CDC's plans, reviewed by Indianz.Com over the weekend, reflect the disconnect. Of $30 million being directed to three Indian nations, plus nine organizations, no funding has been set aside for the Great Plains, even though one of the first confirmed COVID-19 cases originated in the region and most of the tribes there rely on the IHS for direct services. Similarly, none of the $30 million is going to the Phoenix Area or the Tucson Area of the IHS amid a growing number of cases in the state of Arizona. The area was overlooked despite restricting immigration, building a wall through tribal homelands and limiting the flow of people across the U.S. border with Mexico being pet causes of the president. The vast majority of American Indians and Alaska Natives live in urban areas. CDC's plans, though, call for just an additional $8 million to be shared among the 41 health centers that serve such large segment of the population, where some of the first COVID-19 cases had an impact early on in the crisis.Native community #COVID19 needs to Congress:
— NCAI (@NCAI1944) March 21, 2020
Econ. Development: https://t.co/cY6M0f8hDB (1/2)
Econ. Development tech.: https://t.co/9ie5y14wlR (2/2)
Health, Ed., Nutrition: https://t.co/UwJmq0lGqs
Gov & Housing: https://t.co/qei6aAOpkD
CONTACT YOUR HILL MEMBERS NOW! pic.twitter.com/1hjFDFfKUf
![](https://www.indianz.com/News/2020/03/22/saraandersonvernonblackeyes.jpg)
Fortunately, the $80 million from the CDC is not the final word. H.R.6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, authorizes $64 million to be provided to the IHS to help address the impacts of COVID-19 in tribal communities. Yet it's not just the executive branch where troubling signs have emerged. S.3548, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, was announced to much fanfare last Thursday but the 247-page bill leaves out the first Americans. "It has completely ignored and does not include Indian Country," National Congress of American Indians Chief Executive Officer Kevin Allis, a citizen of the Forest County Potawatomi Community, told reporters of the so-called "phase 3" coronavirus package on Friday. He said the omission could lead to a "disaster" in tribal nations.ICYMI: The so-called "Phase 3" #Coronavirus relief package leaves Indian Country behind. Here's what Kevin Allis, Chief Executive Officer of the National Congress of American Indians, said about the CARES Act. @NCAI1944 #COVID19 #CoronavirusIndianCountry pic.twitter.com/pVy0RCIOUe
— indianz.com (@indianz) March 21, 2020
Three new positive COVID-19 cases reported among Navajo people WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — Navajo Nation President Jonathan...
Posted by Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer on Monday, March 23, 2020
In addition to the Navajo Nation, the Choctaw Nation and the Chickasaw Nation are set to receive funds out of the $30 million. Both tribes are based in Oklahoma, home to the second-largest population of American Indians and Alaska Natives in the country, and both have curtailed operations -- including their lucrative gaming establishments -- in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus. "The health and safety of Chickasaws, our employees, patrons and communities continues to be our main priority," the tribe said in a statement on Friday. The nine organizations set to receive coronavirus funds as a result of the cooperative agreement represent most area of Indian Country, except for the Great Plains and the parts of Arizona that do not fall within the Navajo Nation. The list follows:This just in: Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer confirmed 3 new #COVID19 cases on the reservation, the largest in the United States. The announcement brings the number of #Coronavirus cases among Navajo citizens to 29. https://t.co/pH4Hv6c70f
— indianz.com (@indianz) March 23, 2020
According to the CDC's plans, another $8 million is to be directed to urban Indian centers, plus another $2 million for the National Indian Health Board, which has been leading coronavirus education efforts across the country. That leaves $40 million to be distributed to tribes through a "new non-competitive" grant program, according to the CDC's plans. Grants will be available to "eligible" tribes, the agency says.Due to the threat of COVID-19 & the increased danger it poses on our patients, beginning Monday, March 23, all patients will check in for an appointment & then return to their vehicle. #OKCIC new hours are 8am -5pm. M-F. All groups and Wellness Center are canceled #NativeHealth pic.twitter.com/dYgKFjgH8G
— OKC Indian Clinic (@OKCIndianClinic) March 21, 2020
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