Northern Great Plains

Abstract

The Great Plains is one of the largest regions in America and cuts a sizable swath across the middle of the country (please refer back to area map at the beginning of Part II of this text). This chapter focuses on the Northern Plains, where a majority of Plains people live and where health disparities are among the greatest in the United States. The Northern Great Plains region typically includes the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa. The Indian Health Service (IHS) covers this region, as does the Great Plains Tribal Chairman's Health Board, which is involved in public health and health care provision. The IHS is divided into 12 administrative/geographical areas of the United States—Alaska, Albuquerque, Aberdeen, Bernidji, Billings, California, Nashville, Navajo, Oklahoma, Phoenix, Portland, and Tucson—with each service unit providing health care to a unique group of tribes located within these specific regions. This text uses nine geographic cultural areas versus the 12 administrative areas of the MS, so there is, necessarily, overlap of areas. The terms American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN), American Indian (AI), and Native American (NA) will be used interchangeably throughout this chapter. Additionally, reference may be made to Native or Indian. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)