Course Summary
Health disparity is a persistent problem within the American Indian and Alaska Native populations. Health disparity is evidenced by a greater prevalence of acute and chronic diseases and psychiatric and social disorders within these groups. The Federal government has a well-established obligation to provide services to indigenous populations, including the delivery of healthcare, and to ensure access to healthcare and a quality of health services; however, it has failed to budget adequately for these purposes. In order to eradicate the existing health disparities found in these groups, and move toward health equity, health clinicians need to understand the unique cultural traditions and beliefs of American Indian and Alaska Native communities and consider them when interfacing with them. This involves incorporating cultural competence into a clinician’s education so the clinician can be aware of historical, political, and socioeconomic factors that affect the health of certain patient populations, such as the American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
Course Format
Homestudy
Course Syllabus
- Introduction
- Health Equity and Health Disparity
- Prevalence of Diseases and Psychiatric Disorders Among American Indians and Alaska Natives
- Cancer
- Cardiac Disease
- COVID-19
- Diabetes
- Disabilities
- Drug and Alcohol Use Disorder
- Infectious Diseases
- Psychiatric and Social Disorders
- The Indian Health Service and its Funding Shortfalls
- Urban Versus Rural Healthcare Services for American Indians and Alaska Natives
- Urban Populations
- Rural Populations
- Issues Common to Rural and Urban Settings
- Root Causes of Health Disparity
- Social Causes of Health Disparity
- Cultural Barriers to Healthcare
- Cultural Competence in Healthcare
- American Indians and Alaska Natives and Cultural Competence
- Cultural Competence in Nursing
- Cultural Competence as a Multidisciplinary Approach
- Cultural Competence in Mental Health
- Case Study: Cultural Competence
- Summary
Author
Dana Bartlett, RN, BSN, MSN, MA, CSPI
Dana Bartlett is a professional nurse and author. His clinical experience includes 16 years of ICU and ER experience and over 27 years as a poison control center information specialist. Dana has published numerous CE and journal articles, written NCLEX material, textbook chapters, and more than 100 online CE articles, and done editing and reviewing for publishers such as Elsevier, Lippincott, and Thieme. He has written widely on the subject of toxicology and was a contributing editor, toxicology section, for Critical Care Nurse journal. He is currently employed at the Connecticut Poison Control Center. He lives in Wappingers Falls, NY.
