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UPCOMING EVENTS
7th Annual NIHB Tribal Public Health Summit
April 11-13, 2016
Atlanta, GA
Tribal Self-Governance Consultation Conference
April 24-28, 2016
Orlando, FL
Direct Service Tribal Advisory Committee Quarterly Meeting
May 18-19, 2016
Rockville, MD
HHS Secretary's Tribal Advisory Committee Meeting
Washington, DC
Medicare, Medicaid, and Health Reform Policy Committee Annual Spring Retreat
June 14-15, 2016
Nashville, TN
NIHB Annual Tribal Youth Health Summit
National AI/AN Behavioral Health Conference
August 9-11, 2016
Portland, OR
Direct Service Tribes Annual Meeting
August 30 - September 1, 2016
HHS Secretary's Tribal Advisory Committee Meeting
33rd NIHB Annual Consumer Conference
September 19-22, 2016
Phoenix, AZ
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In This Issue
Capitol Hill Updates
Administration and Organizational Updates
Upcoming Calls and Webinars
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House of Representatives to Consider Opioid Legislation
Later this month, the U.S. House of Representatives will consider several bills that will address the prescription opioid and heroin epidemic. Last month, the U.S. Senate passed legislation ( S. 524) that would promote treatment and prevention through various grant programs and reforms. The legislation passed the Senate by a wide margin of 94-1.
The House is likely to consider a companion bill to S. 524, but will also tackle legislation focusing on pain management and prescribing practices, treating newborns with opioid-withdrawal symptoms and strengthening drug trafficking laws.
NIHB continues to support changes to this legislation which would ensure that Tribes are included in federal grant programs and that Tribal communities receive set-aside funding. We have been working with several offices on Capitol Hill to see these changes added. Stay tuned for further details as the House begins to consider the legislation.
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Administration and Organizational Updates
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CDC Announces $589 million to be Reallocated for Zika Virus
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that it plans to reallocate $589 million in funding originally allocated to combat Ebola to conduct Zika-Related prevention and treatment activities. Earlier this year, CDC asked Congress for an additional $1.9 billion to combat the disease, but noted that this allocation was necessary because they do not have time to wait for Congress to provide funding.
The incidence of the Zika virus reaching high levels in certain areas close to the United States. The Zika virus is spread by the Aedes mosquito and has been found recently in areas of Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. Zika in pregnant women is thought to be associated with microcephaly in infants which is a sign that the baby is born with a smaller brain which can result in medical programs and impaired development. CDC estimates that Zika inflected mosquitos could reach the lower part of the United States in 2016, and there are efforts underway to ensure that communities in the United States can accurately respond to the disease. It is critical that that a portion of these dollars flow directly to Indian Country, instead of just to state health departments which may or may not pass the funding down to Tribal communities. Many Tribal reservations reach across state boundaries and occupy land areas larger than many states. Few, however, see any type of funding support for public health response from their state governments. Without federally-supported infrastructure support for prevention and response to the Zika virus in Indian Country, the impacts on American Indians and Alaska Natives could be enormous. NIHB continues to work with CDC and Congress to make sure that Tribes are included in any Zika-related funding that is enacted. Stay tuned to NIHB for ways you can help provide outreach on this important topic.
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Call for Proposals Open for National American Indian/Alaska Native Behavioral Health Conference
The National American Indian/ Alaska Native (AI/AN) Behavioral Health Conference: "Creating Trauma Informed Systems in AI/AN Communities" will be held from August 9-11, 2016 in Portland Oregon. If you are interested in presenting at the National AI/AN Behavioral Health Conference the deadline for proposals is April 15, 2016. The deadline for exhibitors is May 1, 2016.
Proposals Deadline: April 15, 2016
Exhibitor Deadline: May 1, 2016
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Indian Health Service Job Opportunities
The Indian Health Service has released several Area Director vacancy announcements. These are Senior Executive Service level positions. The links to the announcements are as follows:
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Upcoming Calls and Webinars
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Webinar: Medicaid Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act - Thursday, April 14
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CMS) will hold a Webinar on Thursday, April 14 at 1:00PM ET. The presentation will be on the application of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) to Medicaid and CHIP.
This rule implements the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) for 23 million beneficiaries enrolled in Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs), Medicaid alternative benefit plans (ABPs), and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), ensuring that benefits for mental health and substance use disorder treatments and services are offered on equal footing with medical and surgical benefits. This presentation will include a discussion of the application of parity to Medicaid and CHIP programs, key changes from the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, and answers to frequently asked questions.
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IHS to Hold a Call on LGBT2S Health Issues - May 5, 2016
The Indian Health Service will hold a public teleconference call on May 5, 2016 from 3:00 to 5:00pm ET to seek broad input on efforts to advance and promote the health needs of the American Indian and Alaska Native Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Two-Spirit communities. This is the first of a series of public teleconferences that will take place this year. Themes that resulted from previous discussions included service and eligibility; clinical services; behavioral health; suicide; youth services; confidentiality and organization strategies.
Join the meeting by calling the toll free phone number at 800-857-9744, followed by the participant passcode number, 3618057. Please call at least 15 minutes prior to the meeting.
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