The White House on Tuesday re-established the Council on Native American Affairs to coordinate the agencies involved in the COVID-19 response effort.
The Navajo Nation has the third-highest coronavirus infection rate in the country.
Diana Hu is a member of the Navajo Epidemiology Response Team. Hu said at the federal level coordination of resources and contact tracing has been lacking.
“It took a lethal pandemic like this to show the holes in our public health system and how private health care and public health care don’t mesh well. And that we need to figure out how we can better network to better serve all the patients in our nation,” said Hu, also a pediatrician in Tuba City.
The Interior Department appointed a director of the council who will serve as a liaison with tribes and the administration. The White House Council will help “drive” things like public health, energy development, education, and infrastructure.
