The Office of Tribal Affairs (OTA) supports identified tribal needs by establishing and coordinating tribal-specific programs and projects.
Key services:
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A point of contact for tribes to access ATSDR and its environmental
public health programs. |
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Trained staff to assist ATSDR in coordinating effectively with tribal
governments. |
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Environmental perspective that incorporates native culture and traditional
values. |
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Assistance to ATSDR in responding to presidential
executive orders and federal
mandates (719KB
PDF) impacting
tribes. |
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A vehicle for developing policy and programs for American Indian and
Alaska Native governments, organizations, and communities. |
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Coordination of activities to support tribal-specific public health
needs. |
Activities
Technical Support. OTA works directly with tribal governments
and representatives on site-specific work, responding to requests
for information and evaluating environmental health data and
community health concerns.
Site-specific Activities. For hazardous
waste sites that may affect tribal populations, ATSDR conducts
public
health assessments and consultations to address multiple exposure pathways,
determine who may come in contact with hazardous substances,
evaluate
whether harmful exposures are occurring and what public
health actions/follow-up activities may be needed.
The following public health assessments illustrate sites
where tribal issues have been addressed:
Tar Creek, Ottawa County, Oklahoma,
ATSDR and the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) will soon release their public health assessment (PHA) entitled Occurrence of Selected Health Conditions in Ottawa County, Oklahoma. The PHA addresses health issues relevant to the Tar Creek Superfund Site, including childrens’ health and cancer.
Flathead Reservation, Montana,
Consolidated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Petition Public
Health Activities Associated with Methamphetamine Lab
Cleanups (PDF, 442KB)
Kings
Creek (Fort Belknap Indian Reservation/Zortman Mining
Incorporated), Lodgepole, Montana
Eastern
Michaud Flats Contamination, Pocatello, Bannock and Power Counties, Idaho
General
Motors (Central Foundry Division), Massena, St. Lawrence County, New York
Alaska/FUDS Project. ATSDR
has entered into an Interagency Agreement with Administration
for Native Americans to assist
in public health assessment efforts in Alaskan villages
impacted by Formerly Utilized Defense Sites (FUDS). The project
promotes
training of village natives in the public health assessment
process. ATSDR will work directly with these village health
assessors to identify community concerns and other key
site-related issues.
Hanford Nuclear Reservation. ATSDR worked with seven Northwest
Tribes (Coeur d’Alene, Nez Perce, Confederated Tribes
of the Umatilla Reservation, Colville Confederated Tribes,
Kalispel Tribe, Kootenai Tribe, and the Spokane Tribe)
to develop tribal environmental health plans, address health
issues from
the release of hazardous substances and develop culturally
appropriate health education materials to engage tribal
community members in environmental activities related to
the Hanford
Nuclear Reservation.
Cooperative Agreements. In 2002, the Gila River Indian Community
became the first tribe to be funded under ATSDR’s
1043 states cooperative agreement program. The purpose
of the program
is to conduct site-specific health activities to determine
the public health impact of human exposure to hazardous
substances. The projects goals are to build capacity in
coordination and
cooperation with ATSDR in developing public health assessments,
health consultations, exposure investigations, community
involvement activities, health education, follow-up health
studies, and
other programs related to exposure to hazardous substances
in the environment.
Education. OTA provides training for tribal health and environmental
professionals to build capacity of tribal programs to better
identify, prevent, and respond to health issues related to
environmental pollutants. OTA also develops environmental health
education programs to address tribal concerns and meet tribal
needs.
Tribal Environmental Health Education Project. OTA,
in cooperation with ATSDR’s Division of Health Education
and Promotion, has designed this project to raise awareness
and improve tribal
clinician knowledge, skills, and access to resources to identify,
prevent, and respond to health issues related to environmental
contaminants.
Basic Course for Health Assessment and Consultation
in Alaska. ATSDR, in partnership
with CDC and IHS, conducted ATSDR’s
Basic Course for Health Assessment and Consultation in
Alaska. The course focuses on the process of assessing
public health
implications of exposures to contaminants being released
from hazardous waste sites and conducting public health
actions.
This effort was aimed at building the core capacity of
tribes and providing the tools and guidance for Alaska Natives to
conduct these types of assessments. View a photo
gallery from the course.
Tribal-Specific Training for Agency Staff. OTA
coordinates the education of agency staff on the uniqueness
of working
with tribes. OTA has developed a 1-day course titled “Working
Effectively with Tribal Governments.” The course conveys
general and practical information about working with American
Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments, organizations,
and communities. This training raises awareness of American
Indian/Alaska Native issues and enhances staff cultural competency.
This training is generally provided two times a year.
Program/Project Development. OTA partners with others to develop environmental
health programs/projects for the betterment of tribal populations.
Tribal Emergency Preparedness. OTA is working cooperatively with the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency to evaluate (1) tribal emergency response
capabilities related to chemical, biological, and radiological emergencies
and (2) tribal knowledge of deregulated commercial and medical radioactive
material, and the potential of it being illegally deposited on tribal land.
Surveying tribes on these topics will help ATSDR and EPA to assess the
present level of tribal emergency response infra-structure, knowledge,
training, and equipment leading to the development of criteria for improvement,
enhancement, or development of an integrated tribal emergency response
program.
Program to Build Capacity to Develop, Implement,
and Evaluate Health Education and Promotion Activities
in Tribal Communities. ATSDR developed this
cooperative agreement to facilitate the development of
a variety of environmental health
education and training programs for health professionals
and tribal communities.
Lifestyle and Cultural Practices of Tribal Populations
and Risk from Toxic Substances in the Environment. Partnering
with EPA, ATSDR is working
to develop methods to assess subsistence-based exposure and
to increase the capacity of tribes to assess environmental
threats from a subsistence
lifestyle.
Alaska Traditional Diet Project. In collaboration with partners in Alaska,
the ATSDR Alaska Traditional
Diet Project (ATDP) was developed to assist
consumers of Alaskan traditional foods in making informed
dietary decisions to prevent adverse health outcomes that might be associated
with environmental
contamination. The project was developed in response to concerns
about the effects of environmental contamination present in Arctic and
sub-Arctic
regions. Many Alaska Natives have expressed concern about
exposures to contaminants resulting from a subsistence lifestyle, or
through commercial
and recreational activities. They have requested more information
about the possible risks from these exposures and the nutritional benefits
of
traditional foods.
Tribal Colleges and
Universities Support. Through cooperative agreements,
OTA provides technical assistance and funding to support
environmental health science,
education, and nursing curricula. The program promotes
community awareness about secondary education and provided
a resource for tribes in addressing various environmental
health issues.
Ad Hoc Tribal Workgroup. The workgroup
advises OTA on how to better serve American Indian and Alaska Native people
and address tribal environmental health needs. ATSDR invites
all tribal governments, organizations and community members
to participate in workgroup activities. |