Authors: Richard D. Rambo

Publication Year: 2008

Last Updated: 2010-09-16 14:13:58

Journal: NA

Keywords: Sutcliffe Pharmacy, UIHP, Urban Indian Health Programs, Senator Obama, prevenative care, prevention

Short Abstract:

Today in his FY 2009 budget, President Bush has zeroed out the funding for the Urban Indian Health Program. 67% of the American Indian population lives in these urban areas and the federal government wants to give 0 funding to them. This does not seem like a fiscally responsible way to distribute the funding.

Abstract:

Today in his FY 2009 budget, President Bush has zeroed out the funding for the Urban Indian Health Program. 67% of the American Indian population lives in these urban areas and the federal government wants to give 0 funding to them. This does not seem like a fiscally responsible way to distribute the funding.

Urban Indian Health Programs are a key provider of care to the large population of uninsured urban Indians who might not go elsewhere, usually due to cultural barriers and trust issues. Urban Indian Health Programs concentrate on preventative health care which results in a savings that is sometimes hard to quantify but important to understand if one truly wants to save dollars. By providing diabetic education and consulting it is self evident that hospitalizations are reduced due to complications of diabetes which would cost the federal government far more. These programs a far more effective if presented to the American Indians by health centers that lower cultural barriersto make the treatment successful and cost effective. If these centers close, most of this patient population will prefer to wait until the illness is in a stage where an ER visit and hospitalization is needed. This means expensive dollars that were not needed, if we had used an ounce of prevention, instead the federal govt. will have to spend a pound for the cure.

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