The Shawnee Indians are natives of Ohio with a great history and civilization. The history of their immigration dates back to the 17th century. During the establishment of the United States of America, the Shawnee championed the conquest of their territory. Communication has been a great challenge for the community. With special reference to the medical information and care the Shawnee tribe is quite behind.
The community is disadvantaged by the lack of adequate information and the channels for the same. As a result, the community has not been able to access medical services. Medical care providers have also had a hard time trying to serve the customer in the same way. This paper aims to provide a research report on the states of communication concerning the medical care providers of the Shawnee community. The paper provides the details of the communication structure in the community and analyzes the state of the same.
Communication Needs
The tribe still maintains a primitive connotation making the whole process of medical care very difficult (Blair 2006). The majority of the members of the tribe are ignorant of health and all the aspects surrounding it. The community urgently needs education on health and medical care. However, even the education itself will not be an easy undertaking bearing in mind the sophisticated nature of the community’s communication process.
Among the Shawnee, the biggest obstacle in the provision of healthcare is the difficulty in communication. This has been brought about by cultural values and beliefs. A lot of stereotypes are put on the entire concept of sharing information. Certain topics and discussions are considered secret and sacred. This has limited the exchange of information between the community and the community.
As a result, the medical care providers fail to obtain the correct information from the members. It has also been difficult for care providers to provide enlightenment to the community due to barriers associated with the communication. First and foremost, the language of communication has been a major challenger for the care providers. Failure to understand the local language has been the major flaw in the whole process. Furthermore, the community still has a lot of stereotypes concerning health and care provision (Jordan 2002). Therefore they cannot be approached using the same approach.
Suggestions
To handle the issue of communication as far as medical information is concerned, care providers have to consider certain parameters (Hodge 2003). The Shawnee is a unique group and only a customized process will be effective with them. Previous attempts to address the issue have been unsuccessful and there is a need to find different ways of dealing with the same issue. The following are my suggestions for the handling of the issue;
- Involve the Shawnee people
- Use of local dialect
- Appreciate their culture; and religious perceptions
Involve the Shawnee People
Any attempts to address the issue of health about communication should be done through the participation of the Shawnee people (Berkow 2000). It will make more sense if the local Shawnees are trained and equipped to provide the required information to their tribemates. The idea of using strangers to provide such information is not effective. Previous attempts have failed for the same reason.
Use of Local Dialect
The medium of communication is very important in awareness campaigns. For such a process to be successful the use of local dialect should be encouraged. The Shawnees people will be more comfortable to be taught in their language than in a borrowed one. For the process to be successful the language used should be the local one.
Appreciate Their Cultural and Religious Perceptions
Any awareness campaign that undermines people’s culture and religion cannot be successful. If the process does not work along with people’s culture and beliefs, then it is bound to fail. For the Shawnee people to be empowered a process that respects and does not undermine their values should be selected.
Conclusion
The Shawnee tribe of Ohio has a lot of disparities as far as medical information is concerned. The community lacks the basic information necessary for health and medical care. As a result, basic health has been ignored and previous attempts to educate them have failed. The paper has elucidated the magnitude of the problem and given some suggestions for the medical care providers. For the awareness programs to be successful care must be taken designing the process. The paper suggests three ways in which this can be improved. Above all make the process inclusive is the best way to ensure its success.
References
Berkow, R. (2000). The Merck manual of medical information. Indiana: Pocket Books.
Blair, E. (2006). The Indian Tribes of the Upper Mississippi Valley and Region of the Great Lakes, Volume 1. Washington: Kessinger Publishing.
Hodge, F. (2003). Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, Volume 3.New York: Digital Scanning Inc.
Jordan, T. (2002). Understanding medical information: a user’s guide to informatics and decision making. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional.