Integrated COVID-19 Interventions in a Native American Community: Arizona, December 25, 2021–January 31, 2022

Abstract

COVID-19 has disproportionately affected Indigenous communities. The Whiteriver Service Unit (WRSU) took an integrated public health–health care system delivery approach in collaboration with the White Mountain Apache Tribe to decrease the case fatality rate (CFR). The WRSU performed daily data analyses identifying risk factors, expeditiously treating and proactively vaccinating people during at-home visits. The WRSU’s CFR was 0.3% lower than Arizona’s (P = .04). Among communities disproportionally affected, an integrated approach using data to drive real-time decision-making among a culturally competent workforce can contribute to decreased CFR. (Am J Public Health. 2023;113(10):1089–1092. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307364 )