The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is committed to advocating on behalf of all Tribal Governments and American Indian/Alaska Natives while: promoting healthy practices; preventing diseases and injuries; providing basic resources and infrastructure to Tribes; and researching and developing Tribal, local, state, and national health policy. To view all our public health resources, please visit www.nihb.org/public_health/public_health.php | |
Thursday, October 20, 2022 | |
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FDA Authorizes Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech Bivalent COVID-19 Vaccines for Use as a Booster Dose in Younger Age Group
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have approved the new bivalent COVID-19 vaccines for children five years and older.
“Since children have gone back to school in person and people are resuming pre-pandemic behaviors and activities, there is the potential for increased risk of exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19. Vaccination remains the most effective measure to prevent the severe consequences of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death,” said Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D, Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). “While it has largely been the case that COVID-19 tends to be less severe in children than adults, as the various waves of COVID-19 have occurred, more children have gotten sick with the disease and have been hospitalized. Children may also experience long-term effects, even following initially mild disease. We encourage parents to consider primary vaccination for children and follow-up with an updated booster dose when eligible.”
The COVID-19 vaccine and booster are our best defenses against COVID-19 infection - protect yourself and your community by showing your Act of Love and get your vaccine or booster shot today. To book an appointment for your child, ask their doctor or Tribal healthcare provider or visit www.vaccines.gov to find COVID-19 vaccination locations near you!
Read the full update here.
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CDC Report Finds Inequities in Flu Vaccine Uptake
On October 18, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Control (CDC) published a report detailing inequities found in flu vaccine uptake. The report showed Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) adults in the United States are more likely to be hospitalized with flu and less likely to be vaccinated against the flu. Flu vaccination coverage was found to be consistently lower among Black, Hispanic, and AI/AN adults since 2010.
Although it is not 100 percent effective, getting your annual flu shot is the best way to prevent getting sick and potential complications. Remember, getting a flu shot is an easy way to show your Act of Love to your community! To schedule a flu shot, ask your doctor or Tribal healthcare provider, or visit www.vaccines.gov.
Read the full report here.
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New HHS Report: COVID-19 Vaccinations in 2021 Linked to More than 650,000 Fewer COVID-19 Hospitalizations and Over 300,000 Fewer Deaths Among Medicare Beneficiaries
A new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shows that the Biden Administration's historic vaccination program, which has gotten over 90 percent of seniors fully vaccinated and over 70 percent of seniors a booster shot, is linked to more than 650,000 fewer COVID-19 hospitalizations and more than 300,000 fewer deaths among seniors and other Americans enrolled in Medicare. The study, which was conducted by researchers with HHS's Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), underscores the importance of Americans – particularly seniors and others at high-risk of serious outcomes – getting an updated COVID-19 vaccine this fall.
This report further proves that the COVID-19 vaccine is still our strongest defense against COVID-19 infection. Show your Act of Love today and keep yourself and your community safe this winter by getting your COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot! Ask your doctor or Tribal healthcare provider or visit www.vaccines.gov to schedule your vaccine appointment today.
Read the full report here.
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Funding and Opportunities | |
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American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Career Expo
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is hosting their first annual American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Career Expo on November 3, 2022. College students, graduate students, and career professionals are invited to attend and explore CDC careers. CDC leaders and representatives will provide insight on:
- Career Opportunities
- Pathways Programs
- Fellowship Opportunities
- Hiring Options
- Federal application process:
- Resume writing
- Interview tips
- USAJobs application process
Register between October 21-28, 2022. For more details, visit the AIANNH Career Expo website.
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SAMHSA Request for Information on Mental Health and Climate Change
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has issued a request for information asking for input about behavioral health impacts of climate change and health equity considerations. SAMHSA specifically seeks input on suggested priorities, resources, partners and collaborating agencies and organizations.
