Mission Statement
 

To preserve and progress locally, nationally and internationally, the awareness of American Indian culture, tradition, history and current concerns through community presence, education by instruction and public performance and fundraising for American Indian issues.

Diabetes Mellitus

Spirit Lake adults ages 18+ were 97% more likely and Spirit Lake elders ages 55+ were 198% more likely to experience diabetes than their U.S. general population counterparts. These results indicated diabetes is being contracted at earlier ages and health promotion is crucial to impacting the diabetes epidemic for future generations. The high diabetes prevalence rates are indicators of the need for chronic disease management education for those already experiencing the disease.  For others who have kidney damage resulting from diabetes, dialysis is usually a 3 days per week, 3-4 hour procedure that is compounded by a 200 mile round trip and high poverty rates for Spirit Lake dialysis patients. A local dialysis unit would decrease the hardships experienced by the current 11 dialysis patients, and projected 15 patients in 2015 (36% increase), that may prove to be cost and time effective alternative for those suffering from end stage renal disease.             

Leander R. McDonald, PhD
Spirit Lake Enrolled Member & Researcher