Every year the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) brings together public health practitioners, researchers, and policy experts to allow for conversation, mobilization, and strategy. This year is no different despite COVID-19. In fact, COVID-19 has made our work even more urgent and vital. The COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated, for all to see, the critical underfunding of the Indian Health Service (IHS) and the importance of improving Tribal public health infrastructure. Read more here.

The American Public Health Association (APHA) Center for Climate, Health and Equity is offering for an opportunity for students to stimulate action on climate justice with and across academic communities. The Center will award up to five college or university student groups with $500 each to create a Virtual Academic Community Experience during National Public Health Week (April 5-11, 2021). While the COVID-19 pandemic is keeping everyone physically apart, these Virtual Academic Community Experiences will spark an important dialogue on the connections between climate change and health inequities and inspire action. Read more here.

Join the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Tribal Climate Resilience Program for an informational webinar that will provide details about available funding for Tribal activities that support Tribal climate adaptation and resilience planning, ocean and coastal management planning, relocation, managed retreat, and protect-in-place planning and design activities for coastal and riverine communities. Register here.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) seeks input from Federally-recognized Indian Tribes/American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Tribes, Tribal organizations, Tribal-serving organizations, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and AI/AN—serving institutions of higher education to guide the development of a new Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity (Center). Read more here.

Application deadline extended to Friday, March 29, 2021

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently released a grant funding opportunity announcement entitled, “FY 2021 Tribal Opioid Response Grants” (TOR). Please note that TOR recipients who received funding under TI-20-011 are not eligible to apply for this funding opportunity. Read more here.

The two-fold purpose of this award provided by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is (1) to demonstrate how health networks can increase access to health care services utilizing telehealth technologies and (2) to conduct evaluations of those efforts to establish an evidence base for assessing the effectiveness of telehealth care for patients, providers, and payers. Federally-recognized Tribes and Tribal organizations are eligible to apply. Read more here.

Applications due Monday, April 12, 2021

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is accepting applications for the 2021 Tribal-Researcher Capacity-Building Grants Solicitation. NIJ is seeking applications to fund new Tribal-researcher capacity-building planning grants involving scientists working with Tribal nationals and organizations to develop criminal justice research studies that are culturally appropriate. Research proposals must but Tribally driven and address the challenges of fighting crime and strengthening justice systems in Indian Country and Alaska Native villages. 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.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Office of Smoking and Health (OSH) will be starting their Tips From Former Smokers (Tips) campaign on March 1st 2021 and will be running through September 26th, 2021. This campaign will be running advertisements on national networks, cable television, radio, and online. The Tips campaign will be celebrating their 10-year mark and they are looking forward to celebrating individuals who have told their stories to help others quit. More information to come from this campaign.

The Network for Public Health Law released an updated Tribal Public Health Law Resource Table listing organizations with experience in both Tribal and public health law. This resource denotes the relationship between Tribes and state or federal governments by listing organizations such as epidemiology centers, academic institutions, and legal services. Read more here.

New! COVID-19 Resources:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vaccine Task Force now offers vaccine confidence consultations for interested jurisdictions. The program will match state, territorial, Tribal, and local public health jurisdictions with CDC experts for a 60-minute consult to answer questions around vaccine hesitancy and develop strategies to instill vaccine confidence for hesitant populations. To request this service, interested jurisdictions should contact [email protected]. Read more about vaccine confidence here.

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.

Closed captioning available here.

Join the National Indian Health Board and the Public Health Foundation​ for a virtual town hall meeting on the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals (Core Competencies). The Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice is in the process of reviewing and revising the Core Competencies, and this virtual meeting is an opportunity for public health professionals in Tribal health organizations to provide feedback on how the Core Competencies can better serve the public health workforce. Read more here.

Please join the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) for a Tribal infection control learning community (TICLC) webinar. This webinar will provide an overview of the best practices for Dental practices and strategies for implementing infection prevention and control measures to protect dental staff. Dr. Jessica Rickert, D.D.S., the first female American Indian Dentist in the world, and Dr. Latonya Shelton-Miler, Dental Director for Little Axe Health Center will present. Register here.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Emergency Management Institute is offering a course to help prepare for, respond to, and recover from major debris-generating events. This course is designed for State, Tribal, Territorial, and local officials who are responsible for planning, managing, and/or implementing debris removal and disposal activities from all types of disasters. Read more here.

Please join the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) for a Tribal Infection Control Learning Community (TICLC) webinar: COVID Vaccine Considerations for Safely Re-opening Dental Clinics. This webinar will provide an overview of the best practices for dental settings and strategies for implementing infection prevention and control (IPC) measures to protect dental staff. The discussion will focus on safety precautions and understanding how to safely re-open dental practices after COVID vaccination. Register here.

Join researchers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln whose work focuses on American Indians and other families in South Dakota for a webinar on preventing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Cultural adaptations and integration of multiple approaches, including the Strengthening Families Program, economic empowerment, and bystander interventions, will result in a program called Was’ake Tiwahe (Lakota for “strong families”). The program will be pilot tested and rigorously evaluated with a randomized controlled trial in Rapid City, South Dakota. Impacts on youth ACEs and intimate partner violence experienced by their caregivers will be assessed before, immediate post-, and 8-months following implementation of the program. Program development and evaluation results have the potential to advance dual generation violence prevention approaches and address gaps in approaches for vulnerable populations. Register here.