Many Tribal individuals, families, and communities have been impacted by childhood experiences causing physical and mental health adversities throughout the lifespan. However, with understanding and effort, individuals and communities can confront Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) for positive health outcomes. This information hub, launched by the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, includes a "resource basket" designed for American Indian and Alaska Native individuals, families, communities, professionals, and leaders to rummage through, harvesting resources. This Hub can assist Tribes to learn more about ACEs, research, tools, and interventions. Visit the ACES hub here.

The Administration for Community Living announced four awardees of its 2020 Alzheimer's Disease Programs Initiative (ADPI) Dementia Capability in Indian Country grants this week. These three-year grants are intended to support communities to provide long-term support and services for individuals with dementia and their caregivers.

Congratulations to each grantee! Read the full announcement here. You can learn more about the ADPI program here.

On August 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched an updated Tribal Communities website for COVID-19. The update includes information for Tribal community members and leaders on Tribal funeral and burial practices, considerations for casino and gaming operations, advice on caring for pets and other animals, multigenerational and shared housing, and more. Read more here.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Defense (DoD) announced an agreement with the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, to demonstrate large-scale manufacturing and delivery of the company's COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Under the terms of the agreement, the federal government will own the resulting 100 million doses of vaccine. Read more here.

The Oklahoma City Indian Clinic is promoting National Immunization Month by stressing the importance of vaccinations in Indian Country. Health and wellness benefits including vaccinations are highly recommended. Read more here.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new #WearAMask challenge! By wearing a mask, you send a message of solidarity and protect people, especially those most vulnerable, from COVID-19. Take a photo or a video of yourself wearing a mask, share it and nominate friends to do the same. Masks alone will not stop the virus - we must do it all:

We are the ones that can end this pandemic! Video available here

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recently shared notice of upcoming listening sessions to collect stories and experiences from patients and clinicians surrounding opioids and pain management. Feedback is being requested from patients with acute or chronic pain, patients’ family members and/or caregivers, and health care providers who care for patients with pain or conditions that can complicate pain management (e.g., opioid use disorder or overdose). Read more here.

In 2019, the Health Resources and Services Administration awarded National Healthy Start Association (NHSA) a cooperative agreement for a five-year project to support the development and implementation of non-hospital postpartum maternal safety bundles within community-based organization and outpatient clinical settings across the United States within communities that experience high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality.

The NHSA is currently looking to partner with local providers and organizations providing postpartum maternal care and services to Native American women to work collaboratively as Local Maternal Safety Workgroups, implement safety bundles, and measure improvement with the goal of improving maternal health outcomes. Read more here and here.

Applications due Monday, August 17, 2020

The Office of Minority Health (OMH) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced a new grant opportunity. The Reducing Cardiac Arrest Disparities Through Data Registries Initiative supports demonstration projects to show whether participation in an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest registry using standard data collection tools and data infrastructure supports the identification of racial and ethnic minority and/or disadvantaged populations experiencing cardiac arrest; and implementation of evidence-informed interventions to improve cardiac arrest survival rates. Read more here.

The Healthy Homes Production (HHP) Program is part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) overall Healthy Homes Initiative. The Healthy Homes Production Grant Program for Tribal Housing provides funding to address multiple childhood diseases and injuries in the home by identifying and remediating housing-related environmental health and safety hazards in privately owned, low-income rental, and/or owner occupied housing, especially in units and/or buildings where families with children, the elderly, or persons with disabilities live. Eligible applicants are Native American Tribal governments and Tribal organizations. Read more here.

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is pleased to announce Supporting Tribes to Increase Commercial Tobacco Cessation, a funding opportunity for Tribal governments, Tribal health departments, and Tribal health care facilities/health systems seeking to implement projects to increase commercial tobacco cessation, electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) cessation and ‘quit smoking’ attempts by promoting evidence-based services and activities, and/or adapting evidence-based health systems changes. Read more here.

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is pleased to announce a funding opportunity titled Tribal School Readiness. With funding from the Indian Health Service, NIHB is offering a funding opportunity for Tribes and Tribal Organizations seeking to strengthen school preparation and readiness for safe operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding is intended to fulfill immediate Tribal school readiness needs related to COVID-19. Read more here.

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are pleased to announce the third cycle of funding for Strong Systems, Stronger Communities (SSSC) for Tribes. This opportunity continues NIHB’s commitment to the strengthening of Tribal public health systems by offering support and technical assistance directly to Tribes for projects designed to build their public health capacity. Read more here.

For questions about this Request for Applications, contact Sarah Price ([email protected]).

