The National Indian Health Board said in a letter to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. last month that tribal communities had lost more than 6 million U.S. dollars in grants from HHS agencies.
The cuts may affect community health workers, vaccination programmes and data modernization efforts, said Janet Alkire, chairperson of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe on the South Dakota and North Dakota border.
“We have not been consulted with meaningfully on any of these actions,” said Liz Malerba of the United South and Eastern Tribes Sovereignty Protection Fund, as tribal leaders argued the cuts violate federal treaty obligations.
Native Americans suffer higher rates of chronic illness and shorter life expectancy than the general population, said the report.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 