The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #50403

Crystal C. Tetrick, MPH, Seattle Indian Health Board, P.O. Box 3364, Seattle, WA 98144-2008, 206-834-4028, crystalt@sihb.org

Improvements in infant mortality over the past century have not been equally realized by the Native American population. Compared to the general U.S. population, Native Americans suffer from high rates of infant mortality, have lower rates of seeking prenatal care in the first trimester and a greater tendency to drink and smoke while pregnant. Confounding the issue is the fact that the majority of Native Americans now reside in urban areas. Those at risk for adverse birth outcomes are often the most difficult to serve and present considerable challenges for health care providers to ensure access to perinatal services that are effective and culturally relevant. The Seattle Indian Health Board has served the Native American and Alaska Native population of the greater Seattle area for over 30 years. Using a multi-disciplinary integrated approach, the Seattle Indian Health Board provides comprehensive perinatal services designed to connect the most needy pregnant mothers to a primary health care provider. This paper describes the barriers to receiving adequate prenatal care by an urban Indian population and the Seattle Indian Health Board's approach and strategies to reduce those barriers, as well as the public health implications for this unique population.

Learning Objectives:

• To understand the unique barriers to accessing prenatal care for urban Indians.
• To identify the factors for poor birth outcomes among urban Indians.
• To discuss the policy implications for providing prenatal care and perinatal services to urban Indians.

Keywords: Native Americans, Maternal and Child Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.