Every Life is Sacred - Abstract The AI/AN population faces significant inequity in healthcare and health status compared to other U.S. populations. Simply being born native removes 4.7 years from the average life expectancy in the U.S. and increases the chance of dying from liver disease, diabetes, chronic lower respiratory diseases, and suicide. AI/AN youth possess the highest rate of suicide among 15–24-year-olds in the United States. According to the Indian Health Service, 33.9 per 100,000 American Indian youth commit suicide each year, which is 2.5 times the national rate for all youth. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among American Indian youth and risk factors for youth include substance abuse, a lack of social support, and depression. A higher percentage of AI/AN youth seriously considered suicide (34%) in 2019 when compared to the overall US population (18%). Among high school youth, the percentage of AI/AN youth who made a suicide plan in 2019 is approximately 9% higher than the overall US population (U.S Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, 2021). Indigenous suicide is associated with cultural and community disruptions, namely, social disorganization, culture loss, and a collective suffering. Conversely, lower suicide rates and increased well-being have been associated with community empowerment, connectedness, family cohesion, and cultural affinity among Native people. New evidence suggests that a number of interventions, such as behavior therapy and crisis lines, are particularly useful for helping individuals at risk for suicide. Social media and mobile apps provide new opportunities for intervention. Combining new methods of treating suicidal patients with a prompt patient follow-up after they have been discharged from the hospital is an effective suicide prevention method. Furthermore, promotion of mental and emotional well-being, preventing drug abuse and excessive alcohol use, and injury- and violence free living—are directly related to suicide prevention. Everyone from private businesses, educators who work with native youth, local health care institutions, the Illinois state and city government, and all Chicagoland communities has a role in preventing suicide and creating a healthier nation. The American Indian Health Service of Chicago recognizes that prevention should be woven into all aspects of our indigenous population’s lives, especially the youth that embody the future of our people.
