THIS TIME ON CODE WACK!

 

In honor of Indigenous People’s Day, we’re examining healthcare inequities in Native communities. What challenges do they face when it comes to accessing quality health care in America? What problems could they encounter when they get their care through the Indian Health Service, the principal federal health care provider to American Indians and Alaska Natives? 

To find out, we spoke with Elder Billie Tohee, acting executive director of the National Indian Council on Aging and former chair of the board. She’s an enrolled member of the Otoe-Missouria tribe and a descendant of the Iowa Nation of Oklahoma.

 

SHOW NOTES

 

WE DISCUSS

 

Welcome to Code WACK! Tell us a little bit about yourself, and your background.

 

“I am known in my language – my traditional name is Kra-dami and that means Real Eagle Woman. (Indigenous language) I’m an enrolled member of the Otoe-Missouria tribe and descendant of the Iowa Nation of Oklahoma…” 

And I reside in Perkins, Oklahoma, central Oklahoma. I am currently the new acting executive director of the National Indian Council on Aging, and I have served as the chairperson of the National Indian Council on Aging since we had our conference in Reno three years ago and so some changes came about and now I’m in the Albuquerque office of NICOA, serving as acting executive director.” – Billie Tohee

 

What does the National Indian Council on Aging (or NICOA) do?

 

“NICOA is the national advocate for Indian elders across the nation and our elders from one coast to the other, from Texas to Canada, our Indian elders, they face just a wide variety of issues and these issues include health care.” – Billie Tohee

 

Can you share some examples of healthcare issues faced by elders?

 

“I will use maybe the Navajo Nation Reservation in New Mexico and Arizona. It’s such a huge area. A lot of the elders are in remote areas. Some of them face detrimental things such as no water or unclean water.  Just to have daily water for cooking, for hygiene, things like that, they have to drive many, many miles just to stock up on their water … And then of course, on the health care part of that, it’s the same thing. 

A person in Central Navajo Nation may have to drive a hundred miles one way just to get to an Indian Health facility, and then you’ve got the drive back. So it’s not an easy feat and that’s only one reservation. We have reservations all over the United States and Canada that are facing this dilemma of health care. It’s not always easily accessible. “ – Billie Tohee

 

Helpful Links

 

National Indian Council on Aging (NICOA)

Indian Health Service (IHS) 

Otoe Missouria Tribe

Native Americans: A Crisis in Health Equity, American Bar Association

Medical, Leadership Problems Persist at U.S. Indian Health Service Hospital, Report Finds, NPR Frontline

New Indian Health Service funding provides stability, but long-standing issues remain, Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB)

Rural Tribal Health, RHI Hub

 

Episode Transcript

 

Read the full episode transcript. 

 

 

Biography: Elder Billie Tohee

 

Elder Billie Tohee, of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians in Oklahoma and the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma, is the acting executive director of the National Indian Council on Aging. She previously served as the chair of the board. 

She remembers attending the NICOA 2016 conference in Niagara Falls. “The conference speakers were so dedicated, knowledgeable and passionate. It really impressed me. I sensed a real dedication and a concern for our elders and what laws and programs affect them,” she said.

She became a Southern Plains regional member at the following NICOA conference in 2018. Several months later she was asked to serve on NICOA’s board of directors. 

“I wanted to represent rural tribes and bring awareness to that area and what’s available,” she said. “There are so many resources nationally that each tribe can benefit from.”

She enjoys spending time assisting the tribal members and elders who come to her with their grievances, advocating for them so they feel welcome outside their reservation as well as within. She often reaches out to local officials to encourage cultural competency in their tribal interactions.

Her goal is to bring regional tribes together so that they can network and utilize one another’s resources.

“Elders need to become more aware of resources. Especially in my region, I’d love to see more interaction. They don’t have as much communication as they could. Everyone should be able to help each other when it comes to tribal elders.”

 

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