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Sen. Heitkamp to host panel on child trauma in Indian Country

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-North Dakota) speaks with youth from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe who met with President Barack Obama in June. Photo from Facebook

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-North Dakota) will host a roundtable discussion on childhood trauma in Indian Country.

American Indian and Alaska Native youth suffer from the highest rates of suicide in the country. They are exposed to trauma more often than children of other racial and ethnic groups and are twice as likely to be victims of abuse and neglect.

These issues, and more, will be examined at a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing this afternoon. Heitkamp, who sits on the committee, will continue the discussion at her roundtable tomorrow morning.

The roundtable begins at 9am Eastern time. A webcast will be available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRB-Fg0jlvA.

The list of people and organizations participating in Heitkamp's session follows:

• Dr. Tami DeCoteau, Licensed Clinical Psychologist (Moderator)
• Stephanie Autumn, Consultant to the Menominee Tribe
• Patrick Andersen, Sealaska Heritage Foundation
• Dolores Subia BigFoot,PhD, Indian Country Child Trauma Center, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
• JoAnne Shenendoah, Co-Chair, Taskforce on Violence Against Women
• Dr. Rebecca Cohn, Psychologist who worked on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation
• Dr. Zachery Kaminsky, Suicide Researcher at Johns Hopkins University
• Elizabeth Prewitt, Washing Representative for the ACE Connection
• National Congress of American Indians
• Monty Roessel, Director, BIE
• Indian Health Service
• Venus Prince, DOI Solicitor’s Office
• National Indian Child Welfare Association
• National Indian Education Association

Committee Notice:
Oversight Hearing on "Protecting our Children's Mental Health: Preventing and Addressing Childhood Trauma in Indian Country." (November 19, 2014)

DOJ Advisory Committee Report:
Attorney General’s Advisory Committee on American Indian/Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence: Ending Violence so Children Can Thrive (November 2014)