Barriers to Healthcare Access Facing American Indian and Alaska Natives in Rural America

• Published in: Journal of community health nursing Vol. 36; no. 4; pp. 165 - 187
• Main Authors: Cromer, Kerry J., Wofford, Linda, Wyant, David K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis 02-10-2019; Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
• Subjects: Alaska Natives; American Indians; Barriers; Health care; Health care access; Health services; Health Services Accessibility; Healthcare Disparities; Humans; Indians, North American; Indigenous peoples; Infrastructure; Literature reviews; Minority & ethnic groups; Native Americans; Native North Americans; Recruitment; Rural areas; Rural communities; Rural Population
• ISSN: 0737-0016; 1532-7655
• DOI: 10.1080/07370016.2019.1665320

We provide a literature review concerning healthcare access for Native Americans in rural areas. We group previous research around three themes; barriers in rural America; barriers within the Indian Health Services system (including provider recruitment and retention); and the scale of services offered. Considering a wide range of access measures, a general failure exists in providing Native Americans with services comparable to those received by other Americans There are repeated findings of disparities in specific resources available, such as staff and infrastructure. Improvement appears possible through increased funding, and by giving greater management control to each tribe.