Authors: United States Senate

Publication Year: 2008

Last Updated: 2010-09-09

Journal: Congress.Gov

Keywords: Congressional Record, Senate Floor Statements, IHCIA, Indian Health Care Improvement Act

Abstract:

Congressional Record--Senate Floor Statements-- January 22, 2008 Indian Health Care Improvement Act

…likely to die from alcoholism, and you are 60 percent more likely to commit suicide.  These may seem like nothing but statistics, but behind them are real people who are in real need of modernized health care services.  The suicide rate among Native American youth is the highest of any racial group in the Nation. In fact, suicide is the third leading cause of death among Native American youth. One of the country's most recent victims is a 12-year-old Red Lake boy who hanged himself last October. This young boy's suicide only added to the heartache of the Red Lake Indian Reservation, which is located in my State of Minnesota. This Indian reservation, the people there had already suffered a lot. Back in March of 2005, at the Red Lake High School, a troubled teenager named Jeff Weise went on a shooting rampage, killing nine people before turning the gun on himself. Most of the news reports highlighted the troubled teen's past, including a history of depression and suicide attempts and the daunting socioeconomic conditions in his reservation community. This calamity serves as a tragic reminder of the importance of increasing efforts to effectively address mental health issues in Indian Country and elsewhere. I know my colleague, Senator Dorgan, has been leading this effort, this bipartisan effort, to make sure we reauthorize this important act.

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