|
UPCOMING EVENTS
31st Annual Consumer Conference
September 8-11, 2014
Albuquerque, New Mexico
NIHB 2014 Native Youth Health Summit
Navajo Nation
September 5-8, 2014
11th Annual Direct Service Tribes National Meeting
Albuquerque, NM
July 9-10, 2014
|
|
Follow NIHB on Twitter
@NIHB1
Like National Indian Health Board on Facebook!
|
|
|
|
|
|
NIHB Board Passes Resolution Supporting Mandatory Funding of Contract Support Costs
|
| On Monday, May 12, 2014, the National Indian Health Board passed a resolution supporting a proposal to enact Permanent Mandatory Appropriations for Contract Support Costs (CSC). If enacted by Congress, this would mean that CSC payments would be funded each year outside of the annual appropriations process as an entitlement. As you may recall, the Supreme Court recently ruled twice that CSC must be paid in full. The goal of this proposal would be to ensure that CSC is funded in a way that reflects the mandatory nature of the funds. You can read the resolution here.
During the same meeting the Board also passed a resolution that supports full implementation of provisions in the Affordable Care Act which require comprehensive vision care detection and treatment for binocular vision problems. You can read the resolution here.
|
Send Us Your SDPI Pictures!
|
|
The National Indian Health Board is asking for pictures from your Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) programs! These may include photos of patients with family, exercising or meeting with their SDPI diabetes consultant, or participating in community events. These pictures will be featured on the main page of the new, re-modeled SDPI website: "Diabetes in Indian Country."
Having visual confirmation that this program is working in Indian Country for Congressional members, allows them to see why renewing this program is critical. The SDPI program is saving lives and proves that Type II diabetes is manageable, preventable, and it is not the future for Indian Country - help us tell your story!
To submit photos, please email Jordan Daniel at [email protected].
|
|
NIHB Co-Hosts Tribal Public Health Law Forum
|
|
On March 16, 2014, NIHB partnered with the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen's Health Board, Northern Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Public Health Law Program, and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) to host a day-long forum in Rapid City, SD on Tribal public health law. Tribal council members, Tribal attorneys, and Tribal health administrators from Oglala Lakota, Rosebud, Santee, Standing Rock, Cheyenne River, and Fort Peck Tribes participated in the meeting. Presenters helped to provide a solid informational foundation on what is public health law, why it is important to incorporate into Tribal Codes, and what resources are available to support Tribes as they undertake this effort. The afternoon was spent work shopping in smaller groups to ascertain which public health areas are of high priority for Tribes and the consequential steps that should be taken to strengthen Tribal public health laws and codes.
The success of this meeting demonstrates the need and desire to continue to provide support and technical assistance to Tribes who would like to examine their existing code and write Tribally-specific public health code. This was the first such meeting of its kind, and NIHB is seeking to secure resources that will permit similar forums to be held in other areas in the future. If you are interested or would like to know what resources exist to support these Tribal efforts, please contact Robert Foley at [email protected].
|
|
IHS Releases Two Dear Tribal Leader Letters
|
|
IHS Acting Director Dr. Yvette Roubideaux wrote to Tribal Leaders on May 9, 2014 to provide an update on the Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI). The letter notes that that the SDPI program has been renewed by Congress for 1 year and that the Tribal Leaders Diabetes Committee (TLDC) recommended that IHS continue the same funding distribution in FY 2015. The TLDC also recommended that IHS continue discussions on recommendations for any future extension that might be for multiple years, and encouraged IHS to request a waiver to allow for a continuation application rather than a competitive application. You can read the letter on SDPI here.
On May 12, 2014, IHS Acting Director Dr. Yvette Roubideaux wrote to Tribal Leaders to provide an update on Contract Support Costs (CSC). The letter addresses: 1) the Indian Health Service's (IHS) progress on resolving past CSC claims; 2) consultation activities on a long-term solution for CSC as requested by Congress; 3) CSC appropriations and payments in fiscal year (FY) 2014; and 4) CSC in the FY 2015 President's Budget Request. You can read the letter on CSC here.
|
|
|
