Injury Prevention in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities

The Star Collection books for young American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) readers features and celebrates feeling connected to culture and community and having positive relationships with others that are safe, stable, and nurturing.

• Download the Star Collection E-books and promotional materials

The rate of drug overdose deaths among American Indians and Alaska Natives is above the national average and recent data show this trend continuing. CDC released funds to support 11 Tribal Epidemiology Centers and 15 tribal entities. These funds will improve opioid overdose surveillance and help address the opioid crisis in tribal communities.

• Minnesota’s Department of Health reports data through an opioid dashboardexternal icon and provides technical assistance to support state opioid use surveillance – this resource is available to 11 local tribal nations.

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of unintentional injury death for American Indians and Alaska Natives. Adult (aged ≥20 years) motor vehicle-related death rates for American Indians and Alaska Natives are more than twice that of non-Hispanic whites or blacks. Proven strategies to reduce motor vehicle injuries and deaths can be successfully tailored to tribal communities.

• The Injury Center provides guidelines and toolkits for tribal road safety.
• Using Core State Violence and Injury Prevention Program (Core SVIPP) funding, Arizona established a car seat technician-training program, which trains tribal members to educate parents about safe car seat installation and use.

The agency is working with American Indian and Alaska Native partners to prevent Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) by promoting safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments.

• The Injury Center, in partnership with the Association of American Indian Physicians, supported the development of ACEs resources for American Indian and Alaska Native physiciansexternal icon.

American Indians and Alaska Natives are at higher risk of dying by suicide compared with other Americans. In 2019, non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native people had a suicide rate 60% greater than the general population. CDC is working with tribes to reduce risk and increase protective factors to prevent suicide among American Indians and Alaska Natives.

CDC’s Injury Center is funding a cooperative agreement to support tribal organizations working to increase capacity to adapt, implement, and evaluate suicide prevention programs to reduce suicide-related morbidity and mortality.