Last week, the White House announced that they will be supplying Americans with free at-home COVID-19 tests and N95 masks. Every home in the U.S. is eligible for four free at-home rapid tests. Test sets can be ordered through the U.S. Postal Service online now! N95 masks will be available to pick up at thousands of pharmacies and community health centers across the country. Masks will be available soon, and the program will be fully running by early February.

Order COVID-19 tests here.

Read more about the N95 masks here.

As Omicron cases continue to surge, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) urges healthcare facilities to assess their infection prevention workload and prioritize critical patient safety and infection surveillance work. A statement from APIC President Ann Marie Pettis, BSN, RN, CIC, FAPIC, says “Infection prevention professionals serve as a critical line of defense in preventing and responding to infections and integrating evidence-based strategies to limit their spread.” Tribal healthcare systems are experiencing a high volume of work due to COVID-19 response in Tribal communities, and an Omicron surge may consider evaluating infection control workloads. The work can be prioritized so that infection control professionals can focus on their areas of expertise and optimize safety for Tribal healthcare professionals. Read more here.

Award Amount: $15,000

Application Deadline: February 25, 2022

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is excited to announce we are accepting applications for our Infectious Disease Peer Learning Community Grant!

Apply here.

Interested applicants may participate in an optional informational call on Thursday, February 3, 2022, from 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM ET. Register in advance for the informational call here.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the call. For questions about the Infectious Disease Peer Learning Community grant application process, contact Audrianna Marzette, Public Health Program Coordinator at [email protected].

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is accepting applications for a GIS pilot project designed to support Tribal environmental health programs carrying out surveillance, epidemiology, laboratory capacity, and other COVID-19 preparedness and response activities. Tribes, Tribal Epidemiology Centers (TECs), Tribal Health Departments, or Tribal environmental health programs awarded the grant will be required to pilot a prototype application that contains a set of geospatially enabled community contact tracing and reporting tools and identify opportunities and challenges for improving the tool to support system-wide efforts.

To apply for this funding opportunity, submit an application to Brett Weber, Program Manager, Public Health Policy and Programs at [email protected] no later than Friday, February 25, 2022, at 11:59 PM ET. To download the application, click here.

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is requesting proposals from communications consultants or firms to produce podcasts for a new NIHB project. To further enhance how we reach our audience, the NIHB Policy Center is launching a six-episode podcast series about Medicare and Medicaid issues. Each episode will discuss a facet of Medicare and Medicaid policy and will feature a guest that can further elaborate on how these policies have impacted their Tribal community.

Submission Responses to the request for proposals (RFP) should be submitted via e-mail to Christopher Chavis, Policy Center Director at [email protected] by February 9, 2022 at 11:59 PM ET. The subject line should include “Company Name NIHB Policy Center Podcast Proposal” and the email should include:

Read more about the RFP here.

We are inviting Tribal health directors from entities of varying sizes and locations to pilot the revised Public Health in Indian Country Capacity Scan (PHICCS) instrument. NIHB will be hosting the pilot over February 2022. As an incentive, if you participate in the pilot phase of PHICCS II, you will not need to complete the scan again during the launch period. You will also receive any incentives that will be provided to participants during the launch period. We ask that pilot sites:

Email Nina Martin, Program Manager, Public Health Policy and Programs at [email protected] to indicate your interest.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently announced e-consultation opportunities for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) and other Indigenous peoples. These e-consultations give the opportunity to include Indigenous perspectives in the High-Level Panel of Experts on Nutrition and Food Security (HLPE) report on data collection and analysis tools for food security and nutrition.

To contribute to the e-consultation, follow these steps:

The deadline to contribute is Wednesday, February 2, 2022. For any questions, contact [email protected]. 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is now accepting applications for their Youth Preparedness Council. The Youth Preparedness Council was created to bring together youth who are interested in supporting disaster preparedness. The one-year program will give Native youth the opportunity to meet peers, build leadership skills, serve their communities, and participate in an annual summit where they will be able to share their perspectives, feedback, and opinions with FEMA leaders and staff. The council is currently virtual, and there are no in-person requirements for council members. Applications are due by midnight on March 6, 2022.

