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July 17, 2023 Issue

News

Congress Rescinds $419 Million in IHS COVID Supplemental Funding   

In a Dear Tribal Leader Letter published June 30, 2023, Indian Health Service (IHS) Director Roselyn Tso announced that the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 requires $418.54 million in unspent COVID-19 response and recovery funds be sent back to the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Among other terms, the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 requires the return of certain unspent or uncommitted COVID-19 funds provided to the Department of Health and Human Services, the department that IHS operates under. This return is split between IHS divisions in the following manner: $263 million from Headquarters, $104 million from the National Supply Service Center, and $51 million from IHS Areas. Director Tso specifies in her letter that the rescinded funds were “intended to support a variety of ongoing COVID-19 mitigation and recovery activities,” including COVID-19 tests, vaccinations, and personal protective equipment. While this rescission will impact the chronically underfunded IHS, the $419 million figure could have been much higher. 

Indian Health Service (IHS) All Tribal and Urban Indian Organization Leaders Call  

The IHS held its monthly call for Tribal leaders and Urban Indian Organization leaders to provide updates and extend an opportunity for leaders to share input with IHS officials. Slides from the presentations are available here. In addition to touching on the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 explained above, IHS introduced its two new Area Directors: DuWayne Begay, Navajo Area and Joe Amiotte, Great Plains Area. Each brings decades of experience in public service to Indian Country.

Leadership also noted that IHS is working diligently on addressing the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) recommendations to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the care provided by IHS programs. Since 2017, IHS has implemented 16 out of 20 recommendations and is making progress on the implementation of the remaining four. GAO’s High Risk List includes programs and operations that are vulnerable to waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement and in need of transformation. 

To stay up to date on future IHS meetings, the IHS Calendar is regularly updated.

Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Added to IHS Electronic Health Records  

In June 2023, IHS began including sexual orientation and gender identity information in patient health records. IHS Director Roselyn Tso authored an issuance to the IHS Manual providing guidelines to IHS facilities on how to collect data about sexual orientation and gender identity within IHS systems. These guidelines emphasize the importance of collecting this data “in a manner that is culturally competent and affirming to patients that identify as Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer/questioning,” while acknowledging that patients may also decline to provide this information. Additionally, patients can change their name and sex in IHS systems by providing documentation of a legal change. The issuance reiterates that this newly collected data and a patient’s privacy rights will remain protected. 

Dear Tribal Leader Letters

View all of IHS' Tribal Leader Letters Here  

• June 30 Letter: IHS announces $419M in funding recission impacts under the Fiscal Responsibility Act
• June 29 Letter: Opportunity for Tribal and Urban Indian organization sites to collaborate in planning for new IHS electronic health record solution
• June 21 Letter: Announcement of Mr. DuWayne Begay’s appointment as Director of Navajo Area IHS

Announcements

Tribal Roundtable to Evaluate the CMS State Consultation Plans 

Join the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) as we host a virtual roundtable discussion with Tribal Leaders to discuss and evaluate state Medicaid consultation policies. This roundtable will offer Tribal Leaders an opportunity to discuss needed improvements in state consultation plans and allow Tribal Leaders to help strengthen the nation-to-nation relationship by improving the use and effectiveness of Tribal Consultation.  

We invite Tribal Leaders to join the discussion on Wednesday, July 19, from 2:00 - 3:30 PM ET. This roundtable is free to attend, but we ask that you please register in advance. 

You can register for the roundtable discussion here. If you have any questions, please contact Garrett Lankford, Federal Relations Analyst, at [email protected]. 

Upcoming Webinar, Identification and Management of Mental Health Symptoms and Conditions Associated with Long COVID 

The Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network (MHTTC) is hosting a webinar, Identification and Management of Mental Health Symptoms and Conditions Associated with Long COVID, to provide an overview of Long COVID and hold a panel on Long COVID research and treatment. The webinar will take place on July 20 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET. You can read more about this event on the MHTTC website here. 

