A Native American health center asked the government for medical supplies. 3 weeks later they received a box of body bags instead.
- In mid-March, the Seattle Indian Health Board asked its county, state, and federal governments for personal protective equipment and coronavirus test kits to address the outbreak in its community.
- Three weeks later, they were sent a package of body bags instead, according to NBC News.
- It turned out that county health officials had made a mistake with the packages. Regardless, the Seattle Indian Health Board official told the network that it was an ominous message.
- "The Navajo Nation is in a crisis with cases," said Abigail Echo-Hawk, the health board's chief research officer. "This is a metaphor for what's happening."
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In mid-March, Seattle was at the center of the US coronavirus outbreak, with more than 500 positive cases and around 50 deaths.
To address the outbreak in its community, a Seattle Native American health center asked the county, state, and federal government for personal protective equipment (PPE) and coronavirus test kits.
Three weeks later, all the community health center had received was a box of body bags, according to NBC News.
Esther Lucero, CEO of the Seattle Indian Health Board, told NBC News that her team turned "ghost white" when it received the package, which included white zippered bags and tags to attach to the toes of corpses.
The package turned out to be the result of a mistake from the King County Public Health Department, according to the network. Nonetheless, one Health Board official said it was an ominous message.
"The Navajo Nation is in a crisis with cases, and there are tribes and other Indian organizations across the country that are in similar crises and can use medical supplies and help instead of watching people die," Abigail Echo-Hawk, the health board's chief research officer, told NBC News. "This is a metaphor for what's happening."
The county did eventually deliver 200 coronavirus kits to the Seattle Indian Health Board — which serves 6,000 people a year — from FEMA, Lucero told NBC News.
But Echo-Hawk worries it will not continue to get support from the local and federal government as lockdown restrictions across the country are lifted, and a possible second wave of infections comes.
"My questions is: Are we going to keep getting body bags or are we going to get what we actually need?" Echo-Hawk told NBC News.
The federal government on Tuesday announced it would begin distributing $4.8 billion in coronavirus aid to Native American tribes as part of the government's Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The US government is required to provide healthcare to the Native American tribes per longstanding treaties.
However, urban health programs like the Seattle Indian Health Board are not included in this round of funding.
Lucero and Echo-Hawk told NBC News they're now relying more on donations from Native-owned businesses to fill in the gaps.