19
Addressing food insecurity in northeast Oklahoma (Indianz) 10/21/19
Wisconsin tribes receive $8M in federal punlic-safety grants (Wisconsin Law Journal) 10/18/19
Local tribes awarded $2.57 million in grants to strengthen criminal justice programs (Centralia Daily Chronicle) 10/16/19
Supervisors to assess homelessness among Native Americans (San Fernando Sun) 10/16/19
Fed up with deaths, Native Americans want to run their own health care (The New York Times) 10/15/19
The U.S. stole generations of Indigenous children to open the West (High Country News) 10/14/19
Cheyenne River homeless need support (Native Sun News Today) 10/9/19
Uninsured Native Americans often lack needed prenatal care (The Desert Sun) 10/9/19
Bill would protect interim IHS funding (The Cordova Times) 10/9/19
Navajo Nation President Nez testifies before Indian Affairs Committee in support of radiation exposure victims (Indian Country Today) 10/8/19
High uranium levels seen in Navajo women decades after Cold War era mining by U.S. on their reservation (CBS News) 10/8/19
VA Secretary Wilkie promises better healthcare for Native and rural veterans (Indian Country Today) 10/3/19
Tribal health insurance coverage rose, but still trailed U.S. average (Indianz) 10/2/19
Tribal officials tell Oklahoma lawmakers Medicaid expansion would help their citizens (Public Radio Tulsa) 9/26/19
Grant-funded Native American treatment court produces first graduates in Great Falls (Great Falls Tribune) 9/20/19
'It has been a long time coming': Minnesota MMIW Task Force to hold first meeting (Grand Forks Herald) 9/18/19
Sacred Peaks Health Care Center opens new location in Flagstaff (Navajo-Hopi Observer) 9/17/19
Indian Affairs Committee to hold oversight hearing on broadband in Indian Country (Indian Country Today) 9/16/19
The Federal Communications Commission ignores the needs of rural consumers (Indian Country Today) 9/12/19
Federal bill introduced Wednesday seeks to bridge agency data gaps and ensure safety for Native communities (Yakima Herald-Republic) 9/12/19 (See 116th Congress H.R.4289)
House Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples convenes hearing on #MMIW crisis (Indianz) 9/11/19
Tim Giago: Is there a correlation between historic trauma and PTSD? (Indianz) 9/9/19
Native children still being lost to the child welfare system (Indianz) 9/9/19
Cherokee veterans center open to help all who served (Tahlequah Daily Press) 8/28/19
Legislators to iron out logistics of remote 'telemedicine' for rural South Dakotans (Agriculture Week) 8/27/19
Native Americans living in rural America are being left behind in today's digital age (Indian Country Today) 8/27/19
Rep. Markwayne Mullin: Reauthorize the Special Diabetes Program for Indians (Indianz) 8/23/19
Studying the Native American and Alaska Native population with internet surveys (Indian Country Today) 8/22/19
Kawerak hosts Indian Affairs officials in Nome for roundtable on public safety (Alaska Public Media) 8/21/19
State lawmakers propose legislation to address missing and murdered Indigenous people (Casper Star Tribune) 8/20/19
Native Sun News Today: Lawsuit targets tribal takeover of IHS hospital (Indianz) 8/14/19
Tribes receive $63 million from HUD for housing and community projects (Indianz) 8/7/19
Udall, Khanna: Bipartisan, bicameral bill to improve health care access for Native American veterans (LA Daily Post) 8/12/19
'Grow your own' program can bring health care to Montana's reservations (Helena Independent Record ) 8/12/19
Tribal communities in Michigan use traditional knowledge to tackle modern public health crisis (Michigan Public Radio) 8/8/19
A historic affordable housing project for urban Natives is underway in Portland (Indian Country Today) 8/6/19
Summit equips Native youths, communities for healthy living (Rapid City Journal) 8/5/19
Why are so many Native Americans missing from the last census? Why it matters and what's being done now (West Fargo Pioneer) 7/31/19
Restoring balance: A wellness program for Native American cancer survivors (Navajo-Hopi Observer) 7/30/19
