DEI Special Edition Spring / Summer 2024
Dr. Adriann Begay: HEALer and DEI Champion
by Myra Fonville
I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Adriann Begay. Before meeting her, had you asked me who Dr, Begay was, I would have simply answered she ’ s a Nav-
ajo physician. Dr. Begay introduces herself by sharing her heritage. She is Tábaahi (Edge of the Water clan) and born for Bít ’ ahnii (Folded Arms People clan). Her maternal grandparents are Ta ’ néészahnii (Badlands People clan) and pater- nal grandparents are Tl ’ aashchí ’ í (Red Cheek Peo- ple clan). Now that I ’ ve gotten to know Dr. Begay, I realize now she ’ s a Navajo woman, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a wife, a grandmother, a physician, a
mentor, an educator and most importantly she ’ s a huge proponent of health equity for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN). Far too often people view the lives of others through the lenses of their own lives. Those
lenses make people believe that all races and ethnicities have equal footing in this country. That ’ s the furthest thing from the truth, especially when it comes to AI/ANs and healthcare. I learned from Dr. Begay that in 2018 the Government Accountabil- ity Office (GAO) determined that the amount spent per capita for Medicare was $13,000, $8,100 for Medicaid, and $11,00 for Veterans Health Administration where- as for Indian Health Services it was $4,000 , which is less than the amount spent on US prisoners.
32
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online