AMERICAN INDIAN HEALTH Innovations in Health Care, Promotion, and Policy

Disease processes among American Indians and Alaska Natives often have distinct manifestations that need to be considered by clinicians and health policy makers involved with these populations. Equally important, all aspects of Indian life--including health--are governed by the special relationship between Indian tribes and the U.S. federal government. In American Indian Health, Everett R. Rhoades brings his extensive expertise to bear on these themes--he is an American Indian physician specializing in internal medicine and infectious diseases; from 1982 to 1993 he served as assistant surgeon general, and he was the first Indian director of the Indian Health Service. In this book, Rhoades gathers experts to present a comprehensive assessment of the health of American Indian peoples and the delivery of health services to them. The book is organized into four parts. Part I describes the migration and history of aboriginal peoples in North America, health conditions before Columbus, and demographic characteristics of Indians. Part II discusses the relations of Indian nations to the U.S. government, the history and organization of the Indian Health Service, and data sources for the Indian population. Part III forms the bulk of the book (chaps. 7-22); it addresses specific health problems, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, injury, suicide, and alcoholism. Part IV looks at the interaction of traditional Indian and modern Western medicine, cultural considerations involved in providing care to Indians, and research ethics. "The volume fills a previously vacant niche for scholars, students, policymakers, and clinicians with regard to the health of American Indians and Alaska Natives. American Indian Healthdeserves a place on the shelf of anyone with a serious interest in this field, as it stands alone as a single-volume reference about health and health care of American Indians and Alaska Natives"--JAMA "This book tells one of the great untold tales of health care in the United States: the campaign to improve the health of American Indians and Alaskan Natives. The true richness of this book lies in the beginning and the end. Its opening chapters start with a fascinating look at the origins of aboriginal populations of North America and their health conditions before Columbus. Then, the authors take us to an insightful historical and contemporary view of Indian-white relations and the history and organization of the Indian health care systems. The ending of the book covers such essential topics as traditional Indian medicine, cultural considerations in providing care to this population, conducting research among American Indians/Alaskan Natives, and the future of Indian health care in the United States."--Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine "This very needed book gives an overview of the history and current state of American Indian health with an emphasis on the role of the Indian Health Service. The book is important reading for scholars and students of public health and Indian policy, and it offers valuable insights to those working in public health programs in the developing world. It is also a very useful text for courses in public health, sociology, and epidemiology."--Philip A. May, The University of New Mexico "American Indian Health is a detailed, authoritative, and well-written volume that will be of great value to all those interested in American Indian/Native American health and public health in general." --Journal of Community Health "Well written and authoritative, and, in many parts, energetic and spirited. It provides excellent insights into the political and administrative arena of Indian health, as well as a review of some of the most important disease entities. In addition, it does so from a native perspective, blending in and emphasizing the cultural aspects of illness with the medical perspectives of those illnesses."--James M. Galloway, Lancet

Everett R. Rhoades, M.D., is director of the Native American Prevention Research Center at the University of Oklahoma College of Public Health and an adjunct professor of medicine, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. From 1982 to 1993 he served as assistant surgeon general, and he was the first American Indian director of the Indian Health Service.