Unveiling Thanksgiving’s Dark Past: The Ongoing Health Inequities of the U.S.’s Indigenous Communities and Ways to Resolve Them

ANAGHAH SANIKAPALLY – The health disparities facing Indigenous communities in the United States have continued to persist with deep-rooted historical origins. Despite advancements in healthcare, Indigenous populations continue to confront significant health inequities, including higher rates of chronic illnesses and barriers to accessing essential healthcare services. 

The health inequities prevalent among Indigenous communities are intrinsically tied to a historical narrative marked by colonization, land dispossession, and systematic cultural erasure. The arrival of European settlers introduced infectious diseases, triggering devastating epidemics that left lasting health challenges. The forced relocations of the U.S.’s Indigenous communities to areas that they were not accustomed to also contributed to environmental hardships that now compound with the health disparities that we see today.

Colonial policies further exacerbated this health divide by suppressing and erasing Indigenous healing practices and imposing Western medical norms. The trauma stemming from these historical injustices continues to manifest in current generations, influencing the health outcomes of Indigenous individuals and communities.

Our Indigenous communities grapple with a range of health challenges: higher rates of diabetes, with approximately 45% of children in many U.S. American Indian/Alaskan Native communities being reported as overweight or obese; cardiovascular diseases, of which Indigenous communities are around 50% more likely to be diagnosed with coronary heart diseases than white Americans; and mental health issues such as suicide, PTSD, and substance abuse disorders. More specifically, Native communities experience higher rates of alcohol-related deaths (51.9/100,000) compared to the broader U.S. population (11.7/100,000), alongside overdose death rates increasing by 39%. The main contributors to these disparities are socioeconomic factors—poverty, substandard housing, and limited education access. Coupled with historical geographic isolation and insufficient infrastructure in Indigenous areas, these communities continue to be ostracized from vital healthcare services.

Access to quality healthcare remains a considerable challenge for Indigenous communities. Insufficient funding for Indian Health Service (I.H.S.) facilities, designed to serve Indigenous populations, results in understaffed clinics and resource shortages. Geographic remoteness and transportation issues compounded with cultural mistrust due to the erasure and imposition adds another layer of complexity to the issue, leading to Indigenous communities being hesitant in seeking Western medical care.

I believe that to adequately counter the inequities that the U.S.’s Indigenous communities face, there should be an increase in funding for I.H.S. facilities, alongside infrastructure development and targeted healthcare workforce recruitment. Policies must prioritize a positive community response and engagement, recognizing and integrating traditional uses of herbs, manipulative therapies, rituals, and ceremonial prayer into healthcare delivery alongside Western methods. Education campaigns and cultural competency training for healthcare professionals are also essential to overcome communication barriers and heal the distrust that Indigenous communities have in Western medical establishments. For example, educational campaigns that would train healthcare professionals to enact early interventions such as recommending patients to nutritionists, conducting routine blood glucose checks, and implementing initial screenings for chronic uncontrolled hypertension, renal disease, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer would make significant improvements in the issues that our Native communities face.

Understanding the historical context of Indigenous healthcare disparities, deconstructing these barriers, and implementing policies that prioritize cultural sensitivity and community engagement are crucial steps toward achieving health equity. It is only through collaborative, informed, and culturally competent initiatives that America can hope to address the ongoing health disparities that our Indigenous communities face, and work towards a future where everyone has equitable access to adequate healthcare.

Copy Editor – Priya Jani

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