Healthcare in tribal communities has a lot of problems that make it hard for people to get good care and stay healthy. Some of the problems are not enough money, not enough buildings and equipment, not enough doctors and nurses, differences in beliefs and customs, and bad experiences in the past. Because of these problems, tribal communities often have more people with long-term diseases, mental health issues, and problems with drugs and alcohol compared to other groups.
“Moving away from health disparity research that centers solely on lifestyle choices and behavior changes towards engagement, while recognizing the historical and current inequities provides one way in which health science and information professionals can contribute to improving the health outcomes of these special populations” (Cruise et. al., 2023). To address these challenges and improve healthcare services in tribal communities, various strategies have been implemented. These include:
- Increase Funding: Advocacy efforts are ongoing to secure more funding for healthcare services in tribal communities, to ensure adequate resources for infrastructure, staff, and programs.
- Building Healthcare Infrastructure: Money is being spent to make healthcare better for people in tribal areas. They are building new clinics, getting new medical tools, and offering more services.
- Recruiting and Training Healthcare Personnel: People are trying to find and teach more healthcare workers like doctors, nurses, and community health workers to help more people get the care they need. Healthcare workers are learning about the customs and beliefs of tribes to better help them with their specific healthcare needs.
- Integrating Traditional Healing Practices: A lot of tribal communities are combining old healing ways with modern medicine to give overall care.
- Community-based Programs: Special programs are being set up to teach people in tribal communities about staying healthy and preventing sickness.
- Telehealth: Telehealth services are being used in remote tribal communities to make it easier for people to see a doctor without having to travel far. This means patients can talk to healthcare providers through video calls instead of going to a clinic or hospital in person.
- Partnerships with External Organizations: Partnerships are being made with other groups like schools and non-profit organizations to bring in more help and knowledge to make healthcare services better in tribal communities.
Although some progress is being made, we still need to work harder to fix the problems that cause unfair differences in healthcare for tribal communities. We want to make sure that everyone in these communities can get good healthcare. “To improve health disparities through engagement with Indigenous populations should note that sustainability is possible only through continuous tribal engagement” (Cruise et. al., 2023).
Cruise, A., Ellsworth-Kopkowski, A., Villezcas, A. N., Eldredge, J., & Rethlefsen, M. L. (2023). Academic Health Sciences Libraries’ outreach and engagement with North American Indigenous Communities: A scoping review. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 111(3), 630–656. https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2023.1616