Indian Health Service. Regional Differences in Indian Health 1996

This book provides statistics on the health & welfare of American Indians in the jurisdiction of the Indian Health Service. It compares health statistics in a particular service area to those in other service areas, & then compares these to non-aboriginal Americans in the “U.S. All Races” category. Excluding the California, Oklahoma, & Portland areas, due to underreporting of ethnicity on death certificates, American Indian suicide was 89% higher than the U.S. rate. Suicide rates for American Indians in the Nashville & Bemidji service areas were actually lower than the overall American rate. However, the Total All Areas rate in Indian Health Services areas was higher. The Total 9 Area Rate (excluding California, Oklahoma, & Portland) was 21.0. The Albuquerque, Aberdeen & Alaska areas had the highest rates of suicide. Suicide was the fourth leading cause of death in Alaska between 1991-1993.