The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated their recommendations on May 13, 2021. Fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in any setting, except where required by federal, state, local, Tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance. A summary of the recent changes can be found here. The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) encourages all fully vaccinated American Indians and Alaska Natives to still adhere to Tribal and state public health orders and mask mandates. It is also important to continue to protect our elders and those with weakened immune systems. NIHB has created a fact sheet for Tribal communities on the updated guidelines.

“Right now, the Klamath River is full of dead and dying fish on the Yurok Reservation,” Frankie Myers, the Yurok Tribe’s Vice Chairman, said. “This disease will kill most of the baby salmon in the Klamath, which will impact fish runs for many years to come. For salmon people, a juvenile fish kill is an absolute worst-case scenario.” Read more here.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health (OMH) is now accepting applications to fund projects that test interventions to identify family-centered factors that promote self-management and prevention of Type 2 diabetes among racial and ethnic minority and disadvantaged families who have a family member(s) aged 12 and older with Type 2 diabetes. Up to $500,000 will be awarded to accepted applicants. A technical assistance webinar for potential applicants will also be held today. To learn more about how to apply, read more here.

Responses due Friday, May 21, 2021

In support of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Project Firstline (PFL), RTI International and The Henne Group are looking for nurses, allied health professionals who deliver clinical care (such as CNAs, LPNs, LVNs, phlebotomists), and environmental service workers to provide feedback on infection control training materials and supporting communications. The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is one of many partners in the PFL collaborative effort to develop Infection Control training designed especially for healthcare workers. By participating in this survey, Tribal healthcare workers have an opportunity to offer feedback and provide a better understanding of Tribal needs. Feedback will be collected during a virtual, 90-minute group interview. The information collected will be used to develop new communication products to support workers like you. For those interested in participating, please complete the online screener here.

The Pala Band of Mission Indians’ Tribal Climate Health Project invites Tribal-serving professionals across the US to respond to an online questionnaire titled “Crisis Response and Recovery in Indian Country: Translating COVID Lessons Into Climate Emergency Preparation.”

The purpose of this questionnaire is to collect Tribal experiences, knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned while responding to and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic that may be translatable to strengthening Tribal preparation for emergencies resulting from climate change. The findings will be used to inform a summary report that will be distributed to Tribes and tribal-serving organizations nationally. For more information or if you have questions, please contact [email protected].

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 National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is currently offering behavioral health technical assistance. This assistance is available to Tribes, Substance Abuse and Suicide Prevention grantees, and Domestic Violence Prevention grantees. For more behavioral health inquiries, please contact Courtney Wheeler at [email protected] or click here to visit our webpage.

The National Indian Health Board is committed to serving Tribal Nations in response to the coronavirus outbreak. We welcome your requests and feedback. Contact Courtney Wheeler at [email protected] or 202-507-4081.

The National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation will host the “Achieving Health Equity – What’s Next?” webinar on Friday, May 21 from 2:00 – 3:15 PM Eastern Time. The COVID-19 pandemic placed a spotlight on the shocking health disparities that American communities of color have endured for decades and underscored the need for change. Mortality rates linked to COVID-19 for Native Americans, Latinos and Black Americans are approximately double those of White Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As the nation recovers, health experts are taking a close look at addressing the health inequities that contributed to this situation and ensuring that it does not happen again. For this webinar, the National Indian Health Board's CEO, Stacy A. Bohlen, along with other leaders in public health will discuss key issues that harm health in America’s Indigenous, Black and Latino communities, as well as solutions. Read more here.

The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) will be hosting a virtual Community Health Worker Training on Oral Health as part of our CareQuest work. The training is open to all community health workers working with rural patients and communities. Space is limited so early registration is encouraged. Register here.

Join the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) on Wednesday, May 26th from 2:00-2:45 PM ET for an informational webinar on our upcoming Brain Health Learning Community. NIHB will bring interested people together to discuss public health strategies to support people who live with dementia and their caregivers. The webinar will provide an overview of the learning community and host a discussion with participants on what they wish to gain or learn from such a community.  Register here.

Questions for presenters can be emailed to [email protected]. Register here.

The Native Center for Behavioral Health at the University of Iowa College of Public Health is currently hosting a series of sessions that feature traditional Native American storytelling with time for discussion on what can be learned from the stories as well as the ways these stories can be incorporated by Native American providers into their work with patients. This session is hosted by Robert Begay (Navajo) and features three storytelling sessions on the second Tuesdays of the month: