Native Americans suffer from higher infant mortality, lower life expectancy, diabetes at epidemic levels, and cancer-related disparities higher than any minority group in the U.S.

Immediate Relief

Health

Partnership With Native Americans' (PWNA) health services support hundreds of reservation programs that address preventative care, home health visits and health education initiatives for tribal members. We also support reservation partners who motivate healthy involvement in community service.

Native Americans endure a legacy of healthcare disparities, leading to disproportionate disease rates. People living on the remote reservations PWNA serves rely on Indian Health Service (IHS) clinics for medical care. Severely underfunded and understaffed for the size and location of the populations it serves, IHS focuses on healthcare crises rather than preventive care. Transportation too is an impediment to healthcare because of the long distances to clinics and the lack of transportation.

The healthy lifestyle programs offered by our reservation partners and supported by PWNA serves 250,000 Native Americans each year.

PWNA supports reservations partners offering:
  • health screenings for diabetes, high blood pressure, tuberculosis and cancer
  • education classes on healthy nutrition and diabetes prevention
  • immunizations, pre- and post-natal care, and parenting classes
  • health visits with those who are homebound or otherwise unable to access services

(Related programs: Northern Plains Reservation Aid (NPRA) - formerly American Indian Relief Council (AIRC), Southwest Reservation Aid (SWRA) - formerly Council of Indian Nations (CIN), Native American Aid (NAA), Navajo Relief Fund (NRF), Sioux Nation Relief Fund (SNRF) and Southwest Indian Relief Council (SWIRC))