An American Debt Unpaid: Stories of Native Health - Alliance for a ...

RESPECTINGCULTURE & COMMUNITYAt one point, our primary clinic was in San Francisco,one of the relocation centers under the federal urbanization policies.Thousands of people came into the city, mainly young, singlepeople—no elders. As they got older, they began having families, andthey began moving to the East Bay because the rents were cheaper.So, we moved east, too.Providing good health care is about more than just what happens in theexamining room. It also involves an array of services for addressing theneeds of our community. That’s something we don’t get in a westernmodel—an approach that includes not just physical, dental, and mentalcare, but also the need to be culturally connected, to get child care, tobe able to leave a situation of domestic violence, to get out of poverty.One of the causes of health disparities is lack of adequate housing.A physician can’t just say to a patient, “Take this medication and gohome and rest,” if the patient lives in a small, crowded apartment. Youcan’t raise a child without safe housing. And a car is not a healthyplace to live. So, we’ve helped members of our community find housing.We’ve helped people buy homes if they’re in a position to buy them.And, when we built a new clinic in Oakland, we included two floors ofapartments—thirty-eight units that are now filled.It’s also very important for people to have a place to come together asa community. Back in the early 1980’s, we did a needs assessment,and people told us, “We need a place to gather that’s not bars.” At thattime, there were about seven or eight American Indian bars here, andwe embarked on a sobriety initiative. Today, there are no bars. Are wehealthier as a result of that? I would say so.But, we’ve also provided an alternative. People can come to our clinicjust to be part of the community. When someone comes into a new cityfrom South Dakota or the Navajo reservation they always ask wherethe Indian health clinic is. We’ve tried to make our new clinic verywelcoming, with open space and ceremonial ground. When you comein, you’d swear it wasn’t a clinic. I always ask people, “Does this feel likea clinic?” They say, “No.” And I say, “Great. That’s exactly what we want.”Martin WAUKAZOOLakotaOakland, CaliforniaMartin Waukazoo is the CEO of the NativeAmerican Health Center (NAHC), whichhas health care clinics and other services inOakland, San Francisco, and Sacramento.Originally from South Dakota, he moved tothe Bay Area in 1973.NORTHWEST FEDERATION OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS 39