Credit: IHS

Indian Health Service layoffs are reversed The big idea: About 1,000 Indian Health Service employees were fired on Friday, along with a slew of other Department of Health employees — but then the IHS layoffs were rescinded, Native News Online reports. What changed?: The rollback happened after the National Indian Health Board, the National Council of Urban Indian Health, and the National Indian Child Welfare Association sent a joint letter to the Trump administration. In their message, they tried a unique strategy to protect IHS employees — pointing out that they are essential to fulfilling the government’s treaty obligations to tribal nations. What did the letter say?: The message read, in part: “Essential services provided by Federal employees include healthcare services through IHS, law enforcement and public safety through the [Bureau of Indian Affairs], and educational services through the [Bureau of Indian Education].”“These programs are not discretionary,” it continued. “They are legal obligations rooted in treaties, trust obligations, the U.S. Constitution, and long-standing federal statutes.”What does this mean?: This advocacy angle of leveraging political identity proved successful, at least for now. As the Trump administration continues to dismantle equity in the workplace, Native leaders may put the strategy to work again, while others still grapple with layoffs and their consequences. More from Native News Online → 

Credit: Liza Summer

Overwhelmed and scared due to politics? Try these small steps.The big idea: Psychiatrist Dr. Kali Cyrus knows that these are trying times — and she has some advice for getting through even the hardest, most uncertain moments, Epicenter NYC shares.The stakes: There’s no handbook for how to feel when a family member gets deported, or your job gets cut. Yet it’s important to acknowledge fear and understand it so it doesn’t completely take over. If the worst case scenario were to happen, you’ll need some clear-headedness and energy reserves to make a plan and survive. What’s the doctor order?: Dr. Cyrus, a 40-year-old Black queer woman, is no stranger to mental health challenges and strategies. When feeling fearful or anxious, she advises that we all ask ourselves what is driving that feeling, and actually answer out loud or on paper. Then, she recommends pushing yourself to think of what is in your power to do about it. By making a game plan for possible outcomes, you can help your brain calm down and lower its stress response. Other ways to center yourself might include changing your surroundings, focusing on the basics (sleeping, eating, showering, etc), minimizing your time online and with the news, reaching out to loved ones, and watching something lighthearted or funny. From the source: “If you’re human, you will always be at risk of feeling fearful. It’s not the feeling that is bad; it is what you do with it,” she explains. “I’m not saying have no fear, or ‘be brave!’ or turn off your emotions like a robot,” she adds. “But feeling worried, anxious, or afraid during a time like this is inevitable. Your goal is to prevent fear from wreaking havoc on your body.”More tips in Epicenter NYC →

Credit: Pexels

The corporation failing to provide health care in Missouri prisonsThe big idea: The Missouri Department of Corrections’ health care provider is being sued by multiple parties over claims of its abysmal quality of care and poor patient outcomes, according to the Kansas City Defender.The fine print: The for-profit company, Centurion Health, is paid $1.4 billion to take care of incarcerated people in Missouri, and has other contracts all over the country. Yet it has been taken to court in almost every state it operates in, including Arizona, Idaho, Minnesota, New Mexico, Tennessee, and Vermont. In the Missouri lawsuit, one specific staff person is named as a defendant, though managers and executives are also liable. The stakes: Part of the case seeks justice for the death of Othel Moore Jr., a 38-year-old man incarcerated at the Jefferson City Correctional Center who was subjected to excessive force and medical neglect at the hands of JCCC and Centurion staff. Other horror stories from the JCCC are also a part of the case, as are testimonies from additional Missouri prisons where Centurion operates. From the source: “I think if taxpayers are paying money and prisons systems are paying money to hire a healthcare provider, that healthcare provider has to have adequate standards,” said Andrew Stroth, an attorney assisting with the lawsuit. “A situation like this shines a bright light on their failure.” The Kansas City Defender has the rest →

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The story: After the fall of Roe v. Wade and the near-total abortion ban that followed in Louisiana, medical staff are reportedly trying to avoid liability by not seeing pregnant patients until after their first trimester, per PushBlack.At the center: For newly-pregnant patients like Kaitlyn Joshua, this meant not receiving care as she began to experience the beginnings of a dangerous miscarriage. Heavy bleeding and pain landed her in the emergency room twice, yet staff refused to acknowledge the situation or offer treatment, and instead sent her home both times. Her story shines an important light on the state of health care decision-making in places with reproductive care bans. →Credit: ACLU

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