Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board

Legislative and Policy Update

Thursday, June 16, 2022

Important Dates

Jun. 12-16, 2022

NCAI Mid-Year Convention

Anchorage, AK — in person

Jun. 16, 2022 (12:00 PM Pacific)

DSTAC Meeting

Jun. 20, 2022

Juneteenth – NPAIHB Holiday

Jun. 22, 2022 (9:00 AM Pacific)

Medicaid and CHIP Continuous Enrollment Unwinding Series

Registration Link

Jun. 22, 2022 (9:00 AM Pacific)

Improving PRC Workgroup Meeting — virtual  

Jun. 22, 2022 (10:00 AM Pacific)

MMPC Monthly Meeting

Jun. 22, 2022 (10:30 AM Pacific)

FEMA Tribal Consultation on Preparedness Grant Programs

Registration Link

Jun. 22-23, 2022

Administration for Children & Families Tribal Advisory Committee Meeting

Washington, D.C. — hybrid

Jun. 23, 2022 (11:00 AM Pacific)

CDC/ATSDR Tribal Advisory Committee Conference Call

Jun. 24, 2022 (8:00 AM Pacific)

IHS Director’s Advisory Workgroup on Tribal Consultation

Jun. 27, 2022 (2:00 PM Pacific)

NPAIHB THD Learning Collaborative

Jun. 28, 2022 (10:30 AM Pacific)

HHS/USDA Consultation on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health National Strategy

Registration Link

Federal Health Agency and Congress Tracker (FHACT) An ongoing list of Dear Tribal Leader Letters, Federal agency actions, and legislation introduced in the 117th Congress related to health.

An ongoing tracker of COVID-19 direct and set-aside funding for Tribes. Updated as of Aug. 2, 2021.

Legislative Updates

IHS Contract Support Costs Amendment Act, H.R. 7455. Introduced by Rep. Tom Cole (OK) to make technical amendments to the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to overturn Cook Inlet and clarify that costs associated with activities IHS normally carries out in direct service are eligible for CSC. Urge your congressional representative to support and swiftly pass H.R. 7455!

Indian Health Service Advance Appropriations. Contact your Members of Congress today through Friday, Jun. 17 to urge them to include advance appropriations for IHS in FY 2023 appropriations bill. Please contact Liz Coronado, Senior Policy Advisor at ecoronado@npaihb.org for any assistance.

• Templates for Calls/E-mails and Letters prepared by NIHB

Tribal Consultation Updates

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Tribal Consultation on President’s FY 2023 Budget. OMB hosted tribal consultation on the FY 2023 Budget request on May 23, 2022. OMB will be accepting written comments until Jun. 17, 2022 to tribalconsultation@omb.eop.gov.   

• Dear Tribal Leader Letter

FEMA Tribal Consultation on Preparedness Grant Programs. FEMA will be hosting tribal consultation on Jun. 22, 2022 at 10:30 AM Pacific  to discuss the Emergency Management Performance Grant and the Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program.

• Registration link for Jun. 22, 2022 consultation
• Written comments are due Jul. 22, 2022 to gpd-comms@fema.dhs.gov
• For more details on the consultation, please visit the FEMA webpage HERE.

HHS and USDA Joint Consultation on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. HHS and USDA announced consultation on Jun. 28, 2022 at 10:30 AM Pacific to seek input on the development and implementation of a national strategy on hunger, nutrition, and health.

• Zoom registration link for Jun. 28 consultation
• Written comments are due Jul. 15, 2022 to consultation@hhs.gov 

HHS Region 10 Tribal Consultation Dear Tribal Leader Letter. HHS Region 10 will be hosting tribal consultation on Aug. 22-24, 2022. Both in-person and virtual attendance will be available. Consultation will be held in Portland, OR at Embassy Suites by Hilton Portland. More details will be released soon on the logistics of the consultation. One on one meetings will be held Aug. 22.

• To attend virtually, Zoom Registration Link
• Written Testimony is due to consultation@hhs.gov by Sep. 2, 2022

Administrative and Regulatory Updates

HHS Withdraws Rule on Securing Updated and Necessary Statutory Evaluations Timely (SUNSET Rule). This rule was promulgated by the previous administration that would require HHS regulations to expire unless they are reviewed or assessed. The rule was promulgated without tribal consultation and NPAIHB previously opposed this rule because of the potential to roll back the rules put in place to protect the Indian health system. Effective Jul. 26, 2022, the SUNSET rule will be withdrawn.   

Secretary Becerra Invokes Defense Production Act to Address Infant Formula Shortage – Learn more via May 22, 2022 HHS Press Release and access resources below.

