IHS Director's Corner Dr. Yvette Roubideaux - Indian Health Service Director
Director's Blog
Request for Comments: FY 2011 Report to Congress/Tribal Self-Governance Program
Posted on August 28, 2012
I sent a letter to Tribes requesting comments on our draft Fiscal Year 2011 Report to Congress on Administration of the Tribal Self-Governance Program, as required by the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act amendments. Comments are due on October 19, 2012. Here is the letter [PDF - 26K] and the draft Report to Congress[PDF - 275K].
NCAI Health Fellowship Workshop
Posted on August 7, 2012
I attended the NCAI (National Congress of American Indians) Health Fellowship Workshop and presented on a panel with the National Indian Health Board and the National Council on Urban Indian Health. The audience included NCAI's inaugural Native Graduate Health Fellowship recipient, Lisa Begay, who previously worked as a dental hygienist in the IHS and who now is a dental student at the Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health. Other finalists and students who applied were invited to the workshop. Here are pictures from the workshop.
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IHCIA Implementation Update: Draft Urban Confer Policy
Posted on August 6, 2012
The recent Indian Health Care Improvement Act reauthorization included a provision that requires IHS to confer with urban Indian organizations. The new draft policy is posted in the Federal Register for comment, and was sent to Tribes for consultation. Here is a copy of the letter [PDF - 27K] to Tribes and a link to the Federal Register
posting.
IHS Tribal Consultation Update
Posted on August 3, 2012
The final agenda for the IHS Tribal Consultation Summit to be held on August 7-8, 2012, in Denver, CO, is posted on the tribal consultation website.
We have also posted several new tribal leader letters providing updates on consultation activities and have initiated a few new consultations. We have also developed a summary of all consultation activities initiated since June 2009 with brief updates on their status and outcomes. You can find those on our tribal leader letter website.
If the letter does not state a deadline for comments, then our practice is to request comments in 60 days from the date of the letter. Comments are always welcome addressed to me at IHS Headquarters in Rockville, MD, or by email to consultation@ihs.gov.
Hope to see you at the IHS Tribal Consultation Summit!
Committee on Native American Child Health
Posted on July 31, 2012
IHS meets regularly with the Committee on Native American Child Health of the American Academy of Pediatrics to discuss child health issues and review findings from their regular pediatric site visits. Here are pictures from a recent meeting held in May:
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National Native American AIDS Prevention Center
Posted on July 31, 2012
I met with the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center Board of Directors on July 19 in Washington, D.C. We discussed the IHS HIV/AIDS Program activities and discussed their recommendations for efforts to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS in the Indian health system. Here are pictures from the meeting.
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National Indian Health Board
Posted on July 31, 2012
I met with representatives from the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) to discuss our collaborative activities. The NIHB assists the IHS with tribal consultation activities, education and outreach on the Affordable Care Act, and other health initiatives; and IHS is grateful for our partnership. Here is a picture from the meeting:
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IHS National Combined Councils Meeting
Posted on July 31, 2012
The IHS National Combined Councils (NCC) held a working meeting at IHS Headquarters in July. This gathering of key administrative and clinical leaders worked on priority issues identified at the last NNC meeting in January. They met as Councils to discuss their provider/position specific issues and then met in mixed groups to develop action plans on 5 priority issues: HR/workforce development, recruitment and retention, hospital consortium/accreditation issues, prescription drug abuse, and Contract Health Service (referred care). They developed specific actionable steps, and I am grateful to the attendees for helping us move forward on these important priority issues. Here are pictures from the meeting:
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CHASM Team Rosebud Tribe Deployment
Posted on July 30, 2012
The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Community Health and Service Mission (CHASM) deployed officers to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in June to conduct field training while providing health services in the community. Here are pictures from the deployment:
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Tribal Prescription Drug Abuse Summit
Posted on July 30, 2012
A Tribal Prescription Drug Abuse Summit was held in the Bemidji Area in July. The meeting was for IHS and tribal partners to develop action steps to address this growing problem in tribal communities. Here are pictures from the meeting:
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Tribal Self Governance Advisory Committee
Posted on July 30, 2012
I met with the Tribal Self-Governance Advisory Committee in June, and we discussed issues important to Tribes who manage health care programs that were formerly managed by IHS. We watched TV coverage of the Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act and were able to share the moment that all the new benefits of the Act were upheld, including the reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. Here are pictures from the meeting:
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IHS 2012 National Behavioral Health Conference
Posted on July 30, 2012
I attended the IHS 2012 National Behavioral Health Conference in Bloomington, MN, in June and had a chance to provide an IHS update. The conference theme was "Mobilizing Partnerships to Promote Wellness" and emphasized the importance of collaboration on behavioral health issues for American Indians and Alaska Natives. The conference also included the annual meetings for the Methamphetamine and Suicide Prevention Initiative and the Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative. Here are pictures from the meeting:
Click on the thumbnails for larger images
Recent Posts
- Request for Comments: FY 2011 Report to Congress/Tribal Self-Governance Program
- NCAI Health Fellowship Workshop
- IHCIA Implementation Update: Draft Urban Confer Policy
- IHS Tribal Consultation Update
- Committee on Native American Child Health
- National Native American AIDS Prevention Center
- National Indian Health Board
- IHS National Combined Councils Meeting
- CHASM Team Rosebud Tribe Deployment
- Tribal Prescription Drug Abuse Summit
- Tribal Self Governance Advisory Committee
- IHS 2012 National Behavioral Health Conference
