IHS Distributes $23.7 Million to Address Diabetes Prevention and Complications among American Indians and Alaska Natives
The Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, has awarded 66 competitive Diabetes Program demonstration project grants totaling $23.7 million. Thirty-six grant awards are for primary prevention and 30 are for cardiovascular disease risk factor reduction. The IHS Director, Dr. Charles W. Grim, began the distribution of these grants by presenting symbolic checks to 23 IHS/Tribal/Urban Indian program grantees at six locations during the week of October 4, 2004.
“These diabetes grants will help to reduce the effects of this devastating disease among American Indian and Alaska Native people and their communities by addressing cardiovascular disease risk factors, one of the most serious complications of diabetes. In addition, these grants will allow Tribes to begin to learn how to prevent this devastating disease before it starts, especially in young people,” stated Dr. Grim. “The prevalence of diabetes among American Indians and Alaska Natives has increased more than 50% in the last decade.”
Diabetes rates are significantly higher among American Indians and Alaska Natives than in the general U.S. population, as is the incidence of diabetes related complications. Although there are still significant challenges in dealing with the epidemic of diabetes, there are many new opportunities and strategies being used in Indian health programs that will strengthen clinical, public health, and community approaches to the problem of diabetes.
Grantees will use these funds to improve their diabetes wellness/physical activity centers, provide diabetes self-management training, and purchase newer medications that are more effective in treating type 2 diabetes and its complications. These demonstration projects will attempt to prevent the onset of diabetes and also prevent cardiovascular disease in people who already have diabetes, using research-proven strategies in the real-world settings of American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Some of these strategies include using lifestyle coaching, case management, nutrition and physical activity approaches, smoking cessation strategies, newer medications, more aggressive treatment strategies, and behavioral strategies.
These newly established competitive grants were offered through the Special Diabetes Program for Indians. This grant program, administered by the IHS, promotes collaborative strategies for the primary prevention of diabetes and the complication of cardiovascular disease in diabetes in American Indians and Alaska Natives. This is being accomplished by the 12 IHS Area offices through coordination of a large diabetes network including 12 regional diabetes consultants and over 300 Tribal, IHS, and Urban Indian diabetes prevention and treatment programs.
IHS Special Diabetes Program Competitive Grants Recipients
Primary Prevention: Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, Alaska $404,000 United Indian Health Services, Inc., California $404,000 Lawton Indian Hospital, Oklahoma $404, 000 Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, South Dakota $330,000 Ho-Chunk Nation, Wisconsin $330,000 Kenaitze Indian Tribe I.R.A., Alaska $330,000 Rocky Boy Health Board, Montana $330,000 Southcentral Foundation, Alaska $404,000 Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma $404,000 Indian Health Board of Minneapolis, Minnesota $330,000 Rapid City IHS, South Dakota $330,000 Pueblo of Zuni, New Mexico $404,000 Pueblo of San Felipe, New Mexico $330,000 Warm Springs Health and Wellness Center, Oregon $404,000 Trenton Indian Service Area, North Dakota $330,000 Red Lake Comprehensive Health Service, Minnesota $330,000 Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, Nebraska $330,000 Norton Sound Health Corporation, Alaska $330,000 Colville Confederated Tribes, Washington $330,000 Pine Ridge IHS Hospital, South Dakota $404,000 Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe, Oregon $404,000 United American Indian Involvement, California $330,000 Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Mississippi $404,000 The Chickasaw Nation, Oklahoma $404,000 Haskell Health Center, Kansas $404,000 Fond Du Lac Reservation, Minnesota $330,000 Colorado River Indian Tribes, Arizona $404,000 Sonoma County Indian Health Project, California $330,000 Benewah Medical Center, Idaho $330,000 Quinault Indian Nation, Washington $330,000 Gila River Indian Community, Arizona $404,000 Tuba City Regional Health Care Corp., Arizona $404,000 Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, Wisconsin $330,000 Confederated Tribe of Chehalis Reservation, Washington $330,000 Indian Health Center of Santa Clara, California $330,000 Seneca Nation of Indians, New York $330,000
Cardiovascular Disease: Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Oklahoma $404,000 Navajo Area Indian Health Service, Arizona $404,000 Indian Health Council, Inc., California $330,000 Seattle Indian Health Board, Washington $330,000 Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa, Michigan $330,000 Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Oklahoma $404,000 Confederated Salish and Kootenai, Montana $330,000 Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Minnesota $404,000 Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, Oklahoma $330,000 Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corp., Alaska $330,000 IHS Whiteriver Service Unit, Arizona $404,000 Santo Domingo Tribe, New Mexico $330,000 Wagner Health Care Center, South Dakota $330,000 Ramah Navajo School Board, Inc., New Mexico $330,000 Riverside-San Bernardino County, California $404,000 Yakama Indian Health Center IHS, Washington $404,000 Tohono O’Odham Nation, Arizona $404,000 Fort Belknap Indian Community, Montana $330,000 Uintah and Ouray IHS Service Unit, Utah $404,000 Northwest Washington Indian Health Board, Washington $330,000 Albuquerque IHS, New Mexico $404,000 Hualapai Tribe, Arizona $330,000 Blackfeet Tribe, Montana $404,000 Redding Rancheria, California $330,000 Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Minnesota $330,000 Toiyabe Indian Health Project, Inc., California $330,000 Bad River Band of Lake Superior, Wisconsin $330,000 Taos-Picuris Service Unit, New Mexico $330,000 St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, New York $330,000 Indian Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa, Oklahoma $330,000
NOTICE TO EDITORS: For additional information on this subject, please contact the IHS Public Affairs Office at 301-443-3593. Additional information about the IHS is available at http://www.ihs.gov and http://info.ihs.gov.
