Attendee registration deadline: Tuesday, April 27, 2021

The National Tribal Public Health Summit (TPHS) is the premier American Indian and Alaska Native specific annual gathering focused on public health policy, systems, and infrastructure. During the TPHS, attendees will learn of and engage in material surrounding best, evidence-based, emerging, and promising practices developed by Tribes for Tribes.

For this virtual summit, NIHB is using a platform called Pathable that connects to Zoom to host daily plenary sessions and concurrent workshops. Pathable allows participants to easily navigate the TPHS agenda, browse virtual booths, attend the TPHS plenary sessions, and access workshops presented by leaders, advocates, and subject matter experts from across Indian Country.

For more information regarding attendee registration, read more here.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has launched an innovative community health initiative called “Say Yes! COVID Test” starting in Pitt County, North Carolina, and coming soon to Chattanooga/Hamilton County, Tennessee. Read more here.

The Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health launched the Family Spirit Nurture (FSN) home visiting program to evaluate a new approach to preventing early childhood obesity in American Indian and Alaska Native babies, adding onto the Center’s nationally recognized home visiting model, Family Spirit. Significant results from a randomized controlled trial of FSN were published in JAMA Pediatrics, showing that infants whose mothers participated in the FSN program had healthier infant feeding and improved growth status compared to children in the control group. Based on this evidence of FSN’s success and with new support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Center is expanding the FSN program to explore the long-term impact of FSN on children’s healthy weight status through the child’s fifth birthday. Read more here.

Comments DUE TODAY

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is currently seeking input from researchers and providers as well as affected patients, families, community members, and other concerned stakeholders to learn about and remedy research gaps in knowledge to address mental health disparities in rural people and communities. Comments on any or all of the following topics will be accepted:

Deadline for input: Friday, April 30, 2021

The National Consortium for Public Health Workforce Development, established by the DeBeaumont Foundation, is seeking input on the Consortium’s priorities to support the US state, Tribal, local, and territorial governmental public health workforce. For more about the draft common agenda and the link to the survey, 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 creating a peer learning community contact Courtney Wheeler, [email protected].

Applications due Wednesday, July 7, 2021

In a collaborative effort, National Institute of Drug Abuse and We R Native are hosting two challenge competitions to recognize the strengths and resiliencies of Indigenous people. This challenge program is intended to use culture to protect against substance misuse and foster health communities. The challenges are:

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) has a scholarship opportunity available for Tribal infection control officers and health officials to complete online infection control training courses. Scholarship funds can also be used to complete the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiologists (CBIC) certification exam. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. For additional information, contact Carmen Sanders at [email protected]. For the application, read more here.

Job descriptions are available at www.nihb.org.

The Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health at the University of Colorado, School of Public Health has issued a recent journal publication that predominantly features articles concerned with American Indian and Alaska Native youth and young adults. Articles explore topics pertinent to this population, including:

As part of the ongoing collaborative efforts between the Department of Justice's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Initiative and the Presidential Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives (Operation Lady Justice), the Department has recently published a March issue titled "Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons: Legal, Prosecution, Advocacy, & Healthcare" dedicated to the topics of missing or murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. Read more here.

The report features a snapshot of both qualitative perspectives and real-time polling from the participants, along with considerations for how health departments and Tribal governments can use these findings, collaboratively with their community partners, in their efforts to support equitable COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Read more here.

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.

Thursdays, April 8-29, 2021 from 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM ET

The Indian Health Service (IHS) is presenting a special four-part series for Community Health Representatives starting April 8th at 3pm Eastern Time. The webinar series is for non-clinical staff in key positions of behavioral and community health care, focusing on critical updates for HIV, Hepatitis C, Substance Use Disorder, and 2SLGBTQ health services. The four-session program offers a free collaborative to continue learning, knowledge sharing and support in your work.

Speakers: Janet Cifuentes, PharmD, Heather Huentelman, PharmD, Jessica Rienstra, BSN, RN and Rick Haverkate, MPH

This Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) Call will present the latest evidence on cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) with thrombocytopenia associated with the administration of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. Speakers will discuss what is known about CVST, the importance of early detection, and updated vaccine recommendations. Read more here.

Join the Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI) for their second virtual town hall in the COVID-19 Town Hall series. This town hall is focused on treatments and clinical trials and will feature an expert panel including a COVID-19 research nurse, a public health practitioner, and a community member from the Lummi Nation. Register here.

Join the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region II National Preparedness Division and the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) for a virtual discussion on the COVID-19 vaccines. The purpose of the webinar is to address concerns associated with the COVID-19 vaccines, share information, and identify tailored messaging to foster vaccine confidence. Register here.