Suicide Crisis on Standing Rock

At a meeting of Tribal Chairs last week, Ron His Horse is Thunder, the Tribal Chair of Standing Rock, told of a re-emerging crisis on the reservation: suicide. There have been 9 since January of this year. Wow, they really need more resources.

Here's an excerpt from an article in the Rapid City Journal

His Horse Is Thunder told Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., Wednesday during a meeting in Fort Yates, N.D., that the cluster of suicides and additional 50 unsuccessful attempts were signs of hopelessness and fear, reflecting cross-governmental failures in public safety.

"Some may think it inappropriate to discuss suicide in the context of public safety," His Horse Is Thunder said in a prepared statement to a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs field hearing. "But for me, suicide is not only a tragedy robbing us of our future, it is the miner's canary foretelling what lies ahead for us as a community and a nation if we do not act to address our public safety needs in Indian Country."

Committee chairman Dorgan convened the field hearing, which Thune attended as part of his work on public-safety issues on reservations in South Dakota and other states. Thune said during an interview later that the suicide statistics presented by His Horse Is Thunder's were tragic realities that cannot be ignored by Congress and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

"It's just absolutely breathtaking to think about these young people, with that many suicide attempts and that many completions, and what it means in terms of the hopelessness that many must feel," Thune said. "It's tragic, just tragic."

...snip...cut to the end...

His Horse Is Thunder said the needs are broad based. They include more police officers, investigators, dispatch and correctional officers, prosecutors and operations and maintenance funds for public-safety facilities. Equally important are counselors and programs, including boys and girls clubs, that give youth support and activities, and alternatives to self-destructive behavior, he said.

Thune said sustaining those youth clubs is crucial.

"They need funding to keep those clubs going, to give those kids something to do," he said. "It's essential. And we've got to keep the pressure on to get funding and manpower for public safety out there, so we don't lose all the ground that's been gained."

This is really a tragedy and speaks to the lack of funding for social programs and criminial justice problems on the reservation.

Obama to address breakdown of reservation justice

An excerpt from the Denver Post story:

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is vowing to address rising crime and the breakdown of justice on Indian reservations across the West, planning to roll out a series of initiatives this year to address what officials concede is a mounting crisis.

The package will be designed in consultation with tribal leaders in the coming months and presented at a final "listening session" in the fall attended by representatives from hundreds of tribes and led by Attorney General Eric Holder.

It's an effort to address spiraling rates of viol ent reservation crime, including rape, child sexual assault, domestic assault and beatings — as well as a net of underlying causes, from insufficient prison space to neglect by federal investigators and prosecutors.

"We envision this tribal nations listening conference to be really about bringing a true action agenda," said Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli, the Justice Department's third in command.

Comparing it to a similar initiative under the Clinton administration, Perrelli said the agenda might include "a very significant request for additional resources. We're not at that point yet, but we hope soon to know what it is we're going to ask for."

But in addressing Indian Country crime, an administration that already plans to tackle some of the country's most vexing policy problems has taken on another — a breakdown in public safety complicated by jurisdictional oddities, insufficient resources and thorny politics.

Obama's going to have to be careful to make sure that something is actually done this time. If you read the rest of the article, there is cynicism about this initiative. People need to be shown that this isn't more of the same ol' same ol'...

Still Not Enough Police on Standing Rock

From KQCD-TV, here's the whole thing:

The Standing Rock Reservation doesn`t have enough police officers.

That`s what Senator Byron Dorgan says, and he wants to find ways to fix it.

Dorgan held an official hearing at Fort Yates today to look at law enforcement in American Indian communities.

Ron His Horse Is Thunder, chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, says he`s encouraged by Dorgan`s support.

He says a recent surge that increased the number of officers on the reservation from eight to 37 helped.

He says with those additional officers, people felt safe.

