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UPCOMING EVENTS
Tribal Self-Governance Consultation Conference
April 24-28, 2016
Orlando, FL
All Tribes Call: CMS Tribal Consultation Policy
April 27, 2016
2:00PM EDT
MMPC Monthly Call
May 4, 2016
2:00 PM EDT
Treasury Consultation Call: ACA Employer Mandate
May 13, 2016
3:00 PM EDT
Nurse Leaders in Native Care Conference
May 17-19, 2016
Glendale, AZ
Direct Service Tribal Advisory Committee Quarterly Meeting
June 1-2, 2016
Rockville, MD
HHS Secretary's Tribal Advisory Committee Meeting
Washington, DC
MMPC Annual Spring Retreat
June 13-14, 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
NIHB Updates
Capitol Hill Updates
Administration and Organizational Updates
Upcoming Calls and Webinars
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SAVE the DATE: NIHB Annual Consumer Conference
The National Indian Health Board's 33rd Annual Consumer Conference will be held from September 19-22, 2016 at the Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The Conference will provide the most up-to-date and important information Tribal leaders, health directors and consumers will need as they work toward reducing American Indian and Alaska Native health disparities through continued advancement of the Tribal health care system. In addition to an in-depth, special focus on federal policy, conference attendees will have an opportunity to learn about best practices and share their community's concerns with key federal decision-makers.
Information on registration, award nominations and workshop proposals will be available in the coming weeks.
To reserve your room call (866) 877-9897 and reference NIHB Group Number 10677.
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Senate Developing Bipartisan Zika Funding Measure - Action Needed!
Last week, Members of the Senate Appropriations Committee announced that they are developing a supplemental appropriations package to tackle the Zika virus. Specific details of what this package will contain have not been released, but it is expected to be considered alongside an appropriations bill on the Senate floor in the "near future." It is still unclear if the House of Representatives will go along with the Senate's proposal.
In February, the President requested $1.9 billion in emergency spending to develop vaccines and combat mosquito populations. But, Republicans in Congress have balked at that figure, and urged the Administration to repurpose funds allocated for Ebola to the Zika virus. Earlier this month, the Administration did reallocate just under $600 million for Zika mitigation. Public health officials have warned that the virus will spread to the United States as temperatures warm, so that reallocation will not be enough to fully eradicate the disease from the United States and its neighbors.
NIHB requests that Tribes, Tribal organizations and other advocates call or write to their Members of Congress to ask that Congress pass this supplemental funding for the Zika virus and that any appropriated dollars contain a portion to be given directly to Tribes.
Click here to view a sample letter you can share with Congress.
We hope that you will take the time to register your support for this important issue for Indian Country.
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House of Representatives Moving on Opioid Legislation
Two House of Representatives Committees will be considering legislation to address the opioid crisis in the United States. Last month, the Senate overwhelmingly passed S. 524 - the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA). This legislation expands several grant programs designed to address prevention and education efforts, while also promoting treatment and recovery.
Both the House Judiciary and House Energy and Commerce Committees will review legislation designed to target the opioid crisis this week. In the House, the Energy and Commerce Committee will consider several bills on Wednesday, April 27 designed to address many areas of the problem. Also on April 27, the House Judiciary Committee will markup legislation that will focus on Department of Justice grants for treatment and recovery.
NIHB has been talking to members of these committees to ensure that Tribes are included in the new grant programs. The full package of opioid legislation is expected to be considered by the entire House of Representatives sometime in mid-May.
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Administration and Organizational Updates
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The 2014 SDPI Report to Congress is Now Available!
The 2014 Report to Congress highlights the Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) ongoing and outstanding accomplishments in improving the quality of diabetes care and health outcomes for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people. The report is published by the Indian Health Service and is available on the Division of Diabetes Treatment and Prevention website. You can read the report here.
