By Angela Haupt

USA TODAY

 

PAGE, Ariz. (Aug. 18, 2008) -- When a Navajo woman delivers a baby at Banner Page Hospital in northern Arizona, she invites her entire family — often more than 10 people — into the birthing room. She may give birth squatting, as is custom among Native Americans. A medicine man will offer ancient prayers and herbs for the mother to ease childbirth. After the baby is delivered, nurses will save the placenta so the family can take it home and bury it in a sacred place.

 

In this desert town flanked by canyons and Lake Powell, traditional Navajo healing is merging with modern medicine. The hospital's Native American Cultural Committee, formed in 2002, is working toward an inclusive medical community by tackling the cultural sensitivities of the Navajo people, many of whom are wary of modern medicine.

 

"Twenty, 30 years ago, it was as if the community put up with the fact that we were living on the border of a Navajo reservation," says committee head Lisa Martin. "Now, this hospital and staff has a good understanding of the Navajo tradition and what it takes to heal. You have to consider the entire person, family and culture."

 

The 25-bed facility in rural Page, Ariz., serves a population of about 20,000 drawn from a 50-mile radius. About 50% of patients come from the nearby Navajo reservation, says Banner Page CEO Sandy Haryasz.