To learn more about the Youth Preparedness Council, FEMA is hosting an information session on February 17, 2022. Register here.

Apply here. 

The application deadline has been extended for National Indian Health Board (NIHB) sub-awardee $50,000 funding to assist Tribal organizations and/or Tribal health systems with developing and implementing training and capacity building assistance programs. The Project Firstline: Building Capacity for Tribal Infection Control sub-award funding through NIHB, with funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), can assist Tribes in creating training resources to raise the capacity of Tribal infection control professionals and healthcare providers in Tribal health systems.

Tribal organizations interested in setting up a Tribal infection control peer learning community may apply for the funding here.

For more information visit NIHB Project Firstline. 

The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established the Vector Control Collaborative (VCC) to match local vector control programs with demonstrated expertise in ten capabilities with vector control programs currently looking for guidance, tools and resources, and recommendations to build program capability.

Read more here.

The National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) is recruiting applicants for its inaugural Indigenous Public Health Leadership Program. This six-month course is designed for emerging Tribal public health leaders and professionals, and will cover a breadth of topics ranging from COVID-19, mental and behavioral health, emergency preparedness, and partnerships. Participants will gain skills and knowledge to support their Tribal public health capacity through tailored discussions, peer learning, and formal e-learning assignments.

NNPHI is hosting an informational webinar on January 27, 2022 at 5:00 PM ET. Applications are due by February 21, 2022. Read more here. 

The Indian Health Service (IHS) released the scholarship application for several health professional areas, including preparatory, pre-graduate, and graduate programs.

Environmental health, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, and social work are some of the professional areas highlighted by IHS as eligible for the scholarship. Read the IHS comparison chart for more information.

According to a presentation on the scholarship, the program provides qualified American Indian and Alaska Native health professions students an opportunity to establish an educational foundation for each stage of their preprofessional careers. The scholarship program provides financial support in exchange for a minimum two-year service commitment within an Indian health program in the chosen health professional discipline.

Read more, including how to apply, here. 

Deadline Extended: February 3, 2022, 7:30 PM ET

On November 24, 2021, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) released a Dear Tribal Leader Letter (DTLL) announcing that applications for HRSA’s National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program (NHSC LRP) are now open. As a reminder, HRSA is once again dedicating $15 million to clinicians serving at Indian Health Service (IHS) facilities, Tribally-Operated 638 Health Programs, and Urban Indian Health Programs (ITU’s). The deadline for NHSC LRP applications is February 3, 2022, by 7:30 PM ET.

For additional information, please review the NHSC LRP Application Checklist which is a guide through the application and a Comparison Graphic that aids in choosing which of the three programs is suitable for applicants.

Read the DTLL here.

Application Deadline: February 3, 2022

The Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial

Support (CSTLTS) is currently seeking candidates for the position of Director, Office of Tribal Affairs and Strategic Alliances (OTASA). OTASA connects Tribal nations and Tribal-serving organizations to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) programs, and provides funding for building and improving Tribal public health infrastructure. This is an important position for Indian Country as the Director will serve as the official CDC point-of contact and authority for American Indian and Alaska Native public health.

Read more about the position here.

Apply for the position here. External candidates may apply to job announcement HHS-CDC-D1-22-11341153.

EPA Announces $20 Million Grant Opportunity for Air Monitoring with $2 Million Tribal Set Aside

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $20 million funding opportunity to support community air quality monitoring. The funding comes from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

Air pollution is a leading cause of many poor health outcomes including lung cancer, asthma, and heart attacks. According to the National Tribal Air Association, 85 Tribes operated air quality monitoring programs in 2021, and over 400 major sources of air pollution were present across Indian Country.

Read more here.

Deadline: February 14, 2022, 11:59 PM ET

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) invites Tribal public health practitioners, researchers, and community-based service providers to submit presenter abstracts to the National Tribal Public Health Summit 2022 (TPHS) being held May 10-12, 2022.

