The Department of the Interior announced the award of $725 million, including $1.6 million to the Navajo Nation, to reclaim abandoned mine lands. The Navajo Nation was the only Tribal government awarded funds along with 22 states. The funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed into law in November 2021, which allocated $11.3 billion over 15 years to reclaim abandoned mine lands across the country.

Read more 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.

Tribes and other Tribal public health authorities have faced difficulties in receiving real time infectious disease case reports from outside entities. Such delays affect how quickly a Tribe can respond and ensure a swift investigation in their communities. As sovereign governments, Tribal Nations have inherent public health authority which bestows upon them the legal authority to receive case reports on conditions of interest to them. eCR is the automated, real-time exchange of case report information between electronic health records (EHRs) and public health agencies. Learn more about eCR and the benefits here.

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is offering a funding opportunity to eligible applicants with public health authority (Tribal Nations, Tribal Organizations, Tribal Consortia, Tribal Epidemiology Centers) to begin the implementation process of electronic case reporting (eCR) directly to the Tribal public health authority. NIHB anticipates funding 2 high-quality proposals from Tribes or Tribal organizations for $250,000 each.

Download the full Request for Applications here.

Register to attend the Pre-Application Webinar (optional) on Monday, February 28, 2022, 2:00 PM ET here.

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].

Anticipated 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. Download the application here. View the recorded webinar providing an overview of the GIS tool 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 from Tribal infection control professionals and frontline healthcare workers 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].

View application 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 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. 

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.

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 University of Minnesota School of Public Health is providing an opportunity for American Indian/Alaska Native students interested in getting a Masters in Public Health (MPH) degree with an emphasis on management, policy, and public health informatics. The PHAP degree is offered in 3 formats

Traditional students attend school full-time (usually 11-12 credits a semester). Distance and executive students attend school online part- or full-time (4-10 credits a semester) while remaining embedded in their communities and working in public health, health care, community health, or population health organizations.

Learn more about the program here.

Interested applicants, please contact the program for more information and application deadlines.

The National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness is launching the Zenni Scholarship to Advance Children’s Vision in partnership with Zenni Eyewear. This new program supports vision screening certification and access to eyeglasses for underserved populations, including Tribal communities, across the U.S. through:

For more information and to apply, please visit: https://preventblindness.org/zenni-scholarship/.

The February 2022 issue of Health Affairs, “Racism & Health,” contains a comprehensive, scholarly look at the complex relationship between racism and health and provides new evidence, analysis, and narratives on the topic. Included is an open access article “The Generational Impact of Racism On Health: Voices From American Indian Communities” highlighting stories illustrating the effects of racism and recommendations for using the American Indian and Alaska Native Cultural Wisdom Declaration to inform policy and programming to eliminate structural racism.

Read the American Indian and Alaska Native Cultural Wisdom Declaration, first published in the National Tribal Behavioral Health Agenda 2016, here.

Watch the February 8, 2022 virtual symposium Racism and Health, 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.

Download the toolkit and help build the next generation of emergency preparedness leaders right in your own backyard 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.

Visit the Vaccine Events and Clinics site here.

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], 202-507-4081 or visit the COVID-19 Tribal Resource Center.

Please join the Region 2 National Preparedness Division in partnership with Americares for a webinar on Psychological First Aid for Children.

Who should attend? The whole community individuals and families, Parents, Teachers, Caregivers, volunteer and faith based organizations, local, state, federal government and private sector.

Register for the webinar here.

The National Advisory Committee on Children and Disasters (NACCD) will host a virtual inaugural public meeting on February 17, 2022. Following a swearing-in ceremony, for national public health and medical preparedness, response, and recovery, specific to the needs of children and their families in disasters, the new advisory committee will highlight challenges, opportunities, and priorities.

Tribes are encouraged to submit questions or comments to NACCD ahead of the meeting by emailing [email protected] to ensure Tribal voices are heard. 

Register for the webinar here.

March 1-15, 2022

Join the Association of Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Professionals (AHEPP) for their annual conference on March 1-15, 2022. AHEPP Annual offers an opportunity for Administrators, Emergency Preparedness Coordinators, Directors of Public Health Preparedness, Emergency Managers, RN’s, and professionals in the healthcare preparedness field to share the latest research and best practices, network, and collaborate on ways to move healthcare preparedness forward. During this conference, attendees will be updated on innovative practices in healthcare emergency preparedness and response, and the information shared during the conference will allow participants to improve their facility emergency response plans and improve upon their current disaster response activities.

Learn more and register for the conference here.

Please join the Region 2 and Region 5 National Preparedness Divisions for a webinar on Student Tools for Emergency Planning (STEP).

Who should attend? Educators, School Administrators, After-school Programs, youth-serving organizations, emergency managers and other members of the whole community.

Register for the webinar here.

Tribal Leaders are invited to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Virtual Tribal Consultation on Substance Use Disorder Patient Records, 42 CFR Part 2. The consultation will be held on March 10, 2022, from 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM ET. 

For more information, comments, or concerns, please email [email protected], or you may contact the Director for the Office of Tribal Affairs and Policy, CAPT Karen Hearod, at 202-868-9931.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Division is hosting informational webinars on March 10, March 17, and March 31, 2022, at 2:30 PM Eastern Time for leaders in states, local communities, Tribes and territories, private non-profit organizations, and individuals. The webinars will provide an overview of the individual grant programs, available funding, relevant application process, and deadlines for submitting a successful Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) application.

Registration is capped at 1,000 for each event. Learn about the topics and dates and how to register. The webinars will be recorded and made available on FEMA.gov later.