Fronteras reports on the impact of sequestration on the Indian Health Service:
Centuries ago, tribes gave up much of their land to the federal government in exchange for promises of funded health care, education and housing. Time and time again those funds have been cut. The sequestration has been no exception. Even though suicide rates are nearly four times the national average, Indian country’s mental health services have been hit. Amber Ebarb, a budget and policy analyst with the National Congress of American Indians, says sequestration undermines American-Indian treaty rights, and makes a dire situation even worse. “The suicide epidemic is symptomatic of something that’s much deeper,” Ebarb says. “There’s also the issues of historical trauma that continue to plague our communities.” She says those problems include high unemployment, drug use and gang violence.Get the Story:
Sequester hits Native Americans' mental health services (Fronteras 7/18)
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