"Now that those numbers are reduced down to 12 law enforcement officers, you start to see the difference," says His Horse Is Thunder. "As we were talking about with Senator Dorgan, suicides have a direct correlation to the lack of law enforcement officers. Our children just don`t feel safe."

The reservation suffers from a violent crime rate more than eight-and-a-half times higher than the national average.

His Horse Is Thunder hopes that a proposal to create a new training facility for would-be officers will help improve that.

Member of Cherokee Nation Appointed to Key White House Post

Even more good news from the Obama Administration.

From the Miami News Record:

Kimberly Tehee of Oklahoma City and a member of the Cherokee Nation will serve as senior policy advisor for Ameirican Indian Affairs.

Great news on appointments two days in a row!

There's a great article today (June 29th) on her over at Indian Country Today.

More good news on an Obama Appointment

Today Vice President Biden, who authored the Violence Against Women Act while he was in the Senate, announced that Lynn Rosenthal has been named White House Advisor on Violence Against Women. OK, now we have this issue positioned at the ear of the President.

Here, from the Washington Post:

A longtime advocate for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault was named to a new post Friday as a White House adviser on violence against women.

In announcing the appointment of Lynn Rosenthal, Vice President Biden said that creating the job allows the White House to revive a focus on domestic violence issues -- which Biden said were not at the forefront during the Bush administration.

"What I'm about to say is not a knock or a criticism on the last administration or anybody else," Biden said, but "one of the sins of omission is this has not been a front and center issue for the last eight years on the national agenda. It used to be."

The White House said Rosenthal will advise President Obama and Biden and work with government agencies to ensure that violence against women isn't ignored and the perpetrators are held accountable.

A former director of a women's shelter, Rosenthal was executive director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence from 2000 to 2006. And she worked as director of the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Good work, Joe and Barack!

Lets Make Sure the Violence Against Women Act is fully funded

Sorry for the absence, I've been in Nicaragua for the past couple of weeks.....

This is an important action. This week, the Senate Appropriations Committee is beginning its work on the budget. Given the state of the economy, it's important that we make sure that the programs funded by The Violence Against Women Act, such as women's shelters like Pretty Bird Woman House, don't undergo funding cuts.

Here's a message from the National Network to End Domestic Violence:

Ask your Senators to Support Full Funding for VAWA in the CJS Budget!
Senate Subcommittee to Vote on VAWA CJS Spending Measure.

Background
Tuesday, June 23, 2009. The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) will begin work on its FY 2010 budget, which includes funding for Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) programs.

Last week the House passed their version of the FY 2010 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill (HR 2847), which, thanks to your efforts included an increase of $17.5 million over the FY 2009 budget and the President's FY 2010 budget proposal for VAWA CJS programs.

Today we need you to call the members of the Senate CJS Subcommittee and ask them to fully fund VAWA programs at $683 million and raise the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Cap to $705 million.

Take Action Now!

Call the members of the Senate CJS Subcommittee and ask them to fully fund VAWA programs at $683 million and raise the VOCA Cap to $705 million.

Click here to see if either of your Senators sits on the CJS Subcommittee.

Never called your Senator before? Don't worry, it's easy!

Call 1-866-305-9428 toll free to be connected to the Capitol Switchboard. Tell them the name of your Senator and they will connect you to their office. Your call will be answered by a receptionist. Tell him or her:
"Hello, my name is ____ and I am a constituent, from [include your state and town or zip]."

"I urge Senator [last name] to fully fund the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) programs at $683 million and raise the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) cap to $705 million. VAWA programs have helped to make our country a safer place for families, victims and communities. By fully funding these vital, cost-effective programs, Congress will help to break the cycle of domestic and sexual violence in our country.
"Thank you."

Outlook and Next Steps

After the CJS subcommittee passes its budget, the full Appropriations Committee is scheduled to vote on the CJS budget on Thursday, June 25th before the full Senate votes on the final CJS budget. Please stay tuned for updates.

