November is National Native American Heritage Month, a time for us to celebrate and honor Native American communities and indigenous people across the United States.

According to the U.S. Census, since 2010 the number of people who identify as Native American and Alaska Native has nearly doubled to 9.7 million.

Unfortunately, American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) people have long experienced health disparities compared to the rest of the U.S. population, including lower life expectancy (about 5.5 years less than average) and higher disease rates.

A 2022 report from KFF reveals that AIAN people were more likely to live below the poverty line and experience barriers to receiving health care than white people. AIAN people also experience higher rates of diabetes, asthma, COVID-19 cases, and COVID-19 deaths.

Our current, profit-driven health care system fails far too many in our country, with Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), and low-income and rural communities disproportionately affected. That’s why we must continue to fight for Medicare for All.

Additionally, we support dramatically increasing funding for the education of future health care and public health professionals, in particular for Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) community members, and Indigenous stewardship as a key means of stopping infectious disease outbreaks and protecting the ecosystems that are vital to the health and survival of us all.

We stand in solidarity with movements for Indigenous sovereignty, reparations, and justice, and demand the equitable application of services, health care resources, and infrastructure to improve the standard of living for Native peoples across the country.

Together, we will continue to build our inclusive movement to achieve health care justice for all — including Indigenous justice.

In solidarity,

Nurses’ Campaign to Win Medicare for All