The American Psychiatric Association (APA) Board of Trustees wrote an apology for the APA supporting structural racism in their work since the association's founding in 1844. They are committed to identifying, understanding, and rectifying past injustices, as well as developing anti-racist policies that promote equity in mental health for all. Read the full apology here.

Research conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) revealed rapid rises in methamphetamine overdose deaths across all racial and ethnic groups, with American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) having the highest death rates overall. Deaths involving methamphetamines more than quadrupled among non-Hispanic AI/ANs from 2011-2018 with sharp increases for both men and women in that group. These findings highlight the urgent need to develop culturally tailored, gender-specific prevention and treatment strategies. Unlike for opioids, there are currently no Federal Drug Administration-approved medications for treating methamphetamine use disorders or reversing overdoses. Read more here.

Papers due Sunday, January 31, 2021

The Johns Hopkins Centers for Health Security, Health Equity, American Indian Health, and Public Health and Human Rights has put out a call for papers surrounding the topic of how systemic racism is manifested in the practice of health security in the United States and how it has affected preparedness for, responses to, and recovery from COVID-19. The manuscript will be published in Health Security, a bi‐monthly peer‐reviewed journal that serves as an international forum for debate and exploration of the key strategic, scientific, and operational issues posed by biological weapons, pandemics, and emerging infectious diseases, natural disasters, and other threats to global health. Read more here.

Nominations extended to Friday, February 12, 2021

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's (ATSDR) Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC) is currently recruiting delegates for the Nashville Area, Phoenix Area, and Tucson Area to increase Tribal health, wellness, and inclusion by providing CDC/ATSDR input and guidance on policies, programs, and priorities. The deadline to submit nomination letters has been extended to February 12, 2021. To access the Dear Tribal Leader Letter, TAC eligibility criteria, and a nomination letter sample, read more here.

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is seeking examples of Tribal policies with best and promising practices that support vulnerable people living with cognitive impairment and their caregivers, especially during emergency situations. This type of policy may reside within Tribal codes or alongside health, mental health, aging, social services, food distribution, emergency management, public safety, transportation, or other types of policies.  Your thoughts are welcomed if no such policy or best and promising practice exists.

The purpose of this request is to inform the development of a toolkit, intended for Tribal health leaders and Tribal Government officials, to support people living with brain health challenges and their caregivers during a pandemic or other emergency conditions. If you have examples that you are willing to share or would like to provide general input on the contents of the toolkit, contact Karrie Joseph, [email protected], or (202) 507-4079.

Job descriptions are available at www.nihb.org.

New! COVID-19 Resources:

The National Indian Health Board is committed to serving Tribal Nations in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Visit our COVID-19 Tribal Resource Center for more information and resources.

Today! Thursday, January 28, 2021 from 12:30 PM - 3:00 PM ET

The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is hosting a webinar series for Tribal leaders and staff on Tribal disaster preparedness efforts. Since 2013, federally-recognized Tribes are able to directly request a Presidential emergency or major disaster declaration. To clarify this Tribal process, the 2017 Tribal Declarations Pilot Guidance was created. This webinar will walk Tribal leaders and staff through the Tribal Declarations Pilot Guidance, spotlight pitfalls to avoid, and identify resources available. For questions, contact Kelbie Kennedy, Policy Counsel, at [email protected]. Read more here.