For New Mexican, Tribal Leaders, It’s ‘All Hands on Deck’ in 2 Counties

Government officials and public health professionals say there’s no sugar-coating it: The coronavirus outbreak that’s done a number on the Gallup area isn’t likely to go away anytime soon, especially for the Navajo Nation.

An Indian Health Service official, in a recent press briefing, predicted a surge of coronavirus cases on the reservation would happen at the end of May, later than projections for the rest of New Mexico. As a whole, Native Americans, which make up approximately 11% of the state’s total population, accounted for more than 57% of all of New Mexico’s COVID-19 positive cases.

“I don’t know when our peak is going to come or if it’s going to come,” said Democratic Sen. George Muñoz. “What I think people aren’t seeing is that Gallup might live with this for the whole summer and into winter.”

As a result of the troubling trend of COVID-19 positive cases and deaths in McKinley County, tribal and state leaders from all over New Mexico have installed emergency protections that are targeted to the state’s most vulnerable, including American Indian youth and families who are involved in the foster care or juvenile justice system. At the Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD), they’ve cast the pandemic as an opportunity to improve conditions in the long run for indigenous populations.

“Personally, I’m really excited about the new era of collaboration and work moving forward with our tribal communities,” said Donalyn Sarracino, CYFD tribal liaison. “I think our indigenous youth and families have long been disproportionately represented in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems.” 

Special challenges for native families

Shortly after the coronavirus infected more and more people in and around McKinley County, a man who performs contract work for Muñoz, who owns a construction and property management company in Gallup, flagged him down as he was driving. The contractor, Muñoz said, needed some plywood.

“He said, ‘I got to build a casket cover for a Navajo lady that died from coronavirus because it’s $600 and we don’t have the money,’” Muñoz said. He went to his shop to help finish the coffin for the woman.

Muñoz is troubled by the dire decisions made by some community members. A number of families desperate for clean drinking water have been filling bottles at the Church Rock mill, the former site of one of the largest uranium mines in the world. It’s also where the largest uranium spill in the United States occurred in 1979. According to a 2016 Environmental Protection Agency report, the groundwater at the 125-acre site, located approximately 15 miles northeast of downtown Gallup, remains poisoned.

“You do not want to be filling water bottles at Church Rock, New Mexico,” Muñoz said. “It’s the last thing you want people to do.”

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Muñoz’s harrowing stories illustrate the unique challenges facing Gallup and McKinley County, where American Indians and Alaska Natives make up a majority of the population. Everyday comforts like running water and affordable grocery stores are often luxuries for native families. That trickles down to young people, who, as a result, may become involved in state systems such as foster care, child welfare officials say. The stumbling blocks become much larger during a global pandemic.

The coronavirus “has exposed the existing inequities in a lot of communities of color. In New Mexico, we’re seeing how access to running water, electricity and broadband internet are not just amenities or conveniences but essential public utilities that ensure people are safe and can access what they need,” said Keegan King, bureau chief for communications and policy at the Indian Affairs Department (IAD) in Santa Fe.

“Right now with this pandemic, what we’re seeing is that if you don’t have access to running water and you’re hauling water, or if you’re in a food desert and you have to travel long distances to get food, you’re putting yourself and your family at risk,” King said. 

Stronger relationships helping

With these inequalities in mind, CYFD went to work right away to make sure native youth and families were obtaining basic supplies and support.

“At first during the pandemic, we worked really hard with our state and federal partners to ensure that grab-and-go meal sites were available to tribal communities,” Sarracino said. “As tribal access decreased due to restrictions around social and physical distancing, we increased the meals-to-you model. This allowed us to get meals for children living in tribal communities that will last over a period of time.”

Sarracino says that CYFD has built important relationships with the recently opened New Mexico Indian Child Welfare Act court, the New Mexico Tribal-State Judicial Consortium and the All Pueblo Council of Governors to specifically aid youth in care and at-risk families. 

“These relationships are really helping us get through this and will carry us forward post-pandemic and through the recovery process,” Sarracino said.

As a whole, King of IAD says countless organizations and leaders, both tribal and state, have stepped up and then some.

“[Navajo Nation] President Jonathan Nez and [Vice President Myron Lizer] have really demonstrated their leadership by doing everything that they can. I know they’re throwing the kitchen sink at the thing,” King said. “For the most part, it’s all hands on deck for everyone in state government. We’ve seen a pretty tremendous response from the governor’s office and from our sister agencies.” 

This story is part of a Youth Today project on foster care in New Mexico. It’s made possible in part by the May and Stanley Smith Charitable Trust. Youth Today is solely responsible for the content and maintains editorial independence.