To advance well-being in Indian Country, limit the health harms of incarceration (Health Affairs) 7/30/19
Indian Health Service announces new Navajo area director (Indian Country Today) 7/29/19
When we protect Indigenous women we are protecting the environment (Medium) 7/27/19
Native Sun News Today: Oglala Sioux Tribe expands home for elders (Indianz) 7/25/19
Wind River wellness court to be re-established (Wyoming Public Media) 7/25/19
MSU News: Blackfeet Nation shares in grant to promote food sovereignty (Indianz) 7/23/19
Mary Otto: Dental care program saves lives in Alaska Native communities (Indianz) 7/23/19
Kaiser Health News: Eastern Cherokees assert sovereignty for health (Indianz) 7/23/19
Indian Health Service faulted for closure of Rosebud Sioux emergency room (Indianz) 7/22/19
Government hospitals put Native Americans at opioid risk, audit says (PBS) 7/22/19
Tribes prepare for historic management of troubled Indian Health Service hospital (Indianz) 7/18/19
Cronkite News: Havasupai Tribe hindered by inadequate internet (Indianz) 7/12/19
Wind River tribes to restart wellness courts (Gillette News Record) 7/15/19
Nez-Lizer administration reaffirms commitment to former uranium miners and downwinders (Navajo-Hopi Observer) 7/9/19
U's innovative workforce training will help address American Indian health gaps (Minnesota Star-Tribune) 7/8/19
Making sure the Census counts Indian Country (Indian Country Today) 7/2/19
The fight over Native American adoptions is about more than just the children (Time) 7/2/19
First cancer center opens on Native American reservation (The Seattle Times) 6/27/19
Pine Ridge receives federal disaster declaration for flood relief (Rapid City Journal) 6/21/19
In rural Alaska, school districts deal with a legacy of unaddressed contamination (KTOO) 6/19/19
Tribal management on the way for troubled Indian Health Service hospital (Indianz) 6/12/19
Attacking the root cause of the opioid crisis in Indian Country by suing big pharma (Indian Country Today) 6/11/19
Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force meets for the first time (The Independent Record) 6/11/19
Indigenous people face higher suicide rates in Washington jails (High Country News) 6/7/19
Andrew Woolford: Understanding genocide and the missing and murdered (Indianz) 6/7/19
Native American groups wary of big U.S. biobank (Science Magazine) 5/31/19
Census head assures Latinos, Native Americans on 2020 count (Miami Herald) 5/29/19
Indian Country Today: 'The #MeToo movement has skipped Indian country' (Indianz) 5/28/19
Navajo Nation and National Institutes of Health efforts tribal data-sharing agreement recognized (Indian Country Today) 5/27/19
Three tribes selected as grantees for First Nations' "Changing Native Food Economies" project (First Nations Development Institute) 5/21/19
Oregon joins effort to solve crimes against Native women (Montreal Gazette) 5/20/19
Havasupai secures license to retain, expand internet access (The Arizona Daily Sun) 5/19/19
Congressional hearing on Chemawa lays out possible fixes to 'total crisis' (Oregon Public Radio) 5/16/19
Native American tribes across the country are pushing for better internet access (Time) 5/14/19
Coalition seeks answers about children who went missing at U.S. Indian boarding school via United Nations (Indian Country Today) 5/14/19
Colville Tribe sues opioid manufacturers, distributors (The Chewelah Independent) 5/10/19
Representative Gallego introduces bipartisan legislation to address the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (Indian Country Today) 5/7/19
Montana Native American health center given $1.65M in grants (Miami Herald) 5/2/19
Rep. Haaland leads historic bill to increase focus on missing and murdered indigenous women (Native News Online) 5/2/19 (See 116th Congress H.R.2438)
Native Sun News Today: Two tribes renew effort to manage Indian hospital (Indianz) 5/1/19
HUD delays new FHA guidelines after lawsuit (Scotsman Guide) 4/25/19
Supreme Court [SD] nixes transfer of child abuse and neglect case to tribal court (Rapid City Journal) 4/24/19 (See People in Interest of E.T.)
