ARE FACING THEIR OWN CRISES LIKE
ARIZONA, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
NAVAJO NATION IS RICH IN
PHYSICAL BEAUTY.
A VAST EXPANSE THE SIZE OF WEST
VIRGINIA WHERE THE NAVAJO PEOPLE
HAVE LIVED FOR CENTURIES.
JONES BINALI IS A MEDICINE MAN.
HE THINKS HE’S SOMEWHERE IN HIS
90s.
HIS CHILDREN AND THEIR CHILDREN
ARE WORKING HARD TO LEARN FROM
HIM AND KEEP HIM SAFE.
>> MY FATHER IS ONE OF THE MOST
REVERED MEDICINE PEOPLE.
I WANT TO ENSURE THAT HE WILL BE
HERE WHEN WE COME TO THE OTHER
END TREATING THE PTSD PEOPLE
WILL HAVE FROM COVID-19.
>> Reporter: HERE SHOWING HIS
GRANDCHILDREN WHAT NATURE
PROVIDES FOR TRADITIONAL
HEALING.
AND HEALING IS MUCH NEEDED.
NAVAJO NATION HAS BEEN BATTERED
BY THE CORONAVIRUS WITH A PER
CAPITA DEATH RATE HIGHER THAN
ANY U.S. STATE.
DRIVEN BY LONG STANDING
PROBLEMS, AN UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
ROUGHLY THREE TIMES HIGHER THAN
THE U.S. AVERAGE.
STAGGERING HEALTH DISPARITIES.
AND ON THE RICHEST COUNTRY ON
EARTH, 30% OF THE HOMES HERE
STILL HAVE NO RUNNING WATER.
IT’S A TOXIC BREW OF POVERTY AND
BROKEN PROMISES.
>> MY FATHER, YOU KNOW, I’VE
BEEN WITH HIM AND PEOPLE TELL
HIM YOU’RE NOT WELCOME.
THERE USED TO BE SIGNS THAT SAID
NO INDIANS OR NO DOGS ALLOWED.
THAT’S JUST PART OF THE REALITY
THAT’S KIND OF ENGRAINED.
>> EVERYTHING THAT PEOPLE READ
ABOUT IN OUR HISTORY BOOKS, OH,
THAT’S SO SAD THAT HAPPENED TO
THE INDIANS.
THAT NEVER ENDED.
IT’S STILL HERE.
>> Reporter: LITTLE WONDER THE
PANDEMIC HIT HARD.
>> NATIVE AMERICANS HAVE THE
HIGHEST RATE OF HOSPITALIZATION
OF COVID OF ANY RACIAL GROUP IN
THE UNITED STATES.
>> Reporter: THIS DOCTOR
SPECIALIZES IN INFECTIOUS
DISEASES AT THE JOHNS HOPKINS
FOR INDIAN AMERICAN HEALTH.
SHE SAYS HEART AND LUNG DISEASE
HERE HELP DRIVE THE HIGH
HOSPITALIZATION RATES.
>> THIS ISN’T A MATTER OF RACE
BUT A MATTER OF INSTITUTIONAL
RACISM THAT HAS MADE PEOPLE AT
HIGHER SUSCEPTIBILITY FOR
INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND KEPT
THEM AT HIGHER SUSCEPTIBILITY
FOR MANY YEARS.
>> Reporter: THIS IS NOT A
QUESTION OF RACE BUT OF RACISM,
ESSENTIALLY.
>> OF INSTITUTIONAL RACISM.
>> Reporter: AND EXPERTS WORRY
WITH THAT COMES HIGHER RISK FOR
MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES.
PEOPLE WHO WERE ALREADY SHAKY,
COVID-19 COULD NOT HAVE HELPED
THE SITUATION.
>> NO, NOT AT ALL.
NATIVE AMERICANS HAVE THE
HIGHEST RATES OF SUICIDE.
IT’S ONE OF THE LEADING CAUSES
OF DEATH IN INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE
24 AND UNDER.
>> Reporter: ANOTHER CHALLENGE,
I KNOW, HAS BEEN SUBSTANCE
ABUSE.
I WAS TOLD THAT SOME PEOPLE WERE
TAKING HAND SANITIZER, MIXING IT
WITH WATER AND DRINKING IT?
>> YES.
IT’S CALLED OCEAN WATER HERE.
MANY HAVE PASSED AWAY WITH THAT.
IF YOU’RE NOT ABLE TO AFFORD TO
BUY ALCOHOL, YOU HAVE HAND
SANITIZER AND IT’S ONLY $3.
IT GOES HAND IN HAND WITH
POVERTY.
>> Reporter: DESPITE THE ODDS,
NAVAJO NATION MANAGED TO FLATTEN
THEIR CURVE.
BUT NOW THEY’RE WORRIED WITH
SURROUNDING STATES FACING THEIR
OWN COVID CRISES.
WE ASKED THE PRESIDENT OF NAVAJO
NATION JONATHAN NEZ ABOUT THE
MONEY CONGRESS RECENTLY
PROVIDED.
IT’S A BIG NUMBER.
IS THAT IN YOU HAVE?
>> THERE ARE A LOT OF NEEDS.
$714 MILLION IS JUST A SMALL
AMOUNT. DON’T GET ME WRONG, WE’RE
DON’T GET ME WRONG, WE’RE
GRATEFUL FOR THE AID. WE HAVE NO
THERE’S NO VACCINE.
SO HOW DO WE PREPARE FOR THE
FUTURE?
IF WE CAN GET RUNNING WATER TO
OUR CITIZENS, IT WILL HELP PUSH
COVID-19 OFF OUR NATION AND ANY
FUTURE VIRUS.
>> Reporter: HE POINTS OUT THESE
KINDS OF PROJECTS HAVE BEEN
HAMPERED BY OVERREGULATION.
ADDING TO THE CHALLENGES NOW,
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS SAID
THEY HAVE TO SPEND THE MONEY BY
DECEMBER 30th OR GIVE IT BACK.
DO YOU THINK THE U.S. FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT HAS THE BEST INTEREST
OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AT HEART?
>> WELL, THE RECORD NOW SHOWS
NO.
BUT I AM HOPEFUL, OF COURSE, I
THINK WITH THE U.S. CITIZENS OUT
THERE REALIZING AGAIN 30% TO 40%
OF THE NAVAJO PEOPLE DON’T HAVE
RUNNING WATER, THAT’S
UNACCEPTABLE.
>> WE NEED SYSTEMS THAT INVEST
IN OUR PEOPLE, THAT ARE NOT
BAND-AID SOLUTIONS BUT REALLY,
TRAU
TRULY INVEST IN THE STRENGTH OF
OUR PEOPLE.
>> Reporter: JUST DEALING WITH
COVID-19 DOESN’T SOLVE THE
PROBLEM ULTIMATELY.
>> NO.
WE HAVE TO DO BETTER.
>> Reporter: A BILL IS PENDING
IN CONGRESS TO EXTEND THAT
DEADLINE SO THEY HAVE AN
ADDITIONAL TWO YEARS TO SPEND
THE MONEY.
BUT IN THE MEANTIME, PRESIDENT
NEZ IS CALLING ON PRESIDENT
TRUMP TO LOOSEN SOME OF THE
REGULATIONS THAT HAVE MADE LIFE
HARD ON THE NATION.
THE WHITE HOUSE TELLS US, QUOTE,
THEY ARE WORKING TO PUT PEOPLE