Breaking Down Cultural Barriers
On a recent visit to Seattle Children's Hospital in Seattle, WA, I learned about some of the health care challenges faced by American Indians and Alaska Natives living in both urban and rural settings in the United States. Serving as the pediatric referral hospital for Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho, Seattle Children's has a unique perspective on providing care to a large area with diverse populations.
Millions of American Indians and Alaska Natives living in or near cities face significant heath care disparities but are seemingly invisible to health care providers and federal and state policy-makers, according to a report released by the Urban Indian Health Commission (UIHC) entitled Invisible Tribes: Urban Indians and Their Health in a Changing World.
Many of these citizens may see an end to funding from the Indian Health Service or may be ineligible for or unable to use the health services offered. And even when urban Indians do manage to access health care, they must overcome additional barriers such as cultural misunderstandings and communication obstacles.
To make heath care more accessible for the Alaska Native children and families it serves, Seattle Children's provides language and other assistance to patients coming from various tribes-each with their own dialect. What can your facility do on a local and national level to make access to health care easier for this sector of our country's population?