Nebraska Indigenous Child Welfare nonprofit mobilizes to protect ICWA (Native News Online) 4/25/19
Navajo Nation wins appeal in Indian Child Welfare Act Case (Arizona Public Media) 4/24/19
Missing indigenous women spotlighted as bill signed (The Seattle Times) 4/24/19
Montana Free Press: Medicaid expansion supported by Indian Country finally passes (Indianz) 4/23/19
Bay Mills Indian community files lawsuit against opioid manufacturers (Indianz) 4/23/19
UMass Boston leading statewide program to prevent addiction among Native Youth (UMass Boston News) 4/23/19
GAO study finds federal agencies' tribal consultation policies for infrastructure projects inconsistent, inadequate (U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs) 4/22/19
Cherokee Nation fights opioid misues through educaion, prevention programs (Native News Online) 4/18/19
Udall, Lujan, New Mexico delegation introduce legislation to address health disaparities for Native Americans living in urban areas off the reservation (Native News Online) 4/16/19 (See 116th Congress S.1180)
Amy Goodman: Tribes fight the invisible crisis of opioids in their communities (Indianz) 4/12/19
Oglala Sioux Tribe welcomes reopening of grocery store on Pine Ridge Reservation (Indianz) 4/10/19
Presidential task force for protecting Native children in IHS takes first steps (Indian Country Today) 4/9/19
Proposed law would make it easier for Native Americans to argue their side in child custody cases (Daily Bulletin) 4/9/19
Oneida Nation calls on tribes & state to work together on opioid crisis & climate change (WUWM Milwuakee's NPR) 4/9/19
American Indian adoptees deal with painful past and family seperations (Indian Country Today) 4/8/19
Udall, Heinrich, Lujan, Haaland announce more than $114 million to Indian Health Service for 3 New Mexico facilities (U.S. Senator Tom Udall) 4/5/19
Gray offered training on tribal codes related to elder abuse (Center for Rural Health) 4/5/19
Udall, Senate Indian Affairs Committee Democrats: Trump administration's attempts to dismantle Affordable Care Act threaten American Indian and Alaska Native health (Native News Online) 4/4/19
VAWA bill would create limited 'Indian Country' for 5 Alaska tribes (Alaska Public Media) 4/3/19 (See 116th Congress H.R.1585)
Murder is the third leading cause of death among Alaska Native women. Here's what Lisa Murkowski is doing about it (Juneau Empire) 4/3/19
Haaland introduces VAWA amendments to combat missing and murdered indigenous women crisis (Congresswoman Deb Haaland) 4/2/19 (See 116th Congress H.R.1585)
House moves closer to passage of Violence Against Women Act (Indianz) 4/1/19 (See 116th Congress H.R.1585)
Tulsa U.S. attorney will review 'failures' that led to abuse of Native American children as part of Trump task force (Tulsa World) 3/26/19
Appeals court hears case on adoptions of Native Americans (Navajo-Hopi Observer) 3/26/19
'A State of Emergency': Native Americans stranded for days by flooding (The New York Times) 3/24/19
Hundreds of cities, counties, and Native American tribes file federal lawsuit against slacker family over opioid crisis (CNN) 3/24/19
Colorado is out of compliance with Indian Child Welfare Act (The Durango Herald) 3/23/19
Fawn Sharp: The attack on the Indian Child Welfare Act cannot stand (Indianz) 3/21/19
Native American veterans fight on for support and recognition (KLCC) 3/20/19
Latest edition of ABA book outlines new regulation of the Indian Child Welfare Act (American Bar) 3/19/18
Native Sun News Today: New panhandling law called racist toward Indian people (Indianz) 3/19/19
Indian Child Welfare Act likely headed to Supreme Court (Indianz) 3/19/19 (See Brackeen v. Zinke)
AUDIO: 5th Circuit Court of Appeals oral arguments in Brackeen v. Zinke (Indianz) 3/13/19 (See Brackeen v. Zinke)
Subcommittee Hearing: Unmasking the hidden crisis of murdered and missing Indigenous women (MMIW): Exploring solutions to end the cycle of violence (Natural Resources Committee) 3/14/19
'They are not your children': Future of Indian Child Welfare Act in hands of appeals court (Indianz) 3/14/19 (See Brackeen v. Zinke) (See Materials from Turtle Talk)
Lawsuit blames Indian Health Service and 'rent-a-doc' for Lakota woman's death (Indianz) 3/14/19
ICWA plaintiffs ask U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case (Rapid City Journal) 3/12/19 (See Brackeen v. Zinke)
