- http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2012/05/portlands_native_americans_wag.html
- http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2012/05/portland-area_native_americans.html
- http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2012/06/portland_native_american_healt.html
- http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2012/07/invisible_nations_enduring_ill.html
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
May 3, 2012 May 27, 2012 Jun 27, 2012 July 22, 2012 July 22, 2012
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
The Oregonian focused on the often-overlooked minority of urban Native Americans and their enduring health disparities. Portland has one of the largest percentage of Native Americans in urban America. Each story focused on the health issues that debilitate all people, but are especially a problem in the Native community: epidemic of diabetes; the traumas that fracture health; risky pregnancies; and solutions that have bubbled up in unlikely places.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
Bill collected copious county, state and federal census documents that broke down health statistics into ethnic populations. Bill filed research requests for specific data and records from the Urban Indian Health Institute in Seattle, the Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest In Portland, the Multnomah County Health Department and the Southcentral Foundation in Anchorage, Alaska. Records revealed surprising statistics about just how long-term trauma impacts health for generations. That simple fact evidences itself in diabetes, drinking, drugs and splintered families in the Native community. Until that trauma is healed, health will suffer. That became the theme of the series of stories. Additionally, Bill was surprised to learn that this trauma was being successfully treated at a health care center in Alaska through innovative techniques that at the core empowers patients and allows them to control their health care.
Explain types of human sources used.
Bill did not want this to be a series of statistics. For every disease, he needed people to humanize the numbers. He spent months attending pow wows, Naive American conferences and other Native gatherings and interviewing dozens of Native people, gaining the trust of Native officials and dubious subjects.
Results:
Bill worked with the Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest, the urban Indian health organization for Portland, on launching a virtual longhouse that we called “Wellness Longhouse” on the Internet. We wanted this to be an online health center for exchanging information on health care for Native Americans organized and run by Natiive Americans. The project was slow getting underway and is still being organized.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
The mistrust in the Native community is something that is an issue for a journalist who doesn’t share their culture. The time investment is huge to get into their lives. They aren’t initially inclined to participate or divulge information. The greatest journalistic accomplishment of the stories was getting past that mistrust.