Week of February 20, 2024 | |
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In this Letter:
✒️Congressional Items
📣Announcements
📝 Dear Tribal Leader Letters
📒Upcoming Tribal Advisory Committees & Tribal Consultations
🎟️Events
💵 Notice of Funding Opportunities
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Congress is out of session this week for the Presidents’ Day holiday. NIHB led a series of Hill visits in association with the National Congress of American Indians Executive Council Winter Session last week, visiting ten Senate and House offices and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Tribal Leaders shared their stories on the success of the Special Diabetes Program for Indians, urging its reauthorization and raising awareness of new legislation important to Indian Country.
Last week, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a hearing on “Perspectives on Army Corps of Engineers Projects in Small, Rural, and Underserved Communities,” which featured the testimony of Chairman Peter Yucupicio (Pascua Yaqui Tribe). From Chairman Yucupicio’s testimony, “As we are struggling with years of drought and the reality of a much hotter and drier future, Indian tribes, just like many of our neighboring communities, need increased access to financial resources and technical assistance […] to enhance, and in many instances retool, our existing water supply and wastewater systems to conserve water, offset potable uses, and recycle water to support the health of our environment and provide a more flexible water supply for our future.” The Committee has scheduled an additional hearing on Wednesday, February 28 at 10 am (EST) on the Water Resources Development Act’s Army Corps of Engineers water infrastructure projects, programs, and priorities.
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Find Health Care and Resources for Native Veterans Interactive Site Launched
In recent months, Director Roselyn Tso and IHS staff have worked with Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs, Denis McDonough, to affirm the agencies’ combined partnership and commitment to American Indian and Alaska Native veterans. As a result, the agencies’ reimbursement agreement was updated in late 2023, which facilitates repayment for health care and related services provided by the IHS to eligible Native veterans. Recently, the agencies released a joint video to announce the “Find Health Care and Resources for Native Veterans” interactive map site that provides a one-stop-shop connecting visitors to an array of services available to Native veterans.
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State Medicaid and CHIP Telehealth Toolkit Released
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an updated State Medicaid & Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Telehealth Toolkit. This updated toolkit serves as a consolidated and comprehensive compilation of telehealth policies, including related flexibilities and requirements, for states to consider when using telehealth to deliver Medicaid and CHIP benefits and services. The toolkit also includes information about telehealth platforms; billing best practices; best practices from states during and after the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency; strategies to promote the delivery of accessible and culturally competent care via telehealth, including using telehealth in schools; strategies for telehealth in value-based care; evaluation strategies to understand how telehealth affects quality, outcomes, and cost; and strategies for communicating, training, and providing resources on telehealth for providers and for beneficiaries.
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SAMHSA Publishes Tribal Consultation Report for Tribal Opioid Response Grant Funding Formula
The SAMHSA Tribal Consultation on proposed changes to the Tribal Opioid Response Grant (TOR) funding methodology was held in November 2023. The Tribal Consultation Report provides Tribal leaders with a summary of Tribal recommendations and input received during the consultation period and provides initial responses from SAMHSA. Also included in this report is a summary of anticipated next steps related to this topic.
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Registration is Open for the National Indian Health Board 2024 National Tribal Health Conference in Rapid City, SD
Click here to visit the conference website to learn more about the event, exhibiting, and sponsoring NTHC 2024. Check the conference website often for upcoming information regarding speakers, the call for abstracts, and exciting opportunities!
| IHS February 15 Letter: The IHS Chief Medical Officer writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to share an update on efforts by the Agency to address the syphilis epidemic in Indian Country | IHS January 31 Letter: The IHS Director writes to communicate key leadership changes within the Indian Health Service, which include multiple reassignments, the departure of a long-tenured staff member, and a noteworthy retirement | FDA January 30 Letter: U.S. Food and Drug Administration invites the National Indian Health Board and Area Indian Health Boards to participate in a call with the FDA’s Stakeholder Engagement Staff and Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA) | |
Tribal Advisory Committee Meetings | |
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Tribal Advisory Committee Meeting
Date: February 21 – 22, 2024
Location: Atlanta, GA
Meeting Registration Link
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IHS Tribal Self-Governance Advisory Committee Meeting
Date: February 21 – 22, 2024
Location: Washington, DC
Meeting Webpage Link
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CANCELLED—Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee (STAC)
Date: February 27—28, 2024
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Veterans Affairs Department Advisory Committee on Tribal and Indian Affairs
Date: February 27 – 29, 2024
Location: Choctaw Nation Headquarters, Durant, OK
Meeting Announcement Link
Comments Due: February 21, 2024
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Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Tribal Technical Advisory Committee (TTAC)
Date: February 27, 2024, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM ET
Meeting Announcement Link
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IHS National Tribal Advisory Committee (NTAC) on Behavioral Health Q1 Meeting
Date: February 27, 2024, 12:00 PM ET – 5:00 PM ET
Meeting Link
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Tribal Leaders Diabetes Committee (TLDC) Quarterly Meeting
Date: March 5 – 6, 2024
Location: Reno, NV
Meeting Webpage Link
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Medicare, Medicaid and Health Reform Policy Committee (MMPC)
Date: March 5, 2024
Location: Washington, DC
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CMS Tribal Technical Advisory Group (TTAG) Face-to-Face Meeting
Date: March 6 – 7, 2024
Location: Washington, DC
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Facilities Appropriation Advisory Board Meeting
Date: March 12 — 13, 2024
Location: Sacramento, CA
Meeting Webpage Link
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Community Health Aide Program (CHAP) Tribal Advisory Group
Date: March 25, 2024
Location: Rockville, MD
Meeting Webpage Link
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National Indian Child Welfare Association 42nd Annual Protecting Our Children Conference
Date: April 7 – 10, 2024
Location: Seattle, WA
Event Webpage Link
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2024 Tribal Self-Governance Conference
Date: April 15 – 19, 2024
Location: Chandler, AZ
Event Webpage Link
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National Council of Urban Indian Health 2024 Annual Conference
Date: April 29, 2024 – May 2, 2024
Location: Washington, DC
Event Webpage Link
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National Indian Health Board 2024 National Tribal Health Conference
Date: May 19 – 23, 2024
Location: Rapid City, SD
Event Webpage Link
| Notice of Funding Opportunities | |
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Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program | Click Here to Learn More
Application Deadline: February 26, 2024
Description: The purpose of this program is to educate and train the health care and supportive care workforces to care for older adults by collaborating with community partners. Applicants must maximize patient and family engagement to address care gaps and improve health outcomes for older adults by integrating geriatrics with primary care and other appropriate specialties using the Age-Friendly Health Systems Framework.
