Letter to the Editor: Navajo Nation in crisis should not be ignored
The COVID-19 pandemic reveals how little awareness most of the US has of the Navajo
Courtesy of Olivia Gonyea
As we near the end of the fifth month of the coronavirus’ proliferation in the U.S., specific populations continue to be disproportionately burdened by the virus, particularly the Navajo Nation. As of July 1, the Navajo Nation has 7,613 positive cases and 369 deaths, which means that COVID-19 has killed more people in this territory than it has in seven states combined. The Nation’s per capita rate is higher than anywhere else in the country.
The Nation’s territory straddles the borders of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico and is home to 173,667 people, but only has 12 health care facilities. Many Navajo citizens have underlying conditions, such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease, which, according to the CDC, can make an infected person more at risk for severe illness. In addition to an underfunded health care system, CNN reported that 30 to 40 percent of the population does not have access to running water, which creates barriers to one of the main preventative tasks: handwashing.
Native Americans have historically experienced lower health status compared to other Americans, with an average life expectancy that is 5.5 years shorter than the U.S. average for all races.
Native Americans die at higher rates in many categories, including chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, diabetes mellitus, unintentional injuries, assault/homicide, intentional self-harm/suicide and chronic lower respiratory diseases. According to the Indian Health Service, possible reasons for lower life expectancy and disproportionate burden of disease include inadequate education, disproportionate poverty, discrimination in the delivery of health services and cultural differences.
While the Nation has recently received $600 million from the federal CARES Act, it still faces a chronic housing shortage, poor Internet access in rural areas, large food deserts, a lack of access to running water and a small health care system for its large population.
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, The Navajo Nation COVID-19 Fund was established. This is the Navajo Nation’s only official COVID-19 fundraising and donation effort. The fund is accepting monetary and non-monetary donations to address medical and community needs. Medical needs include N95 masks, face shields, gloves, ventilators, hand sanitizer and disinfectants. Current community needs include disposable masks, fabric masks, hand soap, hand sanitizer, toiletries and non-perishable foods, among others. For full lists of needs and more information please see www.navajo.fund.
As the rest of the U.S. continues reopening and loosening social distancing guidelines, the Navajo Nation will continue to be devastated by COVID-19.
The crisis that the Navajo Nation is facing should not be ignored or forgotten.
Olivia Gonyea is a sophomore majoring in Public Health in the College of Arts and Sciences. The opinions expressed by the author are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Eagle and its staff.