Read more and submit your abstracts here. 

The National Indian Health Board is seeking qualified candidates for entry to senior executive level positions available in operations, administration, communications, public health, Congressional relations, policy, and federal relations. Full-time, salaried positions in Washington, DC. Job descriptions available here.

On January 3, the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support (CSTLTS) launched their host site recruitment efforts for the Public Health Associate Program (PHAP). Many Tribes and Tribal Organizations have taken advantage of this program which places early career public health staff at their sites for a two-year commitment, paid for by the CDC.  The CDC is looking to recruit both host sites—state, Tribal, local, and territorial public health agencies and nongovernmental organizations—and recent college graduates who are interested in a career in public health. To help, they have created a partner social media toolkit with sample messages for Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, as well as diverse graphics for different audiences.

Interested in becoming a Public Health Associate, read more here. Interested in becoming a host site, read more here.

This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released three new Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWRs) that further highlight the importance of getting a COVID-19 vaccine and booster shot to protect against severe COVID-19 associated with either the delta or omicron variant.

The first MMWR (early release January 21, 2022) found that getting a third dose of an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer Bio-NTech or Moderna), either as an extra dose or a booster shot, was highly effective at preventing severe illness during both the delta and omicron predominant periods. Vaccine effectiveness was higher in adults who were eligible for a third dose or booster shot compared to those who had received two doses.

The second MMWR (early release January 21, 2022) found that when the delta variant was the dominant variant, and in the early days of omicron, that people who were fully vaccinated and boosted (up to date on their vaccines) had the highest protection against infection.

The third MMWR (early release January 21, 2022) found that a third dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine provides significant protection against symptomatic COVID-19 disease. Protection was found to be greater against the delta variant compared to the omicron variant.

Centers for Disease Control Coronavirus Self Checker

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a great tool to help you make decisions on when to seek testing and medical care. Tribal members who are 13 and older, and parents and caregivers of children ages 2-12 can use the tool to help decide when to seek testing or medical care if they suspect they or someone they know has contracted COVID-19 or has come into close contact with someone who has COVID-19. Tribal members can use the on-line tool to find recommended actions and resources based on their response to questions in the self-checker tool. 

The Indian Health Service (IHS) recently added a list of COVID-19 vaccine events and clinics to their website! The list currently includes events happening in California, Montana, and New Mexico. If you do not live in those states, or do not live near an IHS, Tribal, or urban Indian organization, you can visit www.vaccines.gov to find vaccines near you.

Click here to visit the Vaccine Events and Clinics site.

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, MPH, Program Manager, Public Health Policy and Programs at [email protected] or 202-507-4081 or visit the COVID-19 Tribal Resource Center.

Today! January 27, 2022, 12:00 PM ET

Hosted by the Indian Health Service (IHS) and presented by Delores Subia Bigfoot, PhD, this free webinar will provide an overview of the trauma resulting from forced separation and relocation of American Indian and Alaska Native children and youth to residential schools. The target audience for this webinar is licensed alcohol and drug counselors, licensed professional counselors, nurses, nurse practitioners, residential school survivors, educators, and teacher. This presentation is open to everyone. Continuing education credits will not be provided for attending this webinar.

For more information or to register for this webinar, click here.

Today! January 27, 2022, 1:00-2:30 PM ET

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to better understand and amplify the ways in which AI/AN mothers, partners, caregivers, and community members can best keep mothers and babies healthy and safe during pregnancy and beyond. It is essential to work together to protect native families and communities.

Join NIHB and the CDC for a special discussion session on a new campaign segment aimed to support AI/AN healthy pregnancies and postpartum health, based on the existing Hear Her campaign. During the session, CDC speakers will provide a brief overview of the campaign. Time will then be allotted for Tribal participants to provide input on the proposed campaign themes and materials, and best strategies for reaching Tribal communities. This session is for Tribal health directors, Tribal public health professionals, Tribal leaders, and community members who are interested in providing input on a proposed campaign to support healthy pregnancies and postpartum health for AI/AN people.