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is pleased to announce Building Tribal Provider and Patient Capacity for Addressing Opioid Misuse Prevention and Treatment made possible through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. The funding will provide an opportunity to increase the level of programming, research, policy development, coordination, and/or communication between Tribal programs, leadership, community, and key partners involved in addressing the health consequences of the opioid epidemic. Read more here.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has issued a call for applications for the 2021 Culture of Health Prize. The Prize elevates the compelling stories of places where residents are working together to transform education, jobs, transportation, housing, and more so better health flourishes for all. Read more here.

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. 

Hurricanes are dangerous and can cause major damage because of storm surge, wind damage, and flooding. Ready is a national public service campaign designed to educate and empower the American people to prepare for, respond to, and mitigate emergencies, including natural and man-made disasters. The campaign is equipped with resources and tools for individuals to better prepare and plan for hurricane season. Read more 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 at [email protected] or 202-507-4081.

This webinar is hosted as part of the Climate and Health Learning Community. The learning community is focused on knowledge exchange and members are encouraged to share information and build relationships with each other and the presenters. The webinar is open to the public. Read more here.

Today! Thursday, August 13, 2020 at 4:00 - 5:00 PM ET

The Indian Health Service (IHS) is hosting a call intended to update Tribes on the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Tribal Leaders will have an opportunity to provide comments and ask questions to federal officials. IHS has also scheduled a COVID-19 call for the following week at the same time. The call information is the same for both calls. Read more here.

The Critical Public Health Value of Vaccines - Tackling Issues of Access and Hesitancy: A Virtual Workshop

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will host a 4-day virtual public workshop that will examine the current state of vaccine preventable diseases and the impact of vaccine access and hesitancy globally, and the multidimensional drivers and impacts of declining vaccine confidence. This workshop will explore health systems, research opportunities, communication strategies, and policies that could be considered to address access, perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors toward vaccination. Read more here.

The coronavirus pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Leading up to this current crisis, many state and federal policies undercut Tribal sovereignty, leaving Tribal healthcare systems underfunded and ill-equipped to respond to the spread of COVID-19 in their communities. In response, Tribes have exercised their inherent sovereignty to implement a range of infection control measures, with community-led initiatives providing creative and nimble solutions to the evolving crisis. This webinar, sponsored by the Network for Public Health Law, will introduce participants to key principles in Indian law and Tribal public health law, discuss the impact of COVID-19 in Indian Country, and identify response strategies based upon practical experience. Read more here.

On August 18, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will unveil the latest edition of Healthy People! Healthy People 2030 is a set of science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving health and well-being in the United States. During the webcast, HHS will highlight the new Healthy People 2030 goals and objectives and provide an overview of the development process. HHS will also feature guest speakers who will discuss Healthy People 2030 data, social determinants of health, health equity, and more. No registration is necessary. Join the launch here.

Join Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region II National Preparedness Division for a webinar providing an overview of the various aspects of accessible communications and how to effectively create them throughout the disaster cycle. In this one hour webinar you will learn about “plain language” writing and the basic principles of writing clear communications for your audience. Speakers will also provide an overview of changes in technology, specifically virtual platforms, which can present accessibility challenges (i.e. language access). Read more here.

Join Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region II National Preparedness Division for a webinar on safe learning for kids. As schools reopen with a virtual learning component, students are spending more time online and are vulnerable to cyber threats. Guest speakers from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will discuss cybersecurity for children and tips on dealing with cyberbullying. A guest speaker from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of the Department of Health & Human Services, will discuss how to prepare children for returning to the classroom in a COVID-19 environment. Read more here.

Thursday, August 27, 2020 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EST

Join Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region II National Preparedness Division for a webinar providing an overview of the various aspects of accessible communications and how to effectively create them throughout the disaster cycle. This one hour webinar will provide resources for print, TV and radio communication strategies and offer specific tools to help you write for your audience. Read more here.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is offering a series of webinars on the Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) for the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) and the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant programs. These webinars are primarily intended for federal, state, Tribal and local community officials to provide detailed information about the agency’s funding priorities and review process for FMA and BRIC grants. A webinar for Tribal applicants will take place on August 27, 2020 at 2:00 PM ET. This 90-minute session will provide information to tribal applicants on the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) and Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant programs. Registration is limited to 1,500 people for each event. Register here.

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is hosting a webinar on eldercare during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the risk for severe illness from coronavirus infection increase with age. This webinar will present ways we can help to prevent illness, and care for our elders during these unprecedented times. Join us to hear presenters discuss topics ranging from caring for elders during the pandemic, preventing infection among this vulnerable population and tips for caregivers. Learn more about helping and protecting elders in your community. Read more here.