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Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
April 30, 2014
New reports show high disparity in mortality rates
Records show that Native
American death rates were
nearly 50 percent greater
than rates among non-His-
panic whites during 1999-
2009.
This rate was for both
men and women combined.
The new findings were
announced through a series
of Center for Disease Con-
trol reports released online
last week by the American
Journal of Public Health.
The center’s Division of
Cancer Prevention and Con-
trol led the project, and col-
laborated with CDC’s Na-
tional Center for Health Sta-
tistics and other CDC re-
searchers, the Indian Health
Service, partners from tribal
groups, universities, and state
health departments. Key find-
ings:
· Among Native Ameri-
can people, cancer is the lead-
ing cause of death followed
by heart disease. Among other
races, it is the opposite.
· Death rates from lung
cancer have shown little im-
provement in Native Ameri-
can populations. Native
people have the highest preva-
lence of tobacco use of any
population in the United
States.
· Deaths from injuries
were higher among Native
American people compared
to non-Hispanic whites.
· Suicide rates were nearly
50 percent higher for Native
American people compared
to non-Hispanic whites, and
more frequent among Native
American males and persons
younger than age 25.
· Death rates from motor
vehicle crashes, poisoning,
and falls were two times
higher among Native Ameri-
can people than for non-His-
panic whites.
· Death rates were higher
among Native American in-
fants compared to non-His-
panic whites infants. Sudden
infant death syndrome and
unintentional injuries were
more common. Native
American infants were four
times more likely to die from
pneumonia and influenza.
· By region, the greatest
death rates were in the North-
ern Plains and Southern
Plains. The lowest death rates
were in the East and the
Southwest.
“The new detailed exami-
Mothers Day Powwow at U of O
The Forty-Sixth Annual
Mothers Day Powwow at the
University of Oregon in Eu-
gene is May 9-11. The pow-
wow will be at the Mathew
Knight Arena.
Grand entries are Friday
at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 1
and 7 p.m.
Dinner on Saturday is
from 5-6:30. And the Salmon
Bake at the Many Nations
Longhouse will be Sunday at
noon.
Business class at COCC Madras
Central Oregon Commu-
nity Council’s Small Business
Development Center is giv-
ing a workshop for people
contemplating business own-
ership:
Class I is on Tuesday, May
20 at COCC Madras Cam-
pus from 6-8 p.m.
The two-hour “Business
Start-Up” session covers all
Indian Fair
at Newport
The Siletz Indian Fair will
be on Saturday, May 10 at
the National Guard Armory
in Newport.
Everyone is invited to at-
tend this free event from
noon to 5 p.m. There will be
food and crafts for sale, dis-
plays of regalia and artifacts
and presentations about the
Siletz Tribe.
Salena Sahme is
entering the Portland
Marathon in October
and is fundraising
now to purchase a
hand cycle for her to
compete with.
Salena has been
a paraplegic for
three years. All do-
nations small or
large will be appre-
ciated. You can
contact Salena at
541-325-1838.
Blood drive
An American Red Cross
Blood Drive will be held on
May 21 from noon to 5.
To schedule a time call 1-
800-RED-CROSS or online:
redcrossblood.org.
the basic steps needed to
open a business. Cost is $29.
Pre-registration is required.
Call 541-383-7290 to regis-
ter.
The report con-
cludes that patterns
of mortality are
strongly influenced
by the high incidence
of diabetes, smok-
ing prevalence,
problem drinking,
and health-harming
social determinants.
nation of death records of-
fers the most accurate and
current information available
on deaths among the Ameri-
can Indian and Alaska Native
populations,” said Dr. David
Espey, acting director of
CDC’s Division of Cancer
Prevention and Control.
“Now, we can better char-
acterize and track the health
status of these populations–
a critical step to address health
disparities.”
Accurate reporting
Correct reporting of Na-
tive American death rates has
been a persistent challenge
for public health experts.
Previous studies showed
that nearly 30 percent of
people who identified them-
selves as Native American
when living, are classified as
another race at the time of
death.
The new studies address
race misclassification in two
ways. First, the authors linked
U.S. National Death Index
records with IHS registration
records to more accurately
identify the race of Native
American people who had
died. Second, the authors fo-
cused their analyses on the
IHS’s Contract Health Ser-
vice Delivery Area counties,
where about 64 percent of
Native American persons live.
Fewer race misclassification
errors occur in CHSDA data
than in death records.
The authors reviewed
trends from 1990 through
2009, and compared death
rates between Native Ameri-
can people and non-Hispanic
whites by geographic regions
for a more recent time pe-
riod (1999-2009).
strongly influenced by the
high incidence of diabetes,
smoking prevalence, problem
drinking, and health-harming
social determinants.
Many of the observed
excess deaths can be ad-
dressed through evidence-
based public health interven-
tions.
“The Indian Health Ser-
vice is grateful for this im-
portant research and encour-
aged about its potential to
help guide efforts to improve
health and wellness among
American Indians and Alaska
Natives,” said Dr. Yvette
Roubideaux, acting IHS direc-
tor.
“Having more accurate
data along with our under-
standing of the contributing
social factors can lead to more
aggressive public health inter-
ventions that we know can
make a difference.”
For more information, the
articles from the report are
in the AJPH “First Look”
early online section. Visit:
ajph.aphapublications.org
For information on CDC’s
efforts in cancer prevention
and control, visit:
cdc.gov/cancer/.
The Affordable Care Act,
also known as the health care
law, was created to expand
access to coverage, control
health care costs, and im-
prove health care quality and
coordination. The ACA also
includes permanent reautho-
rization of the Indian Health
Care Improvement Act,
which extends current law and
authorizes new programs and
services within the Indian
Health Service.
Visit healthcare.gov or call
1-800-318-2596 (TTY/TDD
1-855-889-4325) to learn
more.
Influencing factors
The report concludes that
patterns of mortality are
OSU Day offering workshops
Oregon State University
Day will offer a variety of
workshops for all ages.
OSU will be on Satur-
day, May 10 from 10 a.m.
to 3 p.m. at the Central
Oregon Agriculture Re-
search Center in Madras.
You can sign up and
learn about the different
classes being offered by
calling 541-475-7107.
You can also follow the
link:
oregonstate.edu/dept/
coarc/events
First VegFest at COCC in Bend
The first annual Bend
VegFest, a day-long celebra-
tion to promote plant-based
foods and other animal-free
products will take place on
Saturday, May 31. Bend
VegFest will be held at the
Cascade Culinary Institute on
the COCC campus from 9
a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more
information see:
BendVegFest.org
2321 Ollallie Lane (PO Box 6)
Warm Springs, OR 97761
Call 541-553-1182