The Associated Press reports that Montana Senator Max Baucus has added his voice to those calling for an investigation of the Indian Health Service and how it allocates its resources. Earlier this month, the Ft. Peck Tribal Executive board demanded an investigation into the IHS. Both come on the heels of a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing on the contract health services program. Witnesses there told committee members of how people in serious need of medical attention must go without because the program consistently runs out of money each spring and remains unfunded until the new federal fiscal year begins in the fall.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Baucus Wants Investigation of IHS
The Associated Press reports that Montana Senator Max Baucus has added his voice to those calling for an investigation of the Indian Health Service and how it allocates its resources. Earlier this month, the Ft. Peck Tribal Executive board demanded an investigation into the IHS. Both come on the heels of a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing on the contract health services program. Witnesses there told committee members of how people in serious need of medical attention must go without because the program consistently runs out of money each spring and remains unfunded until the new federal fiscal year begins in the fall.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This letter appeared on our local paper about IHS/SSMH in Barrow, Alaska.
ReplyDeleteFirst do no harm
TheHippocraticOath taken by any physician
with a medical degree states, “First, do
no harm.”
I took that literally when I worked as a
community health aide because I want to be
treated with respect, dignity and compassion
when I walk into amedical facility for health
care.
Recently I had a bad visit where the
attending physician was almost shouting at
me, caused further pain tomy health problem
and assumed what the best plan was for me,
without taking a full history of new developments
to an existing ailment.
I survived cancer twice in the last eight
years. I value my life because of my family
that was there forme through chemotherapy,
radiation and all of the side effects that came
with it.
I tell you this because I will not have the
integrity of my health compromised because
a physician was having a bad day at the office.
And for all others who are not ignorant but
do not know the avenues or resources of letting
people in administration know of the
abuse some physicians inflict on patients.
Thank you.
—Loretta Burnell,
Barrow
http://www.alaskanewspapers.com/content/pdf/AS_07-17-08.pdf
The Indian Health Service has the Area Indian Health Service in Billings, MT. They are over the seven or so others in Montana and Wyoming and if one is being investigated then perhaps all of them should be. There have been numerous newborn deaths in Wyoming, a child of 4 dying from pneumonia in recent years, mess ups on medications or issuing generics when someone is in need of the actual formulas, doctors unsympathetic at times other then to get you out the door with no antibiotics because they truly believe you do not need them which warrants a visit into the night at the local town ER only to find you have an infection and/or pneumonia, dentistry right out of the last millenia where they now only do extractions and don't do fillings nor do they do root canals in Wyoming. There are 17 year olds or 42 year olds that have teeth missing walking around this way. Others lose a tooth that have fillings missing and were told that it was too rotten to save although they had dental insurance but it was too late for that. If we are to be in a time of great need then I suggest that all the tribes receive a hospital not clinics. We need help and our people are dying some with illnesses that are treatable. IHS has done good things but lately there have been horror stories. People that have had medicines put in wrong areas of their body where they almost die from the lethal combinations or lack of careful examinations and when they don't know for sure, why are they not sending you to a specialist? It is because there is no money they say or they keep to real emergencies. What is that? In every persons life it is an emergency when there is pain, no way to get over a cold, miserable or whatever. It is scary enough to go ahead an pay in towns that are just as unsympathetic at times because they don't know you or know all your medical history. We are at a loss. I believe it will only get worse before it gets better. These people of IHS are also on boards outside of the reservation, sitting on things that put people in jail or such things as for children, although they are not experts. Their good intentions are causing lots of pain for a lot of people when they are involved in what should be left to experts in the medical field. I have seen many years of good service by much older doctors that seem to really care about what happens. One IHS doc told one elder native lady that because she forgot her heart pills and was already away he could not refill her prescription when she called. Why? because it was her responsibility to keep note of these medications somewhere. HOW MANY Native Americans do this? This is the sort of uncaring remarks one hears. It is frustrating and scary! I know of one other man that waited 12 years to get a kidney! He died. Worse yet he was not even put on the list they said he was on to get one. How many more will die in these modern times of new medicine? One elder World War I and II Veteran spoke up and asked these very words to some IHS and State people this past year. It is sad that a generation of our heros and those yet to be must endure these types of worries because of the lack or resources. The IHS administrators in Wyoming wanted another clinic off the reservation that gears itself to other people and opens its doors to non-natives or others. It is interesting because these same people were involved in what was inside the reservation and it was not that great. How can they serve there too and leave to better jobs?
ReplyDeleteThis is probably one of the biggest issues on all reservations.
ReplyDeleteOn my reservation, we are told that contract health will only pay for emergency care if it's "life or death". So I was sent (by IHS) on an emergency with a strangulated hernia that was near the breaking point and was operated on within hours. I recovered and was told by contract health that it wasn't "life or death" because I got better!!!
My father has coronary heart disease and my mother called because he was having a severe episode with chest pains. IHS said "we know he has problems...Is he breathing?...well...if he's breathing it's not an emergency"!!! He lives more than twenty miles from the nearest hospital, so I guess we are suppose to wait for him to stop breathing, transport him the twenty plus miles and expect him to live???
This is unreal. I know some of it is administration trying to save money...and some of it is federal cuts. During the Clinton administration I had a severely premature baby and contract health, along with the state helped me with the long hospitalizaion and operations. IHS even paid for my travel and hotels to be with my son. Now we can't even get any help for emergency care and end up with enormous medical bills.
Health insurance? I was working for the tribe when I had my hernia and was suppose to be covered by health insurance, it was a crappy insurance. My monthly health premium was $350...which is all the insurance paid for the entire bill...$350, leaving me with more than 5k in bills.
These problems need to be fixed, and MOST treaties promised health care for natives by the federal government. My father said that it's a huge loophole, because it does not address HOW MUCH is covered. One doctor and one nurse giving vaccines might be construed as "health care". It is an unscrupulous interpretation, but it is clear what the original intent and understanding was. I wish there was more media attention given to the matters of broken promises in Indian Country.
PS...I wrote this on an earlier post and wondered if anyone had read it. This is really a huge issue. AND...My reservation is also in Wyoming. I now have huge medical bills, not only from the aformentioned hernia, but from cancer as well. Employment here is tight and competition for jobs is high with low wages. Now we deal with high cost of living and gas prices while trying to pay these bills...and BTW...Health Insurance is really the biggest scam in the country...because I had cancer, "pre-existing", I can't get Life insurance for X amount of years...nor will health care cover anything to do with my previous problems...
Between bill colectors, high cost of medical care, messed up government programs, unethical insurance practices, etc... We can't afford to see the proctologist we now need due to constantly being screwed over...
:-)