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Seeks Nominations to the Advisory Committee on Tribal and Indian Affairs

The VA’s Office of Tribal Government Relations is seeking nominations of candidates for appointment to the Advisory Committee on Tribal and Indian Affairs in the Bemidji, California, Great Plains, Nashville, Navajo, and Tucson IHS Service Areas. Nominations to serve on the Committee are due on August 1, 2023, at 5:00 PM ET. You can read the full announcement here and view more information on the Committee here. 

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Webinar on Native Collective Research Effort to Enhance Wellness (N CREW) Program 

The NIH is accepting applications for the N CREW Program to which supports Tribes and Tribal serving organizations to locally research substance use, overdose, and related factors like mental health and pain through November 1, 2023. You can access the research opportunity announcements for N CREW ROA OTA-23-007 and ROA OTA-23-008. You can attend a webinar to learn more about this opportunity on July 27, 2023, at 12:00 PM ET by registering here. 

2023 IHS Partnership Conference – Registration is Open!

This year’s conference will be held at the Hilton Atlanta Downtown Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia on August 22-24, 2023. The conference will offer sessions that focus on best practices for Health Information Management, Information Technology, Health IT, Purchased/Referred Care (PRC), and the Catastrophic Health Emergency Fund, Revenue Generation, Benefits Coordination, and more. Online registration is available through August 9th. Visit the 2023 IHS Partnership Conference event page at https://2023ihspartnershipconference.vfairs.com/ to register and for more information. 

Comments Are Being Accepted for the Older Americans Act 

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) is substantially updating the Older Americans Act for the first time since 1988 with a new proposed rule. These changes would include equity in service delivery, accountability for funds expended, and clarity of administration for the Administration for Community Living and its grantees. To provide your input, you can submit comments through August 15, 2023, at https://www.regulations.gov. 

Upcoming Tribal Advisory Committees & Tribal Consultations

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Annual Regional Tribal Consultations Summer 2023: Each of the 10 HHS regions will again be hosting consultations with regional Tribes to discuss programmatic issues and Tribal priorities. Each session will include one-on-one opportunities with regional leadership. The remaining consultation dates are:

July 19 | Region 3 | Virtual

August 1-2 | Region 8 | Denver, CO

August 10-11 | Region 10 | Anchorage, AK

August 22-24 | Region 6 | Dallas, TX

August 30-31 | Region 4 | Choctaw, MS

Direct Service Tribal Advisory Committee (DSTAC) Monthly Call

Date: July 20, 2023

Time: 3:00 – 4:00 PM ET

Join ZoomGov Meeting

Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Tribal Consultation on the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Program 

Date: July 20, 2023 

Time: 1:00 PM ET 

Registration Link 

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Tribal Technical Advisory Group (TTAG) Face-to-Face Meeting

Date: July 26-27, 2023

Location: Washington, DC

Community Health Aide Program (CHAP) TAG Meeting 

The Community Health Aide Program (CHAP) Tribal Advisory Group (TAG) will meet to discuss updates on the implementation of the national CHAP to the contiguous 48 states. 

Date: July 27, 2023 

Time: 12:30 – 3:30 PM ET 

Meeting Access Link 

ACF Tribal Consultation on Implementation of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA)

Date: August 7, 2023 

Time: 3:00 PM ET 

Registration Link 

Written Comment Deadline: September 15, 2023

Written Comment Submission: [email protected] 

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Tribal Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)

Date: August 29, 2023

Time: 1:00 - 4:00 PM ET

Meeting Registration Link

National Institute of Health All of US Update for Data Access and Use Announcement Link

Date: September 28, 2023

Time: 1:00 - 3:00 PM ET

Meeting Registration Link

National Indian Health Board | www.nihb.org | 202-507-4070

Visit the NIHB COVID-19 Tribal Resource Center at www.nihb.org/covid-19