On page 24 of the Fall 2022 edition of the Health Reporter, NIHB featured an article titled "Climate Change and Mental Health in Tribal Communities," which focuses on the need to address the mental health repercussions of climate change to protect our Tribal community members.
For more information on submitting comments, please see SAMHSA Request for Information.
Deadline for Input: October 31, 2022
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Applications Now Open for RWJF Health Policy Fellows Program
Applications for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Health Policy Fellows program are now available. The RWJF Health Policy Fellows Program is non-partisan fellowship that offers health professionals the opportunity to participate in the policy process at the federal level and gain the leadership experience needed to improve health equity, health care, and health policy. The unique yearlong experience features an immersive orientation period and an active placement working as a senior advisor to an elected or appointed federal government official.
The fellowship is seeking motivated health and healthcare experts from all fields and backgrounds that are interested in gaining an understanding of the inner workings of the federal legislative process. Those working in Tribal public health are encouraged to apply. Applications for the 2023-2024 Fellowship class will be accepted from September 8, 2022 to November 7, 2022.
Application Deadline: November 7, 2022
View the application and find related resources here.
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Partnership to Promote Local Efforts to Reduce Environmental Exposure
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is pleased to announce a new notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for ATSDR’s Partnership to Promote Local Efforts to Reduce Environmental Exposure (APPLETREE) program. This new five-year APPLETREE cooperative agreement program will fund approximately 34 state and local health departments and federally recognized American Indian/Alaska Native Tribal governments to evaluate and respond to environmental public health issues for a period of performance from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2028.
Download the APPLETREE Program Factsheet to learn more.
Application Deadline: December 9, 2022, by 11:59 PM ET
Apply here.
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Join the First Cohort of the Pathways Recognition Program
The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) is forming the first cohort of the Pathways Recognition program. Pathways is a program for local, Tribal, and territorial health departments to support performance efforts, strengthen infrastructure, promote public health system transformation, and facilitate accreditation readiness. Apply by December 15, 2022, to join the first cohort of health departments and start on the path to performance improvement and PHAB accreditation.
To apply for Pathways Recognition, health departments must first register to begin the Readiness and Training process. This process includes a Readiness and Training fee and provides access to the Readiness Assessment, on-demand trainings, and a live training. The Readiness Assessment is a way for health departments to assess their readiness for Pathways Recognition and gain valuable feedback directly from PHAB.
Application Deadline: December 15, 2022
View the Pathways Standards and Measures
View the Policy for Pathways Recognition
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Equity Technical Assistance Center is Requesting Lived Experience Expert Recommendations
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Equity Technical Assistance Center (ETAC) is looking for potential experts with lived experience who are not federal staff to serve as paid consultants during 2023. If you have suggestions for potential non-federal experts with lived experience, please email [email protected] to nominate them using by Monday, October 24. ETAC is particularly seeking people with lived experience in the following areas:
- American Indian/Alaskan Native people, including those who have expertise related to Tribal engagement and/or language preservation
- People with disabilities, including those with cognitive, physical, vision, hearing, or verbal communication disabilities
- People who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and/or intersex (LGBTQI+)
- People from rural communities
- People with lived experience who have worked on topics such as data sources for equity analyses, recruitment and support for diverse research participants (e.g., for clinical trials), language access and preservation, grant applications, or communication of complex ideas simply/plain language, and those who have worked on outreach and inclusion related to sexual orientation and gender identity
If you have any questions, contact [email protected]. You can find resources and a wide range of forthcoming tools and learning sessions on the ETAC Resource Library on the HHS intranet.
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The 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Supplementary Sample of American Indian and Alaska Native High School Students
The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System — sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of Adolescent and School Health — is the primary source of information on the most important health risk behaviors among high school students in the U.S. As part of that system, the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is conducted in high schools nationwide every odd-numbered year; however, the number of American Indian /Alaska Native (AI/AN) high school students sampled in the national YRBS is small. To address data gaps in what is known about AI/AN high school students’ health risk behaviors, the CDC will conduct a supplementary sample of AI/AN high school students during its 2023 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey. These data will aid public health decision makers at the national, state, Tribal, and local level create awareness of the unique public health needs of AI/AN students, and influence how resources are allocated for prevention and education programs.
