Heinrich urges CDC to share data with tribal orgs

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) is calling on the CDC to share coronavirus data with the nation’s 12 Tribal Epidemiology Centers, warning that its refusal is hampering Native Americans’ ability to respond to the pandemic.

“By not allowing Native communities access to this data, your agency is playing a role in widening the health disparities that are already running rampant in areas that are ill-equipped to contain the spread and the outcomes of this pandemic,” he wrote in a letter to Director Robert Redfield.

Heinrich’s letter comes after POLITICO reported that the CDC rejected requests from the Tribal Epidemiology Centers for coronavirus data — even though it’s making the same information available to state health departments.