The Lack of Native Doctors Has Deadly Consequences. We Can Fix It.
Growing up in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, having Native doctors and nurses was very common. Though they were located about an hour-long drive from my home, I had access to Indian Health Service-funded clinics like those portrayed on the popular TV show “Reservation Dogs,” staffed largely by Native doctors. As I got older, I learned that my experience was the exception, not the norm.