Pine Ridge Reservation Case Study

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is a two million acre plot of land in South Dakota. It is the second- largest Native American reservation in the United States. Over 40,000 people live there, and approximately 35% of those are children. The Ogala Lakota Sioux of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation are the poorest of the nation. The unemployment rate averages between 80% and 90%. Those that have jobs earn an average income between $2,600 and $3,500 annually. Families subsist on about $4,000 a year. (“Stats”) The conditions on the reservation are third-world. The residents lack food, shelter, and hope. The Federal Commodity Food Program, a promising establishment, proves inadequate, supplying food that cannot be eaten by the majority of the public, who are diabetic. Presidents have visited Pine Ridge, but the residents’ needs are often forgotten once they are in office. (“Help Pine Ridge”)
Health issues arise in conjunction with poverty. Infant mortality is five times the national rate. The Ogala Lakota Sioux have eight times the national rate for diabetes and five times the rate for cervical cancer. Notably, tuberculosis, a minor disease outside of the reservation, occurs at eight times the national rate. The rate of heart disease is twice the national rate. Pine Ridge has the lowest
Often times it is the youth that suffers the most. The teen suicide rate is three times higher than the national average, and it is the second leading cause of American Indian deaths between the ages of 10-24. In 2014, President John Yellowbird Steele declared a state of emergency after many suicide clusters. In that year alone, there were 204 suicide attempts reported. (Towell) The six mental health professionals on the reservation cannot help the entire population of 40,000 (Bosman). Many teens turn to alcohol to quell bad thoughts. Tribal police respond to domestic violence, suicide attempts, and drug and alcohol