Tribal leaders from 7 of the Indian Health Service (IHS) Areas and 4 Tribes-At-Large members gathered virtually for the 23^rd Biannual Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC/ATSDR) Tribal Advisory Committee (CDC TAC) meeting on February 2-3, 2022. The CDC TAC received briefings on the agency's fiscal year 2022 budget, and heard updates from CDC about where the agency is in the process of updating their Tribal consultation policy, following a consultation held in August 2021. The CDC TAC then heard from three Tribal health organizations (THOs) regarding their work expanding and strengthening their public health systems. Following these presentations, Tribal leaders participated in a discussion on future Tribal public health infrastructure needs. They advocated for the implementation of minimum five percent set-asides across the agency for Tribal programs and for direct, non-competitive funding to Tribes. They further urged the agency to consider updated budget formulation models that address the needs of Tribes equitably.

Learn more about the CDC TAC, including the roster here, and access summaries from past meetings here. 

To ramp up access to high-quality masks amid the spread of the Omicron variant, Indian Health Service (IHS)-operated facilities, Tribally-operated facilities, and Urban Indian Organizations have received N95 respirator masks from the IHS National Supply Service Center for free distribution to patients, health center staff, and other individuals within the community. Upon request, IHS will distribute the N95 masks to health care facilities operated by Tribes with an Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975 (ISDEAA) agreement and Urban Indian Organizations with an Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA) agreement.

IHS- operated facilities will offer two masks for each person in the household. To order masks for your Tribal or Urban Indian Organization site, please contact your IHS Area Emergency Point of Contact (EMPOC).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to recommend that any mask is better than no mask. And we do encourage all Tribal members to wear a well-fitting mask to protect themselves and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) provides support and policy expertise to Tribal Advisory Committees, which are established to enhance the government-to-government relationship, honor Federal trust responsibilities and obligations to Tribes and American Indian and Alaska Native people, and increase understanding between federally-recognized Tribes and federal agencies.

Download the full detailed listing here.

Did you order at-home COVID-19 tests from www.covidtests.gov? The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is conducting a survey to learn about Tribal citizens' experiences ordering at-home COVID-19 tests.

If you ordered your set of four free at-home COVID-19 tests from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), please consider filling out this survey.

For any questions, contact Darby Galligher, Project Coordinator, Public Health Policy and Programs, at [email protected].

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.

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) 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.

Tribal public health department leaders are eligible to apply for this workforce development program 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.

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. 

Deadline: February 28, 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 2022) 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.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region 2 developed a toolkit for Tribes to involve youth in local preparedness activities to support disaster preparedness, positively impact their communities, and help FEMA build a culture of preparedness.

Click this link to download the toolkit and help build the next generation of emergency preparedness leaders right in your own backyard.

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.

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB), is hosting the third event in the COVID-19 Ask Me Anything (AMA) Series. Social media has been a great tool to help share information about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines throughout the pandemic, but this has also led to the spread of misinformation, which can cause confusion and vaccine hesitancy. Native youth and parents, young people, Tribal leaders, Tribal health departments, those Tribal public health professionals, 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.