The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) was honored to be guests at the Mississippi Band of Choctaw (MBCI) Indian Fair over the weekend (July 16-17). The Choctaw Health Center hosted a “Health Plex” that included a vaccine drive, behavioral health services, mental wellness, grief counseling, healing education and practices, and diabetes prevention. Choctaw Health also partnered with the Mississippi Department of Health and the state Veterans Affairs hospital to provide more vaccines to more people.

At the Health Plex, NIHB Public Health Policy and Programs Associate Chyna Locklear and Communications Consultant April Hale shared information about the organization and the Act of Love campaign – that focuses on wearing a mask and getting vaccinated – with specific messages to Native youth and young people. Over two days, NIHB gave out nearly 400 Act of Love post vaccination kits to Tribal members and Native youth who were recently vaccinated. Each kit included an Act of Love branded mask, hand sanitizer, stickers to promote social distancing, and postcards to share with your relatives and encourage them to get vaccinated too. NIHB saw many youth, supported by their parents and relatives, get the COVID-19 vaccine. Getting the vaccine is part of NIHB Act of Love campaign. See NIHB’s Facebook page for posts from the event.

Introducing a collaboration that may be of interest for those planning on entering community college to serve Tribes in the areas of emergency medical services, nursing or nursing assistants, environmental services, or other allied health professions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in partnership with the American Hospital Association and the League for Innovation in the Community College, is working to expand infection control courses using Project Firstline (PFL) training resources. The goal is to add enhanced infection control content into community college classrooms to help healthcare workers start their careers with foundational knowledge about infection control and provide them with hands-on experience of the infection control practices they need to keep themselves and their patients safe. Read more here.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Project Firstline has released new resources on multi-dose vial safety. The resources were created to help healthcare workers understand and confidently apply the right infection control actions when giving vaccines to patients. When multi-dose vials are used correctly, Tribal healthcare workers can prevent the spread of germs and protect themselves and the Tribal members they serve. The learning resources include a 3½ minute video , a checklist to ensure multi-dose vaccine vials are used safely and correctly every time, and a multi-dose vial session plan to assist with designing effective training.

Governor Kate Brown has signed H.B. 2528, allowing licensed dental therapists to practice across the state of Oregon, including in the state's Tribal communities. Dental therapists, focused providers who specialize in routine preventative and basic restorative oral health care services, have worked in Oregon as part of a pilot project, including at select Tribal and Urban Indian health organization pilot sites, since February 2016. The new law allows them to practice in Tribal communities and in health settings across the state. Read more here.

Pre-application webinar: Today! July 22, 2021 from 3:00-3:45 PM ET

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is requesting proposals for a funding opportunity that will support Tribes that wish to address Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias in their communities. NIHB anticipates funding up to 12 Tribes or Tribal Organizations for up to $15,000. Read more here.

Nominations due by Wednesday, July 28, 2021 at 11:59 PM ET

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is now accepting nominations for the 2021 Outstanding Service Awards. Each year, the NIHB invites nominations for awards that recognize excellence, achievement and contributions that go "above and beyond" the call of service and honors efforts made by individuals, organizations and programs that have enriched and improved American Indian and Alaska Native health, health systems or policy at the local, regional, and national level. All nominations must be received through the online form by 11:59 PM ET on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. Submit a nomination here.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC/ATSDR) is currently accepting nominations for several Areas:

Nominations due Tuesday, August 24, 2021

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is currently seeking nominations from a distinguished group of individuals for the Health Information Technology Advisory Committee (HITAC), which provides recommendations to the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology on policies, standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria relating to the implementation of a health information technology infrastructure that advances the electronic access, exchange, and use of health information. Interested nominees should submit letters of nomination and resumes to [email protected] by August 24, 2021. Read more here.

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is seeking qualified candidates for the following open positions in the Public Health Policy and Programs Department based in Washington, DC.

Job descriptions are available here.

One of the goals of The National Indian Health Board’s (NIHB) Project Firstline: Tribal Infection Prevention and Control Capacity Building Program is to “develop and/or adapt existing materials to inform Tribal health professionals about important components of infection prevention and control (IPC)”. To support this endeavor, NIHB is in the process of compiling current materials and plans which Tribal Health Organizations and Systems currently use or have used. NIHB is seeking assistance with gathering information about existing infection control learning materials and/or infection control response plans. Recognizing that many Tribes and Tribal organizations have set an example in their response through great planning, NIHB requests that anyone willing to share their materials to please contact Carmen Sanders at [email protected].