Please Forward This Email

Send this email to your friends, family and colleagues and encourage them to call. Our strength is in our numbers and your calls make a difference! For more information please contact Tralonne Shorter at tshorter@nnedv.org or 202.543.5566

Go HERE for a briefing book on the Violence Against Women Act.

Huge Health Disparities in Health Among States, Esp. Among Women fo Color

From PR Newswire, a press release. This info shouldn't surprise you, but now at least we're accumulating a lot of documentation of this problem.

WASHINGTON, June 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A decade after U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher called for the elimination of racial disparities in health, women of color in every state continue to fare worse than white women on a variety of measures of health, health care access and other social determinants of health according to a new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The report, "Putting Women's Health Care Disparities on the Map: Examining Racial and Ethnic Disparities at the State Level," documents the persistence of disparities on 25 indicators between white women and women of color, including rates of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, AIDS and cancer, as well as insurance coverage and health screenings. It also documents disparities in the factors that influence health and access to care, such as income and education. Women of color fared worse than white women on most measures and in some cases the disparities were stark.

National statistics mask substantial state-by-state variation in disparities. The report moves beyond national figures to quantify where disparities are greatest, providing new information to help determine how best to combat the problem. The analysis also provides new state-level data for women of many racial and ethnic populations that are often difficult to obtain.

"This report demonstrates that disparities in health are not one problem but many and vary from state to state -- and that a variety of strategies will be needed if we hope to turn things around," said Kaiser President and CEO Drew Altman.

American Indian and Alaska Native Women Experience Some of the Greatest Challenges

Among different racial and ethnic groups, American Indian and Alaska Native women had among the worst outcomes on many health indicators, often twice as high as white women. The percentage of American Indian and Alaska Native women in serious psychological distress was more than 1.5 times that of white women. They exhibited the highest rates of smoking and cardiovascular disease and had considerably higher rates of access problems, such as not having a recent checkup and not getting early prenatal care. One in three American Indian and Alaska Native women lived in poverty, and the median household income for such women was less than half that of white women.

At the same time, the report reveals tremendous variation among states within racial and ethnic groups. For example, among white women, the rate of diabetes was 7.5 times as high in West Virginia (6.0%) as in the District of Columbia (0.8%). Among women who are Asian American, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 10% in Ohio had late or no prenatal care compared to 34% in Utah. Forty-three percent of Hispanic women in Oklahoma had not had a mammogram in the past two years, compared to 14.5% in Massachusetts.

"We conducted this study in an effort to shed light on the many challenges and the variety of experiences women of color face across the nation," said the Foundation's Cara James, the study's lead author. "We hope that states can use this information as guidance in developing effective solutions to eliminating disparities."

Disparities In States Vary, As Do The Factors That Shape Them

Many forces contribute to the levels of disparities in the states. The report examined underlying factors such as poverty levels and high school graduation rates that are often beyond the control of state health officials. It also looked at some factors that officials do have a hand in shaping, such as the scope of states' Medicaid programs, which can influence how many people have health coverage in a state.

The report illustrates that there are substantial gaps across the board in some states, whereas in other states the differences among racial groups are narrower. For instance, Virginia, Maryland, Georgia and Hawaii all had relatively small disparities between women of color and white women on health outcomes, health care access and the social factors that influence health outcomes and access. In contrast, disparities were larger in Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana and South Dakota.

In some states with relatively small disparities, such as Maine, white women and minority women were doing similarly well. In other states, such as Kentucky and West Virginia, they were doing similarly poorly.

The Foundation released the report today at a briefing at the Foundation's Washington office. Concise state-specific fact sheets detailing the disparities data and access to interactive data tables are available at http://www.kff.org/womensdisparities. A companion video produced by the Foundation that puts a human face on the data through interviews with patients and providers at a clinic in Northern Virginia is available online at http://www.kff.org.

The Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit private operating foundation, based in Menlo Park, California, dedicated to producing and communicating the best possible analysis and information on health issues.
Website: http://www.kff.org

AddThis