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

June 11, 2020

Montana’s Tribal Nations Uphold COVID-19 Restrictions to Preserve Their Culture

As the state of Montana beings to reopen for business, Tribes are constantly reminded that the safety of community elders and the cultural knowledge they hold takes priority over economics. Testing for coronavirus proactively continues as reservations and shut down orders maintain in effect for now to further protect the Tribes' elders. Natives in the community feel that reopening to soon will bring new dangers to Tribes, although economically it is needed. Read more here.

Health Disparities are a Symptom of Broader Social and Economic Inequities

In recent news, structural and systemic racial inequities and how they impact both individual and community health are self-evident. According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation study, Black and American Indian or Alaska Native individuals continue to fair worse compared to White individuals across most examined measures of health status. These health disparities, including those related to COVID-19, are markers of broader social and economic inequities attributable to poor social determinants of health. Read more here.

CDC Announces Opportunity to Place Additional Public Health Associates in Indian Country

Applications due Monday, June 15, 2020

   

Providing critical staffing for the nation’s COVID-19 response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support (CSTLTS) is proposing to hire up to 50 additional Public Health Associates (PHAP) for the next PHAP class with a start date of October 13, 2020. CDC’s Public Health Associate Program (PHAP) places early-career public health professionals for two-year assignments in state, Tribal, local and territorial public health agencies, nongovernmental organizations and CDC quarantine stations where they gain broad, hands-on experience in public health program operations while providing valuable workforce support to their host sites.  

 

Associates will be places across a combination of host sites, including select large tribes, Area Indian Health Boards, and Tribal Epidemiology Centers. To apply as a host site, read more here.

2020 Indigenous Communities Fellowship

Applications due Tuesday, July 7, 2020



This funding comes from the MIT initiative Solve. This fellowship seeks solutions by Native innovators across the U.S. that consider both technology and traditional knowledge to support and scale positive impact in their communities. Examples of possible impacts are providing healthy and sovereign food, sustainable energy, safe water, and improving healthcare access and outcomes (including around mental health and substance use disorders). Read more here.

Call for Tribal COVID-19 Resources

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is seeking to create a pool of resources which Tribes can access when planning or implementing their own COVID-19 response.  To this end, NIHB is asking Tribes to share with us any tools, operational plans, guides, policies, communication products, etc. that has helped your Tribe combat this pandemic.  The materials can be de-identified, if needed. These resources will be placed online within NIHB’s COVID-19 Tribal Response Center alongside other community health materials. We hope this aids Tribes to build on successes and support each other in the collective effort to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on Indian Country. 



To submit any materials or resources, please email Courtney Wheeler ([email protected]). If you have any questions, please contact Courtney Wheeler. 

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 20-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 Publishes Two Two New HIV Prevention Resources

The  National Indian Health Board   (NIHB) is pleased to release two new HIV prevention  toolkits designed to strengthen the capacity of Tribes to further prevent the spread of HIV in their local communities. One toolkit focuses on using the power of social media to help reduce risk behaviors among American Indians and Alaska Natives and the other supports Tribal community knowledge and uptake of  pre-exposure prophylaxis   (PrEP). The NIHB partnered with  JSI Research and Training Institute, Inc.   to develop the content for the two HIV prevention toolkits:

Commercial Tobacco Cessation Fact Sheet

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) has created a fact sheet detailing the impact of commercial tobacco on Indian country. This is part of NIHB’s ongoing work to support Tribes working to increase commercial tobacco cessation. Commercial tobacco often contains other chemicals in addition to nicotine that are toxic and can lead to respiratory diseases, heart disease, as well as other illnesses. Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer death, and cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among American Indians and Alaska Natives. A contributing factor is the use of commercial tobacco products. Read more here.

CDC Million Hearts Hypertension Control Change Package, Second Edition

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention has recently released the second edition of the Million Hearts Hypertension Control Change Package (HCCP). This edition of HCCP was revised with latest evidence- and practice-based tools and resources to help health systems and clinical teams systematically address hypertension in outpatient clinical settings. Read more here.

COVID-19 Resources

COVID-19 Contact

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 at [email protected] or 202-507-4081.

COVID-19 Event: Substance Use During a Pandemic: Two Public Health Crises Collide

Today! Thursday, June 11, 2020 at 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET

The second NIHB Mental and Behavioral Health COVID-19 webinar will explore substance use and misuse during the COVID-19 pandemic in American Indian and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) communities. The discussion will include general background on substance use; how feelings of anxiety, fear, stress and/or worry during the current global pandemic may contribute to increased use; resources and coping mechanisms that may help; and treatment and harm reduction strategies that could help those struggling with addiction. Register here.

COVID-19 Event: Homelessness & COVID-19: A Merger of Two Epidemics

Thursday, June 18, 2020 at 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET

The National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) is hosting a webinar on homelessness and COVID-19. This webinar will look at the state of homelessness in the US and its critical impact on health and provide strategies to improve outcomes for homeless individuals both in the short and long term. Register here.

Registration open for ALL Injury Prevention and Surveillance Discussion Sessions

Join the National Indian Health Board for a series of conversations on injury surveillance and prevention for American Indian and Alaska Native communities! These meetings are opportunities for you to share your insights and expertise on Tribal injury surveillance and to be heard by your peers, the National Indian Health Board, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tribal service providers, public health practitioners, and subject matter experts are invited to share their insights and expertise at 1.5 day sessions in Spring and Summer 2020. All are welcome to participate.

Registration is now open for ALL SESSIONS:



You can register for all sessions here: https://survey.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3ygWaqFd8dCuxBb .

Space is limited to 50 participants per session, so sign up today! You can also register for our email list to stay up to date .

Have questions? Please contact Nina Martin ( [email protected] , 202-548-7299) or visit our website for more information.

COVID-19 Event: Suicidality and COVID-19: How to Help

Thursday, June 25, 2020 at 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET

The third NIHB Mental and Behavioral Health COVID-19 webinar will explore suicidality during the COVID-19 pandemic in American Indian and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) communities. The discussion will include general background on suicide in Indian Country; intervention, and prevention; what is unique about COVID-19 that may contribute to suicide risk; resources and suggestions that may help during these extraordinary and stressful times; as well as time for questions and answers with all attendees. This webinar is designed for community members, Tribal health and behavioral health professionals, Tribal leaders, and partners alike. Register here.