Weekly News, Funding, Resources, and Upcoming Events in Indian Country

November 29, 2019

Attorney General Announces Resources to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Crisis

On Friday, Attorney General William P. Barr announced a new strategy for addressing the urgent crisis of missing and murdered indigenous peoples (MMIP) in the United States. The three-part strategy outlines provisions for increased capacity and reporting, including increased linkages between the US Attorney’s offices and local agencies and review of data reporting policies around missing persons. This announcement came just days after two bills to enhance investigative processes for MMIP advanced from the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. The bills are now awaiting a full Senate vote; if approved, they will be brought to the Office of the President to be signed into law.



Read more about Attorney General Barr’s statement here and about the crisis here.

Native American Women and Heart Health: A New Vision for Research and Outreach

Heart disease, the leading cause of death for all American women, takes a disproportionately heavy toll on Native American women. American Indian and Alaska Native women die from it at a rate 20-30 percent higher than non-Native women. The Convening on Native American Women’s Heart Health took place at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian in December 2018, where more than 40 people—including Native American health experts and educators—explored how to better prevent heart disease among Native American women and enhance support for those living with the disease. Read more here.

Childhood Obesity Prevalence Decreased Among WIC Beneficiaries

As part of their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that from 2010-2016, there was a statistically significant decrease in childhood obesity prevalence in 41 of 56 Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) territories. These children were aged 2-4 years and enrolled in the WIC program.

The WIC program is a federal grant program administered by states, territories, and Indian Tribal Organizations to provide supplemental nutritious foods, breastfeeding support, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income children aged <5 years and pregnant, postpartum, or breastfeeding women.

To access the report, read more here.

SAMHSA Announces New Website for Substance Abuse Help

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has announced a new website, findtreatment.gov , to help connect Americans to substance abuse help. Site visitors can access information on treatment locations, type of care, specific treatment options, payment and insurance information, language, and more. The site also includes information on understanding addiction and mental health.

Host Sites Needed for Air Quality Summer Internship Program

The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) – Environmental Education Outreach Program at Northern Arizona University is seeking Tribal air quality focused offices and programs to host a college student for an 8-week summer internship. Tribal environmental offices, EPA offices, and other Tribal environmental organizations are encouraged to apply. ITEP provides each student intern with a stipend and housing/travel allowances. Read more here.

Come Work for NIHB!

NIHB is seeking qualified candidates for the following position:

These positions are based in Washington, DC. Those who are interested in making a positive difference in the health of America’s Native Peoples’ lives are encouraged to apply. Read more here.

NIHB is Seeking Indigenous Knowledge on Blood Lead Level Testing

NIHB is working in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to increase the capacity of rural and non-urban Tribal communities for identifying and addressing elevated blood lead levels in Tribal children. To accomplish this, NIHB seeks to engage Tribal representatives and health professionals in 60-minute key informant interviews. The interviews will ask Tribal Health Directors or programmatic staff to describe their programs or operational plans in place for blood lead level testing and their current knowledge of lead exposure risk factors. Protecting children from exposure to lead is important to lifelong good health. If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Sara Zdunek at [email protected] or 202-507-4077 .

NIHB Request for Applications: 2020 Cross-jurisdictional Systems Improvement Partnership Technical Assistance Opportunity

Applications due Friday, December 6, 2019

Public health and systems issues often span jurisdictional boundaries. To improve public health systems and infrastructure, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has partnered with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), the National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO), and the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) to support a collaborative technical assistance opportunity, the Cross-jurisdictional Systems Improvement Partnership program. Participating health departments (Tribal, local, and state) will receive technical assistance in their effort to work together to improve public health across jurisdictions.