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Native Connections Tribal Behavioral Health | Click Here to Learn More
Award Amount: Up to $250,000 per year
Application Deadline: March 6, 2024
Description: The purpose of this program is to prevent and reduce suicidal behavior and substance use/misuse, reduce the impact of trauma, and promote mental health among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth, up to and including age 24, by building a healthy network of systems, services, and partnerships that impact youth. SAMHSA expects this program will be a model for community change that integrates a community’s culture, resources, and readiness to address suicide prevention and substance use/misuse among AI/AN youth.
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Funding Opportunity for the Tribal Management Grant Program | Click Here to Learn More
Award Amount: $50,000 – $150,000
Application Deadline: March 14, 2024
Description: The TMG Program is a competitive grant program that is capacity building and developmental in nature and has been available for federally recognized Indian Tribes and Tribal Organizations (T/TO) since shortly after enactment of the ISDEAA in 1975. The TMG Program was established to assist T/TOs to prepare for assuming all or part of existing IHS programs, functions, services, and activities (PFSAs) and further develop and improve Tribal health management capabilities. The TMG Program provides competitive grants to T/TOs to establish goals and performance measures for current health programs, assess current management capacity to determine if new components are appropriate, analyze programs to determine if a T/TO's management is practicable, and develop infrastructure systems to manage or organize PFSAs.
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Behavioral Health Integration (BHI) Evidence Based Telehealth Network Program (EB-TNP) | Click Here to Learn More
Award Amount: Up to $350,000
Application Deadline: March 22, 2024
Description: The purpose of this program is to integrate behavioral health services into primary care settings using telehealth technology through telehealth networks and evaluate the effectiveness of such integration. The goal for the BHI/EB-TNP Program is to support evidence-based projects that utilize telehealth technologies through telehealth networks in rural and underserved areas.
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Supporting People with HIV as Leaders in HIV Systems of Care | Click Here to Learn More
Award Amount: Up to $800,000
Application Deadline: April 1, 2024
Description: The program activities are to: 1. Conduct training of trainers (ToT) for people with HIV on leadership in Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) activities. 2. Provide supports to ToT trainees to help them accomplish goals related to the ToT. 3. Develop and disseminate relevant tools and lessons learned from the project. The goal of the Supporting People with HIV as Leaders in HIV Systems of Care program is to support leadership development and enhance meaningful engagement for people with HIV in health care planning and programs inclusive of RWHAP-funded organizations.
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Tribal MIECHV Notice of Funding Opportunity | Click Here to Learn More
Award Amount: $250,000 – $1,000,000
Application Deadline: April 18, 2024, 11:59 PM ET
Description: Administered by the Office of Early Childhood Development (ECD) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), this grant will support 5-year cooperative agreements between ACF and federally recognized Indian Tribes (or a consortium of Indian Tribes), Tribal organizations, or urban Indian organizations interested in developing, implementing, sustaining, or expanding an evidence-based home visiting program serving expectant families and families with young children aged birth to kindergarten entry. Awards will support the implementation of high-quality, culturally grounded, evidence-based home visiting services to American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) families and children; implementation of performance measurement and continuous quality improvement systems; development of early childhood systems; and participation in research and evaluation activities to build evidence around home visiting, particularly in Tribal communities. Reach out to [email protected] with questions.
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Poison Control Centers Program | Click Here to Learn More
Application Deadline: May 1, 2024
Award Amount: The goal of this program is to reduce poisonings and the harms resulting from poisonings by ensuring that individuals across the United States can connect to a Poison Control Center and obtain expert consultation on preventing and managing poisonings. The objectives of this program are to: 1. Support poisoning prevention activities; 2. Provide high-quality guidance and information to callers to the Poison Help Line; 3. Provide treatment recommendations when poisonings occur; 4. Collect data related to poisonings and poisoning outcomes; and 5. Use data to inform public health and emergency preparedness responses. These will be accomplished by: 1. Maintaining the number of calls received by the Poison Help Line. 2. Maintaining the percentage of human exposure poisoning case calls from health care facilities and practitioners. 3. Increasing the percentage of human exposure poisoning cases with a completed follow-up contact. 4. Increasing national data on poisonings available in the National Poison Data System (NPDS) for toxic exposure surveillance purposes.
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