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It might not be the doctor's skill but his/her/their attitudes towards Natives. My mom was a nurse for 30 yrs and through her I learned about hospital culture, which includes ingrained attitudes towards folks based on their race/ethnicity/socio-economic status, and that the quality of care is fashioned from these biases. Yeah, rich white folks will get the best care, if for no other reason than they are the most likely to sue if they don't.
The attitude towards most Natives is that we are drunks/drug addicts/fat slobs and lack the education and understanding to know what comprises good medical care. In short, most of our health problems are caused by our own bad choices and we're not worth wasting skilled medical care on.
My mom never let us get 2nd rate treatment, I've refused to let my kids get screwed by the medical establishment, and taught them to speak up and complain when they feel the dr's office isn't giving them quality care.
Get online and go to medical info sites to check out your dad's symptoms, the research on lipitor, and any other concerns you have. the Journal of the American Medical Association has a really comprehensive website where you can look things up. Also The American Heart Association will have the latest on research and treatments for all sorts of heart problems. They each have links to other pertinent sites.
I'll keep you dad in my prayers.
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