Promises, Promises: Indian Healthcare Needs Unmet

Very few educated Americans want to live in these extremely rural areas. Would any of these posters who think the care sucks want to pack up themselves and their families and move to a reservation? I don't have any answers except to move the reservations closer to Starbucks!
I do have a doctor friend who retired from her NYC practice to live on and serve a reservation in Az. and loves it, but this is an unusual story. For decent care, I think the providers have to come from the native American community - you need a not of educational infrastructure to get it done. Maybe boarding school for the talented native students who can be exposed to educational standards good enough to get them into medical fields. I don't think enough kids can make it spending their youth on the reservations. I have come to believe (from long life) that poverty can be cured only one student at a time. These schools could be comprised of entirely native students - there's a lot of them out there.

Here's one of those subtle intercultural moments: Native people have had such bad experience with boarding schools designed by others for their children that even the greatest, most culturally respectful boarding school in the world would have an uphill battle for attendance. (Because historically us non-Natives have not been the best about being culturally respectful, and as a result have stripped culture from the Nations instead of encouraging biculturally fluent professionals.)

I think this idea would have to come from within the community, be decided by the community, and be mostly run by the community to achieve the benefits you envision.

Some reservations can be rife with factors that discourage children from the daunting task of braving the mostly white colleges. However, there's also a lot of great work being done in terms of grassroots movements towards sobriety and healthier (usually more traditional) living. These efforts don't necessarily get as much airtime as the other images and statistics, but as health professionals we can seek out these efforts to encourage and learn from them.

It's a shame more native american indians just aren't "mainstreamed" and allowed to live where ever they want. Hopefully they are NOT limited to just certain reservations. They should still get all of the "perks" no matter where they live if they can prove their heritage.

Wow, Im kind of curious as to where all this is taking place?
Call me ignorant, but here Native Americans are mainstream, we are everywhere. We live wherever we want, work wherever we want, shop wherever we want...plus we still get tribal benefits.
Am I missing something?? Seriously, this isnt the first time I have heard these things so I am really curious, I guess things are just totally different depending on where you go in the country?? Someone please fill me in.

I just think its a shame that anyone, regardless of heritage, could be treated like this. Unfortunately, we hear the stories everyday....

Well it bet a good lawyer could sue them. Find something, like violation of their civil rights or something like that.

My sister applied to the health service (she's an MD, and wanted to give back). She found out (just her experience) that they weren't interested when they found out she wasn't native american. Which is actually a hoot, since our great grandad's on the 1921 roll of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee, and technically we could claim it. With blond hair and green eyes, it would just look really, really stupid if she did.

There has to be more to it than that nerdtonurse (love your name BTW).
We have many many non-natives working here.
BUT if it comes down to hiring native vs non-native the native will be hired.

And there are lots and lots of blonde haired blue eyes native americans.

We arent all dark skinned with dark hair and eyes. I found your last line pretty offensive. I am native and I have light brown hair and green eyes, does that make me look stupid to???

Not what I meant. It would just look stupid for me or my sister to run around saying we're a Cherokee when I look like we look like our Danish greatgrandma, not our Cherokee great grandpa, especially if one of us was looking for a job on the reservation -- it would look like we were as suddenly claiming it just to get a leg up on a job. It would feel disrespectful to me if I did that.

you all do realize that not all natives live on reservations right? and not all indian healthcare is based on reservations right??
I find what you said more disrespectful than anything... I dont look indian, i look like a mix of german and irish from my other grandparents, does that make me any less native american??
It wouldnt really matter if you were claiming it "to get a leg up on a job" because unless you have a CDIB saying it, in their eyes, your not.
Im not trying to argue with you here. Im just saying my opinions and your comments hit me rather harshly. Its like you are ashamed of it or something just because you dont look like the "typical" native american. Well I dont either, but I am proud of my ancestry, all of it, and I dont think I look stupid claiming it just because I dont look it.