• Learn more about the: Abbott Infant Formula Update
• HHS will hold a Virtual Briefing on the Infant Formula Shortage on Friday, Jun. 17, 2022 at 11 AM Pacific - RSVP to attend here; representatives from Tribal Child Welfare Programs are encouraged to attend
• For tools and resources to help families find formula, go to www.hhs.gov/formula
• Watch this video from President Biden describing the steps the Administration is taking to increase baby formula supply
• Resources: General WIC Guidance (Oregon); Resources for Families (WA DOH)

HHS Launches New Maternal Mental Health Hotline. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced the launch of the Maternal Mental Health Hotline, a new, confidential, toll-free hotline for expecting and new moms experiencing mental health challenges. Hotline is the latest move of the Biden-Harris Administration to strengthen both maternal health and mental health.

• Hotline access (call or text): 1-833-9-HELP4MOMS
• The Maternal Mental Health Hotline is not intended as an emergency response line and individuals in behavioral health crisis should continue to contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 and via 988 beginning Jul. 16, 2022.

Biden Administration Announces $1.5 Billion Funding Opportunity for State Opioid Response (SOR) Grant Program. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced a SOR grant funding opportunity that will provide funding to states and territories to help address the Nation’s opioid addiction and overdose epidemic. The SOR grant will fund up to $1,439,500,000 to be awarded in fiscal year 2022 to 59 states and territories. This funding includes a set-aside for the states with the highest OUD-related mortality rates.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) hosted a tribal listening session on the non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) benefit last week. In the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020, MACPAC and CMS were directed to conduct a study on utilization of NEMT before any regulatory changes were implemented. In Apr. 2021, MACPAC released their study on the NEMT benefit. NPAIHB will be coordinating a letter outlining Northwest concerns on access to NEMT for the IHS/Tribal health system. Please contact Liz Coronado at ecoronado@npaihb.org for issues related to NEMT.  

• Read MACPAC Report on NEMT Here.

FDA and CDC Expands Eligibility for COVID-19 Pfizer Boosters for 5-11 Year Olds. The CDC has expanded eligibility of the COVID-19 booster doses to children ages 5 and older. CDC now recommends children ages 5-11 should receive a booster shot five months after their initial Pfizer-BioNTech series. Additionally, CDC is strengthening its recommendation for a second booster at least four months after the first booster for everyone ages 50 and older and ages 12 and older who are immunocompromised.

• Learn more via the May 19, 2022 Media Release from the CDC.

Administration for Children and Families Announces Funding for Victims of Human Trafficking in Native Communities Demonstration (VHT-NC) Program. The VHT-NC Demonstration Program’s goal is to directly fund organizations that will build, expand, and sustain organizational and community capacity to deliver services to Native Americans (i.e., American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and/or Pacific Islanders) adults and minors who have experienced a severe form of human trafficking as defined by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000.

• Learn more about the NOFO at Grants.gov; application deadline is Jun. 27, 2022
• The Biden Administration released the new National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking (NAP); this NOFO highlights areas that are responsive to the NAP where appropriate.

Indian Health Service (IHS) Accepting Applications for Funding to Address Alzheimer’s Disease. On Mar. 24, the IHS announced the availability of $2.6 million in cooperative agreement funding to support awardees in developing comprehensive and sustainable approaches to address Alzheimer’s disease and other causes of dementia, focusing on awareness, recognition, diagnosis, assessment, management and support for caregivers. 

• Application deadline is Jul. 18, 2022; learn more HERE.

IHS Announces Allocation Decision for Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Sanitation Facilities Funding. On May 31, 2022, IHS released a Dear Tribal Leader Letter announcing their funding decision of $700 million for FY 2022.  

• See Sanitation Deficiency System Tier 1 Project Counts and Costs

2021 Small Ambulatory Program (SAP). IHS is accepting applications for the SAP through Jul. 1, 2022. If you have any questions, please contact CDR Omobogie Amadasu, P.E., Program Manager, Division of Facilities Planning and Construction by phone at (301) 443-4751 or email at omobogie.amadasu@ihs.gov. 

• Online Application Available Here.

VA Pilot Program on Graduate Medical Education and Residency; Extension of Comment Period. On Feb. 4, 2022, VA issued a proposed rule to revise its medical regulations to establish a new pilot program related to graduate medical education and residency. The proposed rule established parameters for VA to determine covered facilities in which residents would be placed under the pilot program. VA will prioritize placement of residents under the pilot program in Indian Health Service facilities, Indian tribal or tribal organization facilities, certain underserved VA facilities, or other covered facilities.

• In addition, VA proposed parameters to pay resident stipends and benefits and certain startup costs of new residency programs if residents are placed in such programs under the pilot program.
• Comments must be submitted through www.regulations.gov and can be accessed via the Federal Register Notice on or before Jul. 5, 2022.

For more information:

Laura Platero, Executive Director 

Liz Coronado, Senior Policy Advisor

Candice Jimenez, Health Policy Specialist

Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board | Website