2021 National Tribal Public Health Summit: Call for Abstracts Open

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. We invite you to join us virtually, present your work, and kick off these important explorations. To submit an abstract for our 2021 National Tribal Public Health Summit, read more here. To register, read more here.

If you are interested in learning more about NIHB’s abstract submission requirements, we welcome you to attend the Abstract Submission Webinar on March 10, 2021 from 3:00 – 4:00 PM ET. Register here.

On Saturday, February 27, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration authorized an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Johnson and Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. Additionally, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to recommend this vaccine for adults 18 years or older for the prevention of COVID-19. Unlike the other two vaccines offered by Moderna and Pfizer, the Janssen vaccine is a single-dose vaccine that can be stored and transferred at refrigerated temperatures.

Janssen has released a factsheet for both patients receiving the vaccine and providers administering the vaccine. Additionally, the Indian Health Service has released an EUA factsheet for the Janssen vaccine.

In a recent edition of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), suicide was ranked as the 10th leading cause of death in the United States overall. In 2019, a total of 47,511 deaths were attributable to suicide. Among all racial/ethnic groups, rates of suicide were highest among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) persons (22.5 per 100,000) overall among females and males. White persons were the only race for whom rates significantly declined from 2018 to 2019. Suicide rates did not significantly change from 2018 to 2019 for any other racial/ethnic group examined. Read more here.

Applications due Thursday, March 18, 2021

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2021 Rural Emergency Medical Services Training grants to recruit and train emergency medical services (EMS) personnel in rural areas. Total available funding is $5.5 million to 27 recipients for an award amount of up to $200,000 for a one-year, no cost-sharing project. Rural EMS agencies operated by a local or Tribal government (fire-based and non-fire based) and non-profit EMS agencies are eligible to apply. Read more here.

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support emergency-based infrastructure for Indian Country. American Indians and Alaska Natives have increased vulnerability to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases due to a lack of resources, public health emergency planning and response infrastructure intended to control outbreaks, and the complexity around jurisdictions, as well as lack of understanding among partners working with Tribes. Through this initiative, NIHB will assist Tribes with public health capacity building and training activities that engage public health and healthcare professionals and vulnerable populations to increase their ability to prevent and control outbreaks. A vital activity to aid in building capacity is creating peer learning community networks. Read more here.

For interest in joining creating a peer learning community contact Courtney Wheeler, [email protected].

Job descriptions are available at www.nihb.org.

On Tuesday, March 2, 2021, the Center's for Disease Control and Prevention Clinical Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) held a webinar titled "What Clinicians Need to Know About Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine." This webinar gave an overview of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine for clinicians including information regarding vaccine characteristics and administration, vaccinating special populations, and contraindications. Read more here.

The National Indian Health Board offers behavioral health technical assistance (TA). This assistance is available to Tribes, Tribal organizations, SASP grantees, and DVP grantees. For more information, please contact Courtney Wheeler at [email protected] or visit our webpage.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Dating Matters is an evidence-based teen dating violence (TDV) prevention model developed to stop TDV before it starts. This model focuses on teaching 11- to 14-year-olds healthy relationship skills. The Dating Matters Toolkit provides individuals with trainings, implementation guidance, access to program materials and other resources to implement Dating Matters. This toolkit also offers programs for parents and youth as well as training for educators. Read more here.

CDC Launches the Tips from Former Smokers (Tips) Campaign

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has kicked off their Tips from Former Smokers (Tips) campaign with 2021 marking the 10th year since the campaign was created. The Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) created Tips to combat smoking use in the United States and is the first federally funded national tobacco cessation education campaign. Tips is a campaign that features real people sharing their stories of how smoking made an impact in their lives and the lives of their families. Read more 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.

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.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Office of Regional Operations (ORO), is hosting a Region 7 Grants 101 Workshop. Topics include the Federal grant application process, Federal Funding Opportunities Panel, technical resource demonstration, state funding opportunities, engaging and collaborating with foundations, and HRSA grantee perspective. Read more here.

Please join the Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women's (OVW) Tribal Affairs Division for an interactive webinar on Tuesday, March 9th or Thursday, March 11th, 2021. Information about new changes to the OVW Tribal Governments Grants Program will be discussed. The webinars will be broken out by geographical region to fully accommodate each time zone and will run about an hour.

Contact [email protected] with questions.

Join the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region II National Preparedness Division and its Caribbean Area Office for a webinar about nutritional guidelines to take into consideration when preparing for emergencies. Dr. Nivia A. Fernandez, president of the Puerto Rico Food and Nutrition Commisison will be presenting the guidance document “Healthy Meal Plan for Emergencies in Puerto Rico” which provides useful information on emergency menu planning, food shopping list, food storage, water and essential products and much more to be as healthy as possible during emergencies. Although developed for Puerto Rico, this information is relevant for everyone. Register 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 settings 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.

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 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.