Zoie Bouschor
Research Mentor: Rebecca Irvine
Mentor Department: Not Available, ART
Author(s): Zoie Bouschor, Rebecca Irvine
Session: Session 1 (9:00 AM – 9:50 AM)
Presentation Type: Poster 72
Abstract
This study investigates how American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women access healthcare after experiencing violence, including physical, sexual, and intimate partner violence. AI/AN women face the highest rates of violence among all racial and ethnic groups in the US, with over 84% experiencing it at some point in their lives and nearly half requiring medical care as a result. Resulting physical and mental health needs are often unmet in under-resourced Indigenous clinics operating under Urban Indian Health Programs (UIHPs), which only receive about 1% of the Indian Health Service (IHS) budget. Underfunding of the UIHPs is a significant concern, as more than 70% of AI/AN people live in urban areas where these programs provide essential culturally and trauma-informed healthcare. A synthesis of literature, including peer-reviewed studies, national public health reports, and Indigenous-led data initiatives, is used to examine how Indigenous women in urban areas access healthcare in the aftermath of violence. Drawing from the National Council of Urban Indian Health, the Urban Indian Health Institute, and scholarly articles on intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and healthcare disparities among AI/AN women, this literature-based inquiry will unveil how structural underfunding and misallocation of resources away from UIHPs intersect with high rates of violence against AI/AN women. This analysis demonstrates how limited access to appropriate and adequately funded post-violence care for AI/AN women living in urban areas reflects broader patterns of injustice, erasure, and ongoing colonial impact. This research contributes to academic discourse and supports efforts toward policy change and advocacy.
