"For my “Prairie Voices” interview feature that will appear on the Sunday Herald's Insight page, I spoke with Dr. Monica Mayer, a physician in private practice at the Trinity Community Clinic in New Town, N.D. I did so because she and I had previously talked about the astounding number of patients she has who have diabetes or are alcoholic on Indian reservations, especially the Fort Berthold Reservation, where she works.
Mayer has contributed hours and hours of her time toward ridding the community of diabetes and alcoholism. Her mother and my childhood friend, Avis, is a victim of diabetes.
Mayer also has taken aim at alcoholism, which she calls the scourge of Indian reservations. The statistics might be pushing against the top scale of the alcohol abuse charts, too. Combined, these diseases keep the doors of Trinity Community Clinic and the Indian Health clinic in New Town swinging so fast that the health care providers sometimes are left exhausted and frustrated, she told me.
Mayer has taken some hardcore users and handled them with threats and challenges, but she always combines this “tough love” with kindness and nurturing.
It is amazing how many young professionals there are on or near reservations today. I believe the Three Affiliated Tribes have about five doctors who are members of the tribe and who work on or near the area. We have many, many more nurses - some with masters' degrees.
Mayer is an example of those health professionals we are seeing more and more of on Indian reservations. They are our people taking care of their own."
Get the Story:Dorreen Yellow Bird: An Indian doctor comes home (The Grand Forks Herald 11/17)
pwpwd More Dorreen Yellow Bird:
Yellow Bird: From 'Nutcracker' to a 'Beat Down' (11/14)
Yellow Bird: Ghosts haunt Standing Rock veteran (11/7)
Yellow Bird: Reservation center helps those in need (11/5)
Yellow Bird: Put an end to 'Fighting Sioux' nick (10/31)
Yellow Bird: Generosity of Shakopee Tribe (10/24)
Yellow Bird: Foreign journalists shared cultural gifts (10/22)
Yellow Bird: Domestic violence happens every day (10/15)
Yellow Bird: Indian adoptees find their way home (10/10)
Yellow Bird: The BIA and its broken promises (10/8)
Yellow Bird: Halloween marks coming of winter (10/3)
Yellow Bird: Diabetes too common among Indians (10/1)
Yellow Bird: No manual for learning Indian culture (9/26)
Yellow Bird: Exploring the Dahlen esker (9/24)
Yellow Bird: Keeping the community spirit alive (9/19)
Yellow Bird: A short but sweet wild fruit season (9/17)
Yellow Bird: Crying out for better role models (9/12)
Yellow Bird: Sharing culture brings understanding (9/10)
Yellow Bird: Indians don't get 'free ride' at UND (9/5)
Yellow Bird: North Dakota not the next Tornado Alley (8/29)
Yellow Bird: Time for smoke-free tribal casinos (8/27)
Yellow Bird: Elvis Presley still the king of rock'n'roll (8/20)
Yellow Bird: Inside and outside the Sundance circle (8/15)
Yellow Bird: Abuse of Indians reaches back in history (8/13)
Yellow Bird: Preparing for the ritual of the Sundance (07/25)
Yellow Bird: Re-examining tribal governments (7/23)
Yellow Bird: Chippewa man leaves strong legacy (7/18)
Yellow Bird: Seeing history through modern eyes (7/16)
Yellow Bird: Following the Lewis and Clark trail (7/11)
Yellow Bird: Be careful shopping in the wild (7/9)
Yellow Bird: Indians were foreigners in own land (7/5)
Yellow Bird: Yellowstone River needs protection (7/2)
Yellow Bird: Change comes but we can't forget past (6/25)
Yellow Bird: Festival days and prairie nights (6/20)
Yellow Bird: The case of the $54 million pants (6/18)
Yellow Bird: Monarch butterfly a special creature (6/13)
Yellow Bird: Graduates inspire with their lives (6/6)
Yellow Bird: Meth walks our reservations (6/4)
Yellow Bird: Commercials influence our lives (5/30)
Yellow Bird: Remember heroes on Memorial Day (5/28)
Yellow Bird: Blogger lacks facts about Indian life (5/22)
Yellow Bird: Indian culture changes in subtle ways (5/16)
Yellow Bird: Wolf knew it was ready to cross over (5/14)
Yellow Bird: Woman sees world with understanding (5/9)
Yellow Bird: Indian women and spiritual leadership (5/7)
Yellow Bird: Tighten gun control laws in North Dakota (5/3)
Yellow Bird: Easy ways at becoming more green (4/30)
Yellow Bird: School shootings just don't 'happen' (4/18)
Yellow Bird: The Red River Valley Flood of 1997 (4/9)
Yellow Bird: Women of color share their views (4/5)
Yellow Bird: UND powwow needs your support (4/2)
Yellow Bird: UTTC begs for funding year after year (3/26)
Yellow Bird: Even more about colon cancer screening (3/21)
Yellow Bird: Remembering my aunt/mother, Pearl (3/19)
Yellow Bird: Colon cancer screening essential (3/14)
Yellow Bird: Return land to North Dakota tribe (3/12)
Yellow Bird: Native Media Center at UND prospers (3/7)
Yellow Bird: Woody Keeble a true American hero (3/5)
Yellow Bird: Cell phone addiction affects driving (2/28)
Yellow Bird: UND has many reasons to be proud (2/26)
Yellow Bird: Signs of spring already in the air (2/21)
Yellow Bird: US automakers ignore innovation (2/19)
Yellow Bird: Tribes should snuff out smoking too (2/14)
Yellow Bird: On being Black or Indian 'enough' (2/9)
Yellow Bird: Braving the cold North Dakota winter (2/5)
Yellow Bird: Chokecherry for North Dakota state fruit (1/31)
Yellow Bird: Name-calling and bullying in schools (1/24)
Yellow Bird: Climate change impossible to ignore (1/17)
Yellow Bird: Tribes can help Indian doctors program (1/15)
Yellow Bird: Tribes have much to offer North Dakota (1/11)
Yellow Bird: Catching a ride on the Dakota wind (1/2)
