On February 1, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted full approval to a second COVID-19 vaccine. The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, now being marketed as Spikevax, has been approved for people ages 18 and over. The Moderna vaccine (Spikevax) has been available under emergency use authorization (EUA) for people 18 years of age and older since December 18, 2020.

Spikevax has the same formula as the EUA Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and is given as a primary series of two doses, one month apart. Spikevax can be used interchangeably with the EUA Moderna vaccine to provide the vaccination series. The Moderna/Spikevax vaccine meets the FDA’s rigorous standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality required for a full FDA approval. Read more about Spikevax’s FDA approval 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] by Friday, February 25, 2022, 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, 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.

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) invites 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 National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is accepting applications for Tribal infection control professionals interested in serving on the Tribal Infection Control (TIC) Steering Committee. The TIC Steering Committee will support NIHB’s Project Firstline collaborative by reviewing and advising on infection control materials developed by NIHB. The Steering Committee has an important role in developing and implementing infection control projects as they provide feedback and recommendations based on their experience and expertise in infection control.

For more information contact Carmen Sanders, Project Coordinator, Public Health Policy and Programs at [email protected].

The application can be found here. 

The Northwest Native American Research Center for Health (NW NARCH) recently made applications for their Tribal Researchers’ Cancer Control Fellowship Program available! The overall goal of the Tribal Researchers’ Cancer Control Fellowship Program is to reduce cancer incidence and mortality and improve cancer survival in Tribal communities through the efforts of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) researchers. This fellowship program offers training and mentorship to prepare researchers to design and implement cancer-related research projects within AI/AN communities. Costs associated with the training, including travel, will be covered.

The application is open to AI/AN graduate students and researchers with a demonstrated interest in cancer prevention and control.

Accepted fellows will:

For more information contact Ashley Thomas at [email protected].

Applications are due March 25, 2022. View the application here.

Established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2015, the Population Health Training in Place Program (PH-TIPP) is a professional development opportunity for full-time employees working in public, private, and academic organizations. During this one-year opportunity, participants will hone their skills in program evaluation, policy analysis and development, program administration, grant proposal evaluation and development, and population health improvement. Participants will add value to their organizations by learning to design, launch, and assess health improvement programs to positively impact health outcomes. Tribal public health department leaders are eligible to apply.

For questions, contact [email protected].

The deadline for applications is February 28, 2022. Learn more here.

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 funding to assist Tribal organizations and/or Tribal health systems with developing and implementing training and capacity building assistance programs. Selected applicants will receive up to $50,000 in funding. 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/ Seven Directions is now accepting applications for its Indigenous Public Health Leadership Program, a 6-month leadership training institute for emerging public health leaders working within a Tribal health department or in Indian Health Service/Tribal/Urban (I/T/U) healthcare facilities serving American Indian and Alaskan Native communities.

The program is 6-months long (March-August 2022) and provides training in core public health competencies with a focus on key issues impacting Tribal communities, including mental health and resilience, emergency preparedness, and increased communication and collaboration amongst stakeholders. After completing of 2-3 hours of self-guided training, fellows will meet monthly for virtual sessions focused on collaborative learning and relationship building.

The deadline for application submission is February 21, 2022, at 5PM EST. Questions may be directed to [email protected].

Apply online here.

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 virtually May 9-12, 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.

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.

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.

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB), is hosting the third event in the COVID-19 Ask Me Anything (AMA) Series. Native youth and parents, young people, Tribal leaders, and Tribal community members are invited to join the AMA to ask any questions they might have about managing COVID-19 misinformation on social media to a subject matter expert.

This AMA will be free and streamed live on Zoom and Facebook.

Submit questions ahead of time with this form so presenter(s) have time to review them. Please come prepared to ask questions or share your own insights and experiences. For questions contact Darby Galligher, Project Coordinator, Public Health Policy and Programs, at [email protected].

Register for the AMA here.