Native Health Underfunded and Promises Unfulfilled: The Importance of Investing in the Indian Health Service

“If the Indian Health Service was fully funded, we would be able to implement some of the programs we can’t currently offer. And I believe there would be a direct correlation between increased funding and improved health status for Native people.” –Dr. Donna Polk-Primm, CEO, Nebraska Urban Indian Health Coalition

Prescriptions for Produce: A Step Towards Food Justice

According to this New York Times article ((Singer, Natasha, “Eat an Apple (Doctor’s Orders),” New York Times, August 12, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/13/business/13veggies.html?_r=1)), doctors at three health care centers in Massachusetts are handing out “prescriptions” (coupons) for patients to use at farmers’ markets. These coupons are part of an effort to promote healthy eating and combat childhoodContinue reading “Prescriptions for Produce: A Step Towards Food Justice”

Washington CAN!: Medical Interpretation Victory Empowers Patients and Workers

For eight years, I was the interpreter for my father while he was sick. At the age of 14, I was more his interpreter than his daughter. I worried about how I would tell my father that another part of his leg would be amputated or whether he was going to survive another surgery. SometimesContinue reading “Washington CAN!: Medical Interpretation Victory Empowers Patients and Workers”