| The genesis of national health care policy has been a long process in Indian Country, and like today, the President was at the forefront. Presidential addresses morphed over time to include and clearly expressing concern for, a "vanishing race" after the numerous treaty requests of acquiring land, removing Indians from ancestral lands and introducing infectious diseases. Treaties were the vehicles for acquiring such health provisions. Health provision language did not clearly enter treaty language until 1832. Prior to, and after, utilized treaty terms were care, protection, parental care and guardianship. The emergence of federal government health programs commenced in the War Department, then shifted to the Department of the Interior and finally, it is housed in the Department of Health and Human Services. Indian Health Services (IHS) is the primary health care provider for many American Indians and Alaskan Natives, from reservations to urban settings. Services facilities include hospitals and clinics that house dentist and optometrist, along with emergency and acute care practices. Regardless of the various programs and facilities, American Indians and Alaskan Native suffer from the worst health conditions, with illnesses transitioning from infectious diseases to chronic diseases, a product of environment and education. |
