Chairman Peter Lengkeek of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe speaks at the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health.
RAPID CITY, S.D.-The statistics are alarming. The life expectancy for Native Americans is more than two decades lower than for non-Indigenous citizens, and often the causes are preventable.
In an effort to help combat health disparities, the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health is bringing Native-focused health care to Rapid City, S.D. Great Plains Native Health Hub blends traditional and modern medical approaches, all while centering Indigenous values and knowledge systems.
Dr. Donald Warne, co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, believes that creating a safe and trusting environment for health care is the first step toward closing the health-disparity gap.
"Our leadership team for the Great Plains Hub consists of all Lakota people," Warne said. "What we're excited about is we have new research projects studying Lakota populations, led by an entirely Lakota research team. This is an opportunity to provide more training for community members who might be interested in health care careers."
"If we don't focus on it right now, the future is going to be very uncertain for us. Dr. Warne has brought something forward, brought something to this sacred place of healing," Chairman Peter Lengkeek of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe said.
Two initiatives will receive the most emphasis immediately. One of these is a comprehensive program to address diabetes, which will be more intensive and focused than generic diabetes programs. It will include emphasis on diet, activity, and reducing stress, but will also promote holistic wellness using Indigenous cultural practices.
The center will also implement the Northern Plains American Indian Lung Cancer Intervention Project to improve lung cancer control among Native populations and help eliminate commercial tobacco use.
As the center gets underway, it also helps to address the critical shortage of Indigenous healthcare professionals and to develop Indigenous programs for substance use disorders in Native American communities.
"Hope is here, and hope is powerful," Lengkeek said. "Hope will keep you alive in the most dire of situations, and that's what's provided here, future generations, my grandchildren, and their children are going to live longer than 45 years old. And they're going to live a long, healthy life because of what's happening here."
