IHS
By Santee Ross, University of Montana
Medical care is something of a joke in Indian Country.
If you need medical assistance from Indian Health Services you can expect to wait hours and hours only to be given some aspirin for the pain, and antibiotics so you don’t die of infection.
This is why I always laugh when my mom tells me to go to the clinic when we have Tylenol in the bathroom.
Health care has been a poplar topic in almost every community in America especially the Native American communities. The ideas or threats for new health care plans have flooded headlines in newspapers and have even become discussion topics for many programs and debates, but this isn’t something new in Indian Country.
While the general population tries to find a solution to many health care issue, Native Americans are also trying to to solve their own issues with health care in the United States.
By Santee Ross, University of Montana
“You’re white and middle class…I’m not sure you will understand me.” That sounds like it could be a common saying especially for Indians but it was the title of a presentation at the University of Montana’s Day of Dialogue last Thursday.