As the 2014 report shows, SDPI programs are continuing to implement evidence-based interventions to treat and prevent diabetes in ways that significantly reduce the burden of diabetes and its complications for AI/AN people. "AI/AN people no longer have to rely on hope alone, because now there is strong evidence that the SDPI is helping to change the trajectory of the diabetes epidemic," states the report. Trend data on diabetes prevalence, risk factors, and end-stage renal disease are a few of the indicators included in the report. The SDPI program has been providing funding to Tribal communities since 1997 and is currently authorized through September 2017. For SDPI funding to continue, Congress will have to reauthorize the program which will likely occur in the spring of 2017.
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Open Enrollment and Tax Season are over, but American Indians and Alaska Natives can still enroll!
Open enrollment and tax season are now over for millions of Americans, but American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) can still enroll! Members of federally recognized tribes have a special monthly enrollment status that allows them to enroll throughout the year.
It is important for AI/AN individuals and families to learn about their insurance options and get covered. Not only do the individuals benefit from insurance but it also helps Indian Health Service facilities, Tribal 638 and urban clinics as well. Through third party billing, these resources become more available to everyone because those Purchased and Referred Care dollars go right back into the facilities.
NIHB is collecting success stories! If you have any success stories from individuals that have enrolled in the Marketplace, let us know! We want to highlight some of these stories on our webpage. Please e-mail them to Francys Crevier at [email protected] or share your stories on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NIHB1972.
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Upcoming Events, Calls and Webinars
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CMS All Tribes Call: CMS Tribal Consultation Policy - Wednesday, April 27
On Wednesday, April 27, 2016 at 2:00PM EDT the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Division of Tribal Affairs will be holding an All Tribes' Call to review the updated CMS Tribal Consultation Policy. Register for the call here. The final policy was signed by the Administrator of CMS, Andrew Slavitt on December 10, 2015 and can be accessed here.
The purpose of the CMS Tribal Consultation Policy is to build meaningful relationships with Tribes and to further the government-to-government relationship and establish a clear, concise, and mutually acceptable process for consultation to take place between CMS and Tribes. CMS updated its policy through Tribal consultation and with input from the CMS Tribal Technical Advisory Group (TTAG) and State Medicaid Directors. The updated CMS Tribal Consultation Policy includes a new section that incorporates requirements for State and Tribal consultation under Section 5006 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the CMS transparency regulations, and the 2001 State Medicaid Director letter.
For more information on the CMS Tribal Consultation Policy or the Tribal Consultation Policy call with CMS, please feel free to contact Devin Delrow, NIHB Director of Federal Relations at [email protected] or 202-507-4072.
Date: Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Call-In Number: 1-800-475-6881
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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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Treasury Consultation Call with Tribes on the ACA Employer Mandate - May 13, 2016
On Friday, May 13, 2016 at 3:00PM EDT the U.S. Department of Treasury will be holding a Tribal consultation conference call on the Affordable Care Act Employer Shared Responsibility Provisions. The purpose of the consultation call is to engage Tribal leaders and their representatives in government-to-government consultation on the application of the employer shared responsibility provisions of the ACA to Tribal employees.
Date: Friday, May 13, 2016
Time: 3:00PM EDT
Call-In Number: 888-390-0682
For more information on the ACA Employer Mandate or the Tribal consultation call with Treasury, please feel free to contact Devin Delrow, NIHB Director of Federal Relations at [email protected] or 202-507-4072.
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IHS to Hold Nurse Leaders in Native Care Conference - May 17-19, 2016
Last week, IHS announced the 2016 Indian Health Service, Nurse Leaders in Native Care Conference, Nurse Leadership: Promoting Quality Care, Ethical Practice and Patient Safety, May 17 - 19, 2016, in Glendale, Arizona to all Tribal and Urban Indian Health Systems on behalf of Headquarters (HQ), Division of Nursing Services (DNS).
HQ DNS welcomes and invites all Tribal and Urban nurses and nurse leaders to attend the conference. There is no registration fee.
Click here for more information.
For any questions, please contact:
Celissa G. Stephens, MSN, BSN, RN
CAPT U.S. Public Health Service
Chief Nurse/Director, Division of Nursing Services
Tel. 301-443-5070
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