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The director of the Indian Health Service has mentioned that he’ll resign, giving President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. an opportunity to put in new management at an company that has drawn intense criticism for its failures to offer satisfactory care to tribal communities each earlier than and throughout the pandemic.
The director, Rear Adm. Michael Weahkee, a member of the native Zuni Tribe who has been within the job since April after main the company on an interim foundation since 2017, mentioned in a letter this week that his resignation could be efficient Jan. 20.
“It has been a sincere honor to have been entrusted to serve in this role,” he mentioned within the letter, noting that his departure was typical throughout presidential transitions. “I believe the I.H.S. is more capable now than ever before of fulfilling our vision of healthy communities and quality health care systems through strong partnerships and culturally responsive practices.”
Admiral Weahkee has overseen a well being care company that critics say has been routinely uncared for by Congress and successive administrations. It is riddled with vacancies throughout its hospital system and has left the Native American communities it served with a number of the worst well being outcomes within the nation.
The Indian Health Service consists of 26 hospitals, 56 well being facilities and 32 well being stations and supplies care to 2.2 million members of the nation’s tribal communities. The hospitals, scattered throughout a dozen areas within the nation, vary in measurement from 4 beds to 133.
The service has lengthy confronted shortages of funding and provides, however the pandemic introduced these disparities to the fore, contributing to the disproportionally excessive an infection and demise charges amongst Native Americans.
Abigail Echo-Hawk, the director of the Urban Indian Health Institute, mentioned that the Biden administration had the possibility to nominate somebody who may handle these weaknesses. Native American voters, Ms. Echo-Hawk mentioned, helped swing key states in favor of Mr. Biden.
“The rest of the country needs to know that the Indian Health Service has been failing us and previous administrations have failed us,” Ms. Echo-Hawk mentioned. “The Biden administration has the opportunity to bring in someone who is given the support needed to make innovative changes.”
Jonathan Nez, the president of the Navajo Nation, mentioned the Indian Health Service beneath Admiral Weahkee did the very best it may with the restricted assets it was given. Mr. Nez mentioned he was assured the incoming administration would work to deal with the company’s funding and infrastructure challenges.
The Navajo Nation, which incorporates elements of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, was significantly arduous hit by the coronavirus. At one level, its per capita demise charge surpassed New York’s. The nation has recorded 25,746 whole circumstances and 879 deaths from the virus, in line with the Navajo Department of Health.
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