2015 Summit on Traumatic Brain Injury and Native Americans
July 20, 2015
Why The Summit?
In 2003, the Traumatic Brain Injury Program in the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) provided support for the Native Americans with Traumatic Brain Injury and the First National Native American Summit on TBI.
Twelve years later, three major points made at that conference remain true. Native Americans continue to:
Have a higher prevalence of traumatic brain injury than many other racial or ethnic groups;
Face significant disparities in comparison to other groups in the areas of prevention, assessment, diagnostic screening, treatment and health resources; and
Face numerous barriers to receiving culturally appropriate, timely and local short- and long-term treatment and services.
The barriers to overcoming these disparities also remain the same as those identified in 2003: “Policies, cultural disconnects, misunderstandings, geographical distances, funding streams and mechanisms, societal inequity issues, and other barriers such as language and world views all impede service accessibility….”