{"id":728,"date":"2020-03-18T17:40:52","date_gmt":"2020-03-18T21:40:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/covid19\/?p=728"},"modified":"2020-03-18T17:53:02","modified_gmt":"2020-03-18T21:53:02","slug":"national-congress-of-american-indians-washington-dc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/2020\/03\/18\/national-congress-of-american-indians-washington-dc\/","title":{"rendered":"National Congress of American Indians (Washington DC)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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National Congress of American President Fawn Sharp and NCAI Chief Executive Officer Kevin Allis. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

March 18, 2020<\/div>\n
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The National Congress of American Indians Calls for More Attention\u00a0<\/strong>to COVID-19 Impacts in Indian Country<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 In the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic, tribal nations \u2013 comprised of some of the most vulnerable communities in the United States \u2013 have been left out of the conversation. As the COVID-19 pandemic has now reached all 50 states, tribal governments also face heightened challenges to protect their citizens, and have inadequate federal funding and resources to do so.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe cannot ignore the elevated risks faced by Indian Country from this virus,\u201c said NCAI CEO Kevin Allis. \u201cThe federal government\u2019s chronic underfunding of its treaty and trust responsibilities to American Indians and Alaska Natives must end \u2013 lives are at risk.\u201d American Indian and Alaska Natives (AI\/ANs) experience higher rates of the underlying medical conditions that increase the risk of severe illness and death caused by COVID-19 as compared to the general U.S. population. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), those at highest risk for complications associated with COVID-19 are the elderly (age 60+) and those with chronic diseases or who are immunocompromised, which include:<\/p>\n

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