Native American Schools Forced To Reopen Despite COVID-19 Risk; Growing Struggle To Access Benefits As Eviction Crisis Looms
PAUL: 12 minutes past the hour right now. Thanks for being with us here. The CDC is reporting Native Americans have the highest hospitalization rate of any ethnic group in the U.S. Take a look at that, 5.8 percent. They often have limited access to health care, which just compounds the situation and many people live in these multi-generational homes -- they're small, confined spaces. The Navajo Nation experiences some of the highest rates of water poverty in the U.S. as well. I don't know if you knew that. They're almost 67 times more likely not to have indoor plumbing, potable water and sanitation in their homes, which obviously makes it so much harder to follow these handwashing guidelines that we've been told about. Despite the toll that this pandemic has taken on the community, the federal government is now forcing schools on reservations to reopen as of September. I want to discuss this with Dr. Mary Owen, she's President of the Association of American Indian Physicians. Also, with us by phone: Sue Parton, she's the President of the Federation of Indian Service Employees. Ladies, I thank you both for being with us. We're grateful to have you this morning. Dr. Owen, let's listen together here to Dr. Michelle Tom -- she's another family, she's one of the few family doctors on the Navajo Nation. I spoke with her a couple of weeks ago and here's what she told me about what's happening there right now.</s>DR. MICHELLE TOM, NAVAJO FAMILY MEDICINE PHYSICIAN: It's, it's a daily -- it's hard, emotionally, spiritually, you know, I'm very tied to the people into the land and and being Navajo, we're very maitre lineal. We have a very strong unit of extended families. So, you know, I always seem to know someone every day or every other day of someone who's been infected or someone who's been intubated, and someone who's back.</s>DR. MARY OWEN, PRESIDENT, ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN INDIAN PHYSICIANS: What is your reaction to what she's saying? Are you still seeing that kind of effect on the Navajo Nation?</s>OWEN: I'm not -- I am living up in Minnesota but, yes, we're still hearing the same source of effect on the community there, not just Navajo Nation, but surrounding groups like the Zuni and, and the Hopi as well. All of our communities are susceptible. Go ahead.</s>PAUL: I just wanted to ask as well, there are more than 9000 cases and close to 500 deaths as I understand it, on the Navajo Nation, and they're going to begin these phased reopening on Monday. Are you comfortable with that?</s>OWEN: No, I'm not comfortable with it. I think most people in our native nations are not comfortable with the fact that we are not making the decisions on when to open our schools just like everybody else in the country. The places that are, the places that are impacted by whatever those decisions are, should be in the -- in control of whether or not to open our schools. So, each community is going to be different. Obviously, it's not a safe right now to open those in the Navajo Nation, and other places as well, like for instance, Yakama. Go ahead.</s>PAUL: OK, I wanted to bring in Sue Parton as well, again, the President of the union that represents the Bureau of Indian Education employees, and here's the thing: the bureau, as we said, is forced to, forcing schools on the reservation to reopen for in person classes. Now, just so you know, the BIE is part of the Interior Department, and therefore, they're under this federal mandate. That's how it's being enacted. This is affecting 53 bureaus of Indian education schools run by federal government in 10 different states. Ms. Parton, I know that you have said you don't think the scientific evidence has proven that it's safe to go back to school as normal. What is your strongest concern today for those people right now? What is their -- what do they need most?</s>SUE PARTON, PRESIDENT, FEDERATION OF INDIAN SERVICE EMPLOYEES: My strongest concern is that the people who are making the decisions are at a level in the federal government that are not down here in the grassroots. We speak with our union members who work at the schools, as well as what they tell us about their families and their communities and there is just so much fear and so much uncertainty. Our employees often get mixed messaging because as federal employees, they have to look at the guidelines provided by the Department of Interior, and then the guidelines set out by the Bureau of Indian Education, and then the guidelines sent out by the Governor of the state wherever their schools are located, and then the tribe, the tribal government. So, our employees are just like, don't know which way to go. And one of my biggest concerns is as federal employee, we do represent about 2,800, bargaining unit employees throughout the BIE. Out of those 2800, about 80 percent are working in BIE schools that are located in Arizona and New Mexico. So, my biggest concern is the reports that I hear from the Trump administration about trying to force all schools in our country to open full-fledged. And he has made threats, I know, to withhold funding to those schools. However, the majority of the public-school systems are operated by the individual state. But our Bureau Union Education is not. We are under the Department of Interior and the decisions that I see coming down to the federal employees who work at the BIE schools, to me, sounds like the top leaders in D.C. are succumbing to political pressure, to force our schools to open. Now, the letter that we received from the Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs does say, to the maximum extent possible. BIE schools will operate brick and mortar. But I know that we're getting a lot of pressure to try and open them, and I just don't feel that it's safe at this time. I think the bureau needs to put all of their efforts and resources into building an infrastructure that would support virtual learning, at least for right now. And then that, of course, you know, puts out its own challenges because of the morality of where our schools are located.</s>PAUL: I wanted to get to that. I want to go -- Doctor, oh, I want to go to you with this. As we understand it, the complication of locality is a real thing. There are rural areas here where some kids don't have the broadband capabilities to have a computer and to access what they need to access for their school, so how do we or how do you balance that?</s>OWEN: Well, that's exactly right. Not only are the schools not adequately prepared to be able to get this out the broadband out. I mean, I think there are 30 percent of native communities that don't are native households that don't have access to the Internet. So, how do you do that? As the previous caller or Ms. Parton said, our schools need to have the monies to be able to provide that Internet access. It's not just during a pandemic, it's at all times. Our schools are as underfunded as our health systems are. Well, I don't know if they're as, but they are definitely underfunded as well and don't have the infrastructure. In addition to that, though, our clinics and our hospitals are not set up in these rural areas to deal with the impacts of diseases we're seeing in Navajo Nation, because they have been chronically underfunded. So, it's a problem on top of a problem.</s>PAUL: Dr. Mary Owen, Sue Parton, we've run out of time. I'm, I'm so grateful to be talking to you today about this. Take good care. Thank you so much and keep us posted.</s>OWEN: Thank you very much.</s>PARTON: Thank you.</s>BLACKWELL: President Trump says that mail-in ballots could lead to massive voting fraud this election. There's no evidence to support that. 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