House subcommittee schedules hearing on missing and murdered Indigenous women (Indianz) 3/8/19
'Historical trauma': Native communities grapple with missing and murdered women (Cronkite News Arizona PBS) 3/4/19
Native women make up high number of missing person reports (The Washington Times) 3/2/19
Study of missing Native American women and children approved (Nebraksa Unicameral Update) 3/1/19
Indian Health Service releases five-year plan to guide ongoing efforts in providing quality health care (Native News Online) 2/28/19
Sen. Mike Rounds: Indian Health Service fails its trust and treaty obligations (Indianz) 2/22/19
National Native organizations respond to reply briefs in Brackeen v. Bernhardt (Alaska Native News) 2/21/19
Navajo Nation declares emergency due to winter weather conditions (Native News Online) 2/20/19
Indigenous food sovereignty panel address community engagement and sustainability (Yale Group for the Study of Native America) 2/19/19
Native Americans are disproportionately affected by abestos-related illnesses. Efforts are being made to lessen this impact and Native Americans communities are leading the way (Legal Reader) 2/7/19
Native American missing women bill advances in Nebraska (The Herald) 2/7/19
Legislation to provide housing for homeless veterans in Indian Country passes Committee (Native News Online) 2/7/19 (See 116th Congres S.257)
Native Americans face greater risk of becoming problem gamblers (KCUR) 2/5/19
Navajo Nation lauds Utah for pledge to keep Native families intact (Deseret News) 2/4/19
New bill seeks to protect Native American communities affected by government shutdown (WBAL) 2/2/19 (See 116th Congress S.229)
Udall, Tester, Hoeven, Isakson fight to curb veteran homelessness in Indian Country (Los Alamos Daily Post) 1/31/19 (See 116th Congress S.257)
Bill to require tracking of missing Native women advances (U.S. News) 1/30/19 (See 116th Congress S.227)
Cortez Masto cosponsors bipartisan legislation to improve tribal victim services (U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto) 1/30/19 (See 115th Congress S.1870)
Senate Committee passes Barrasso bill to improve safety on tribal roads (U.S. Senator John Barrasso) 1/29/19 (See 116th Congress S.207)
House committee considers bill creating task force on missing, murdered Indigenous women (MPR News) 1/29/19 (See 116th Congress S.227)
Navajo County sues drug companies (White Mountain Independent) 1/29/19
Mille Lacs Band urges lawmakers to increase state support to combatt opioids (Brainerd Dispatch) 1/26/19
Alaska fights ruling on Native adoption law (The Bristol Bay Times) 1/25/19
Native Sun News Today: Former Indian Health Service doctor sentenced for abusing boys (Indianz) 1/24/19
Mills moves ahead with plans to reshape Maine's approach to opiate addiction, tribal relations (Bangor Daily News) 1/24/19
Sexual violence rates higher against Native American women (The Daily Universe) 1/23/19
How trafficking in Indigenous communities has been ignored by Trump (The Durango Herald) 1/23/19
Bill seeking data on missing Indigenous people to be widened (Bristol Herald Courier) 1/23/19
Lawmakers, advocates say shutdown's impact hits hardest in tribal areas (Navajo-Hopi Observer) 1/22/19
2018 ICWA by the numbers (Turtle Talk) 1/15/19
Tribes offer overwhelming support for Indian Child Welfare Act (Navajo-Hopi Observer) 1/22/19 (See Brackeen v. Zinke)
Federal workers union sues over shutdown; 'pay stubs reflect zero income' (Indian Country Today) 1/18/19
Murkowski, Young file amicus brief in support of Indian Child Welfare Law (United States Senator Lisa Murkowski) 1/16/19 (See Brackeen v. Zinke)
Attorney General Ferguson urges appeals court to preserve Indian Child Welfare Act (Washington State, Office of the Attorney General) 1/15/19 (See Brackeen v. Zinke)
Tribes face food and medicine crisis as shutdown continues, lawmakers are told (The Washington Post) 1/15/19
Adoption didn't solve the 'Indian Problem' (High Country News) 1/9/19
Woman in coma who gave birth to baby boy is a tribal citizen of San Carlos Apache Tribe (Native News Online) 1/9/19
Urban Indigenous communities push for action to address violence against women (Seattle Weekly) 1/9/19
Shutdown impacts Native American's ability to get health services (NPR) 1/8/19
Government shutdown strikes home on Wind River reservation (Wyoming Public Media) 1/4/19
