Giving Compass' Take:

• Annie Belcourt explains how native Americans are working to overcome the healthcare inequalities that contribute to their shortened lives. 

• How can funders support these efforts to reduce inequalities? 

• Learn about human services' role in improving healthcare. 

I was an American Indian student pursuing a doctoral degree in clinical psychology in the 1990s, when I realized the stark contrast between my life experiences growing up on my home reservation and those of my non-Native peers.

Many incredible family members and friends had sacrificed and broken a trail for me to realize my academic dreams. My rich and generous native culture and traditional ways helped sustain my family over the years.

However, as each year of school unfolded, I lost family members due to early causes of death, including homicide, suicide, motor vehicle accidents, cancer, and pneumonia. I had to drive over four hours to the nearest Indian Health Service for prenatal visits for my children and nearly lost one child due to lack of access to proper medical care.

Unfortunately, my story isn’t uncommon for most Native Americans. As a collective, American Indians and Alaska Natives live more challenging and shorter lives. These are statistics I’m acutely aware of as a researcher in clinical psychology. Understanding the sources of and solutions to these inequalities is the focus of my career.

Indian Health Service is in the position to change these trends for the better. Outside of Native communities, few Americans know what this agency does, that its leadership is under fire, and that the current nominee to head this IHS is a controversial figure. There is much work to be done to reverse American Indian health problems.

Read the full article about Native American health care inequality by Annie Belcourt at GOOD Magazine.