Rebecca Wald: Mistreatment leads to health disparity for tribes

Today, Mendocino County has nine federally recognized Indian Reservations, the fourth most of any county in the United States. Sadly, the historical mistreatment of American Indians nationwide did not escape Mendocino County and has left a legacy of economic and health challenges that continue to show in health disparities throughout the county. Contributing factors to the poor health conditions of Native American peoples have roots in the turbulent history of trauma and the U.S. government's mismanagement of Native American life through health and economic policies.

The economic standing and health of Mendocino County's American Indian population is consistently lower than the county as a whole. According to Healthy Mendocino statistics, the per-capita income of Mendocino's Indians is $12,150 per year, barely half of the county average of $23,179. Similarly, 33.7 percent of Mendocino County's Indian families and 48.3 percent of its Indian children live below the poverty line, much higher than any other racial group. In addition, Mendocino's Native population has high rates of obesity, with 84.6 percent of adults being obese or overweight. Finally, sadly, Native Americans have a child abuse incidence rate of 67 out of 1000 compared to the county average of 19.4 children out of 1000.