May 11–17: National Women’s Health Week - How to Prioritize Women’s Health
National Women’s Health Week, observed each year beginning on Mother’s Day, serves as a reminder for women to take proactive steps in caring for their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. The week emphasizes preventive care, early detection, and healthy lifestyle choices—encouraging women to schedule annual checkups, undergo recommended screenings, eat balanced meals, stay active, and address mental health concerns. Priority topics include reproductive and maternal health, heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and cancers that disproportionately affect women.
Among Native American and Alaska Native (NA/AN) women, health disparities remain deeply rooted and disproportionately severe. Chronic illnesses like diabetes and cardiovascular disease are more prevalent in Native communities. According to the CDC, Native women are 2.3 times more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes and are at greater risk for complications, including kidney failure and amputations. Heart disease is the leading cause of death among Native women, followed closely by cancer.
Reproductive and maternal health outcomes also reflect significant inequities. Native women experience maternal mortality rates that are more than twice the national average, driven by factors such as limited access to prenatal care, systemic racism in healthcare settings, and a shortage of OB/GYN providers in rural and reservation areas. Cervical cancer mortality is also highest among Native women, despite its preventability through routine screening and HPV vaccination.
Mental health challenges intersect with these physical health concerns. Native women report high rates of depression, suicide, intimate partner violence, and sexual assault. The impacts of historical trauma—including the loss of traditional birth practices, forced sterilizations, and the disruption of matrilineal roles—continue to shape the lived experience and well-being of Native women today.
How Can I Support Myself and the Women in My Community?
Improving outcomes for Native women requires community-centered, culturally informed solutions. Expanded telehealth services, mobile clinics, and tribally operated health centers are helping to reduce geographic and systemic barriers to care. Promoting traditional diets, supporting culturally grounded fitness programs, integrating trauma-informed care, and training Native doulas and midwives are all powerful tools for restoring holistic wellness.
Several Native-led organizations are working to uplift women’s health and autonomy:
Native Women’s Wellness Warriors fosters resilience through ceremony, storytelling, and culturally based health education.
Indigenous Women Rising advocates for reproductive justice, including access to abortion care, traditional birthwork, and body sovereignty.
StrongHearts Native Helpline offers free, confidential support for Native survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
Supporting Native women means recognizing the intersection of culture, care, and community. When we protect and uplift the health of Native women, we strengthen entire nations.