Register for the session here.

For questions contact Nina Martin, Public Health Project Manager at [email protected] or 202-548-7299.

Friday, January 28, 2022, 11:00AM-12:30PM ET

On January 28, 2022, the American Indian Cancer Foundation (AICAF) and the Association for American Indian Physicians (AAIP) are hosting a Town Hall from 11:00AM-12:30PM ET. This Town Hall will be focused on how to re-engage cancer screenings during the COVID-19 pandemic. The conversation will be facilitated by AICAF CEO Melissa Buffalo, Indian Health Services (IHS) Chief Medical Officer Dr. Loretta Christensen, and AAIP President Dr. Mary Owen.

Register for the webinar here.

Join the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) as we host the first Tribal Accreditation Learning Community (TALC) for 2022. TALC is a free, monthly webinar series held the third Monday of every month. It is designed for sharing and learning about public health performance improvement, system improvement, and accreditation in Tribal communities. Each month, Tribes will convene to learn and engage across various public health topics of interest and relevance.

The January TALC will take place on Monday, January 31 at 3:00 PM ET, and will kick-off with a public health visioning training, “Building your Tribal Public Health Department Utopia”. Participants will describe the structure of their public health systems, practice creating organizational structures and network webs, and identify changes that can promote public health capacity building for their departments and communities. Read more here. 

Join the meeting here.

Join the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Region 10 for demonstrations of three virtual tools for health equity planning and analysis.

Register for the webinar here.

For questions contact Renée Bouvion at [email protected].

Join the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) for a deep dive into key issues from the 2019 Public Health in Indian Country Capacity Scan (PHICCS I)! This three-part webinar series will explore current topics for Tribal public health infrastructure, including:

The Public Health in Indian Country Capacity Scan (PHICCS) is a national scan, to be conducted every three years by NIHB. The purpose of PHICCS is to assess the capacity of Tribal health and Tribal public health organizations for delivering public health services. This important tool helps Tribes, Tribal organizations, partners, and policy makers better understand Tribal public health infrastructure and plan for future improvements.

Find out more about the PHICCS project, including the upcoming PHICCS II in Spring 2022, here! For questions and for Health Directors interested in piloting the PHICCS II instrument, contact Nina Martin, For questions contact Program Manager, Public Health Policy and Programs at [email protected] or 202-548-7299.

CDC/ATSDR 23^rd Biannual Tribal Advisory Committee Meeting

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Agency for Toxic Substances and Diseases Registry (CDC/ATSDR) have announced the 23^rd Biannual Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting. This virtual meeting will be an opportunity for CDC/ATSDR and Tribal leaders serving on the TAC to engage in discussion and information sharing about Tribal priorities, including but not limited to the COVID-19 pandemic response, and to hear updates about CDC/ATSDR progress.

A copy of the Dear Tribal Leader Letter is available here. Register for the meeting here. The agenda will be available on the CDC Tribal Health website in January 2022 at www.cdc.gov/tribal.

For more information about the meeting, please contact the Office of Tribal Affairs and Strategic Alliances at [email protected] or 404-498-0300.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is hosting a virtual Tribal consultation session to receive input and recommendations on a draft document entitled, “American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Worker Safety and Health Strategic Plan, 2022-2031.” NIOSH is proposing research and outreach activities to enhance worker safety and health in Tribal communities and requests input on the draft AI/AN strategic plan. The CIO is requesting feedback from Tribes including:

Input from consultation will be used in the development of the AI/AN strategic plan. A copy of the Dear Tribal Leader Letter is available here. Register for the consultation here. The current CDC Tribal Consultation Policy can be found here. Written remarks can be sent via email to [email protected] or by mail to Sherri Diana, NIOSH Docket Office, 1090 Tusculum Avenue, MS C-34, Cincinnati, Ohio. Please send testimonies no later than 5:00 PM ET on February 24, 2022. Additional support can be found here.