US Govt. Investing $4Bln To Fight COVID-19 Impact On Native Americans - White House

The Biden administration is going to invest $4 billion in funds approved for the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan (ARP) to boost health services for Native American peoples, the White House announced in a press release on Friday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th April, 2021) The Biden administration is going to invest $4 billion in funds approved for the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan (ARP) to boost health services for Native American peoples, the White House announced in a press release on Friday.

"As part of President Biden's continued efforts to ensure the pandemic response reaches all people and all communities, the Biden administration is announcing it will invest more than $4 billion to combat COVID-19 in Indian Country," the release said.

The funding, from the American Rescue Plan, will expand coronavirus vaccinations, testing and treatment, increase preventive health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives at higher risk for the disease and expand hospitals' and health clinics' ability to serve their communities during the pandemic and beyond, the release said.

The package will include $600 million to increase coronavirus vaccinations in Native American regions, $1 billion to detect and diagnose infections and boost supplies of Personal Protective Equipment, the release also said.

The plan will also funnel $2 billion to Native American tribal health systems due to lost reimbursements for care during the pandemic, $84 million to aid urban Indian organizations, $140 million for health IT and telehealth services and $500 million to support overall health care services, the release added.

American Indians and Alaska Natives are 3.5 times more likely to get COVID-19 than the non-Hispanic white population of the United States and they have had the highest hospitalization rate of any racial or ethnic group, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.