Read more here or apply for this opportunity



Additional information on NIHB's resources for performance improvement, systems improvement, and public health accreditation may be found by visiting www.nihb.org/tribalasi

Special Diabetes Program for Indians: Poster Session Call for Proposals

Deadline: Friday, December 20, 2019 by 11:59 pm ET

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) invites Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) grantees to submit proposals to highlight the accomplishments of their programs at the Annual NIHB National Tribal Public Health Summit (TPHS) in Omaha, NE on March 17-19, 2020. The Annual SDPI Poster Session is a great way for success stories to be heard by a large audience of Tribal leaders and Tribal health professionals, as well as share program ideas with other grantees. The poster session will take place the evening of March 17, 2020 during TPHS Opening Reception.

SDPI presenters are also invited to volunteer to lead a fitness session during the Summit- please indicate in your proposal if you are interested.

For instructions, and to submit your proposal, click here.

NIHB Shares “Staff Picks” for Native American Heritage Month

In recognition of Native American Heritage Month this November, the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is sharing “Staff Picks” each week in the Public Health Broadcast. The staff picks are resources chosen and recommended by NIHB staff that educate, honor and celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Native America.

This week’s staff picks:

Stay Up to Date with These Native News Sources



Native American Heritage Month may be coming to an end, but there are still plenty of ways to stay well informed on what is happening in Indian Country. Below are several online Native news sources to incorporate into your daily readings:

Suicide Prevention Efforts in Native American Communities

Watch this webinar from the Native Center for Behavioral Health to learn about suicide prevention efforts, risk factors, and strategies for responding to suicide in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. The main focus of the webinar is to share strategies and resources for developing suicide prevention programs in AI/AN communities. Click here for the video.

Native Knowledge 360°

Native Knowledge 360° (NK360°) is an online resource provided by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. NK360° provides educators and students with new perspectives on Native American history and cultures. Most Americans have only been exposed to part of the story, as told from a single perspective through the lenses of popular media and textbooks. NK360° provides educational materials and teacher training that incorporate Native narratives, more comprehensive histories, and accurate information to enlighten and inform teaching and learning about Native America. Read more here.

Heart Disease Prevention in American Indians and Alaska Natives

Research shows that one of the leading causes of death in American Indians and Alaska Natives is heart disease. As part of the effort to bring more awareness to the Tribes, there have been heart healthy initiatives implemented with Partners in Health and Navajo Nation and also in the Southeast Arizona Area Health Education Center. Although the projects were launched between 2000-2002, several efforts have been made in Tribal communities. Read more here.

WEBINAR: School Crisis Mental Health Recovery: A Community and School Partnership

*This webinar has been postponed from its original date and time of December 6, 2019 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET. The new date and time has yet to be determined.*

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is hosting a webinar on the   School Crisis Mental Health Recovery: A Community and School Partnership. This webinar will demonstrate the importance of school and community partnership when preparing for mental health emergencies. The attendees will learn key factors; Memorandum of Agreement (MOU) and an evidence-based crisis intervention training curriculum to build capacity for mutual aid during immediate and long term postvention efforts for schools. Register here.

2020 Annual National Tribal Public Health Summit

Tuesday-Thursday, March 17-19, 2019 in Omaha, NE

Save the date! Please join NIHB in Omaha, NE for the 11th Annual National Tribal Public Health Summit. For the latest information on registration, location, lodging, exhibitors, and sponsorship, visit the  Summit website here.

Call for Proposals Now Open! Public health practitioners, researchers, and policy experts are invited to submit proposals for workshops and roundtable sessions. NIHB encourages presentations highlighting evidenced based, best, wise, or promising practices developed in and for Tribal communities.

This year, the Summit will feature 5 tracks:

NIHB hosted an informational webinar to learn more about writing a high quality conference proposal for TPHS. View the recording here.

For more information, or to submit a proposal, click here

Award Nominations Now Open! The 2020 NIHB Native Public Health Innovation Awards were created to recognize excellence, achievement, and innovations that are above and beyond the call of service. Each award will highlight the work and vision of a Tribe, individual, organization, or program that has worked to improve health status or outcomes, implement new programming, address long standing health disparities, and/or increase the visibility of Tribal public health concerns.

NIHB will present the National, Regional and Local awards at the 11th Annual National Tribal Public Health Summit.

Submit your Nomination Here