American Indian & Alaska Native People (AI-AN)

This Issue Brief describes changes in the uninsured rate, health coverage, and access to care for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) and discusses key policies for this population, including how the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) builds on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and invests additional resources in the Indian health care system.

National health surveillance instruments are intended to monitor important health issues and health status of all populations in the United States. Several population subgroups present with disparities in health conditions and health care. To effectively create programs and policies to address these issues requires accurate identification of key population subgroups.

Between 1996 and 2013, there was a 54% decrease in the incidence of diabetes-related end-stage renal disease (ESRD-DM) in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/ AN) populations. This decline has occurred since the Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) was established in 1997.

The Indian Health Service (IHS) serves approximately 2.2 million American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people in the U.S. According to surveillance data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, AI/AN populations have the highest incidence of acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the highest rate of HCV-related mortality relative to other racial and ethnic groups.

This report summarizes strategies Indian Health Service (IHS) clinics have used to implement the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model of care, challenges they faced during implementation, and lessons learned that might benefit IHS clinics that have not yet received PCMH recognition.  Common strategies to address challenges include use of telemedicine and partnerships with academic me

This study expands upon the analysis of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) begun in “Provider Retention in High Need Areas and continued in “The National Health Service Corps:  An Extended Analysis” by using the same techniques used in these earlier studies to examine retention patterns in Indian Health providers..  The study finds about 81% of the IHS program participants serve

This report summarizes findings from an environmental scan about practices and programs addressing trauma and related behavioral health needs among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth.

By: Minh Wendt (a), Shondelle Wilson-Frederick (a), Samuel Wu (a), and Emily R. Gee (b) (a) Office of Minority Health

This exploratory study provides background information pertaining to an American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Suicide Prevention Hotline.