APHA convened the Tribal Public and Environmental Health Think Tank from 2011-2022 with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Composed of professionals with diverse backgrounds in tribal public and environmental health, the Think Tank focused on increasing education and awareness of the unique public and environmental health challenges faced by tribal communities, and achieving improvements to these issues.
Priority Issues:
Many American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes across the United States are finding their traditional ways of life disrupted by poor housing conditions, barriers to educational achievement, poverty, historical trauma, and racism. All of these factors – compounded by environmental hazards, geospatial challenges and limited access or proximity to health care or medical services – lead to poor health outcomes.
The Think Tank selected six tribal public and environmental health issues to prioritize: Food Sovereignty and Access, Infrastructure and Systems Development, Climate and Health, Resource Extraction, Clean Air and Clean Water.
Resources:
Questions? Please contact Kate Robb.