Native Americans feel like an afterthought for the government during COVID-19

According to a 2020 report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, American Indian and Alaskan Native adults are 50% more likely to be overweight than Non-Hispanic whites, leading these communities to suffer from higher rates of heart disease, strokes and diabetes.

The COVID-19 Health Inequalities Task Force in Boston requested reporting on Native American and Alaskan Native populations in Massachusetts, but the process has “certainly been slow,” said Victor A. Lopez-Carmen, a member of the task force.