Those interested are invited to participate in one in-depth interview with NIHB staff on the following topics, including but not limited to:

We expect each interview to last between 45 to 60 minutes, and will be conducted over Zoom or phone. At the end of these sessions NIHB will compile general themes from the additional interviews to inform a white paper that will help guide future CDC injury prevention surveillance activities for AI/AN communities.

If you are interested in participating in an interview, please contact Nina Martin at [email protected] or 202-548-7299!

The Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI) created a cookbook as part of their suicide prevention awareness work. The cookbook of some of the UIHI staff’s favorite recipes as a way to share an important part of their lives with each other and the community. Being open with others and trusting them with something important to you is a way to connect and build togetherness, which encourages good mental health. Read more here.

This joint program developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Defense is available at no cost to hospitals caring for COVID-19 patients and struggling with access to enough critical care physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and other specialized clinical experts. Teams of critical care clinicians are available to deliver virtual care through lightweight telemedicine platforms, such as an app on a mobile device. Read more here.

A new article published in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment examines the utilization of social media on tobacco cessation. As the COVID-19 pandemic limits in-person healthcare services and leads to increased levels of stress, the potential reach of social media to support smoking cessation should continue to be explored, with particular attention to privacy, inclusion of timely content, and deeper understanding of how social media engagement may promote sustained behavior change. Read more here.

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.

Today! Thursday, July 22, 2021 at 12:15 PM ET

Today, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy will host a conversation on COVID-19 misinformation in our communities and how addressing misinformation in our society will take all of us. The goal of this call is to talk through addressing health misinformation, activate trusted messengers and groups in their communities, and share a call to action for how we'll overcome this pandemic. If you have not yet read Confronting Health Misinformation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on Building a Healthy Information Environment, you can read the advisory here and find resources to help address misinformation. Register here.

Please join the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) for a Tribal Infection Control Learning Community (TICLC) webinar: Screening and Patient Placement Training for Tribal Frontline Staff.

The webinar will provide information about current guidelines for patient screening and patient placement considerations for Tribal Frontline Healthcare workers. The discussion will focus on the guidelines for preparedness and evaluating patients for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The presenter will share information about how the guidelines were applied in the Tribal healthcare facility they serve. For more information contact Carmen Sanders at [email protected] or register for the webinar here.

To enhance efforts to improve scientific integrity policies, the Task Force on Scientific Integrity is organizing a series of three virtual listening sessions to hear from members of the public who produce, communicate, and use scientific and technical information. Perspectives gathered during the virtual listening sessions will inform the assessment of Federal agencies’ scientific-integrity policies and identification of best practices and lessons-learned that the Task Force is preparing, pursuant of the Presidential Memorandum on Restoring Trust in Government Through Scientific Integrity and Evidence-Based Policymaking.

Please join the National Indian Health Board’s (NIHB’s) Brain Health Learning Community to discuss strategies for addressing dementia in your community. The first meeting will focus on the first set of Road Map for Indian Country strategies: educating and empowering community members, individuals living with dementia, and caregivers. Register here.                      

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC/ATSDR) is hosting a meeting to hold a consultation with federally recognized Tribal nations to receive input and guidance on improving the current CDC/ATSDR Tribal Consultation. CDC/ATSDR is seeking feedback on how the agency can improve its policies and practices to better engage with Indian Country through meaningful consultation. This feedback will be used to edit the current CDC's Consultation Policy. All elected Tribal officials are encouraged to submit written Tribal testimony to the contact person and mailing address listed below or by email at [email protected].

Read the Dear Tribal Leader Letter here and register here.

The Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP) and UC Riverside School of Medicine are hosting the 6th Annual American Indians Accessing Health Professions Conference. This free virtual conference is designed to give American Indian, Alaska Native, and Indigenous students exposure to different careers in health professions, as well as the tools and mentors, to help get them there. This conference is designed for AI/AN/Indigenous students who are interested in a health career. Read more and here.