For questions, contact Sherry Everett Jones at [email protected]
Learn more about YRBS
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CDC Foundation Federal Grants Management Training Series
The CDC Foundation Federal Grants Management Training Series is a self-guided training series that provides grantees with the information needed to assist with the successful and compliant management of federal grants and cooperative agreements. The training series consists of three modules:
- Module 1: Federal Grant Basics
- Module 2: Notice of Award, Award Budget, and Subrecipients
- Module 3: Federal Grant Management
The goal of this training series is to help public health organizations understand roles and responsibilities in federal grant management and how to be good stewards of their federal awards. The accompanying Reference Guide is a detailed companion to the training series, providing further information on how to manage a federal award as well as links to additional resources. Both the Reference Guide and audio transcripts are screen reader compatible.
Learn more about the training series.
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2023 Health Insurance Marketplace Open Enrollment Period Stakeholder Kickoff Webinar
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is hosting a series of Marketplace Open Enrollment Stakeholder Webinars. The kickoff webinar will be held on October 20. During this kickoff, CMS will provide stakeholders and Champions for Coverage with critical information, resources, and updated materials to successfully help consumers navigate the Health Insurance Marketplace Open Enrollment Period. Open enrollment runs from November 1, 2022, to January 15, 2023.
October 20, 2022
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Eastern
Register here.
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From Data to Action Webinar
The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is hosting a free webinar on responding to COVID-19 using data. Tribes and Tribal organizations may use COVID-19 surveillance data to increase visibility, understanding, awareness, and the ability to predict and respond to public health emergencies or disasters. This webinar provides public health professionals and emergency responders with an introduction to data interpretation. This webinar will use interactive exercises to increase participants' skills in presenting data to Tribal leaders to help make decisions or raise awareness and understanding to respond to or mitigate an emerging or re-emerging infectious disease outbreak. Participants who complete this webinar will be awarded 1.0 Public Health Continuing Education Contact Hour (CE) = 1.0 CHES/MCHES credit.
October 27, 2022
4:00 – 5:15 PM Eastern
Register here.
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Update on Monkeypox in Children, Adolescents, and People Who are Pregnant or Breastfeeding
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will convene its next Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) call on Thursday, October 27, 2022, at 2:00 PM Eastern Time to provide a monkeypox update as it relates to children, adolescents, and people who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Presenters will address clinical considerations for diagnosis, treatment, and post-exposure prophylaxis; vaccination; contact and breastfeeding recommendations; infection prevention and control measures; and resources available to care for these patient populations. For Call Announcements and other information on upcoming calls, join the COCA email list.
October 27, 2022
2:00 PM Eastern
Learn more here.
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Save the Date! 8th Annual Tribal Nations Training Week
The Center for Disaster Preparedness (CDP) will host the 8th Annual Tribal Nations Training Week the week of March 11 - 18, 2023, on the CDP campus in Anniston, AL. CDP training is completely funded for state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency responders to include roundtrip airfare, meals, lodging, training, and any equipment required during training. All personnel who work in an emergency response capacity and are affiliated with one or more Tribal Nations, Indian Health Service (IHS), and those who work directly with Tribal Nations are encouraged to attend. NOTE: Some courses do have prerequisites and requirements to attend.
Training Tracks include:
- Emergency Management Framework for Tribal Governments
- Healthcare Leadership for Mass Casualty Incidents
- Isolation and Quarantine for Rural Communities
- Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents/Crisis Leadership and Decision
For more information, contact David Hall, CDP Eastern Region and Tribal Nations Training Coordinator at [email protected] or (866) 213-9546.
March 11-18, 2023
Learn more here.
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