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NEW! COVID-19 TRIBAL RESOURCE CENTER
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NIHB held its Tribal Nations Health Summit: 2021 White House Transition on December 16, 2020

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Vaccine Information and Tribal Support Page on NIHB’s COVID-19 Tribal Resource Center

In an effort to keep Tribes engaged and informed, NIHB offers this platform that contains communications, resources and advocacy materials on the development of the COVID-19 Vaccine.
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Wearing a Mask is an Act of Love

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NIHB Releases 2019 Public Health in Indian Country Capacity Scan Report

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB), in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), released the 2019 Public Health in Indian Country Capacity Scan (PHICCS) Report that provides a comprehensive picture of Tribal public health infrastructure and activities, specifically, immunization, screening, and prevention/education activities that are widely occurring across Indian Country.
See the full report

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NIHB is Hiring!

We are seeking qualified candidates for the following open positions based in Washington DC:

Policy Analyst

Director of Congressional Relations

Public Health Project Coordinator (Emergency Preparedness)

Public Health Project Coordinator (Aging)

Public Health Program Coordinator (PHICCS)

Public Health Project Coordinator (Environmental Health)

Public Health Project Associate (Behavioral Health)

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Posted January 12, 2021

National Indian Health Board Fills Key Director Position on Public Health Policy and Programs Team

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is pleased to welcome Tyler Dougherty as Director of Public Health Policy and Programs (PHPP). Mr. Dougherty will lead NIHB’s public health priorities and advocacy efforts; cultivate partnerships with federal agency, state, and Tribal partners; and oversee NIHB’s strategic planning to expand its Tribal public health department in response to the increased need for resources and technical assistance during the coronavirus pandemic. Mr. Dougherty joins NIHB from the Southern Plains Tribal Health Board Oklahoma Area Tribal Epidemiology Center where he managed multiple federal grants that served the 44 federally recognized Tribes across Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Mr. Dougherty has a Master of Public Health in biostatistics from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Hudson College of Public Health and a Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of Oklahoma.

Read the full press release.


Posted December 24, 2020

Congress Passes Several Significant Native Veteran's Health Bills

Before Congress recessed for the holiday, it passed several significant Native veteran's health bills – the Native American Veterans PACT Act, the Veterans Affairs Tribal Advisory Committee Act and the PRC for Native Veterans Act – that impact the delivery, access, and coordination of healthcare for American Indian and Alaska Native veterans who receive care from both the Indian Health Service (IHS) and Veterans Administration (VA).

Read the full release


Posted December 23, 2020

NIHB signs on to Op-Ed on Preventing COVID-19 During the Holiday Season

The National Indian Health Board, along with the National Council of Urban Indian Health, Association of American Indian Physicians and the Indian Health Service authored an op-ed on Preventing COVID-19 During the Holiday Season. Spending time with loved ones is an important part of promoting all aspects of our health - physical, mental, social, and spiritual. This year, however, it is important to focus on slowing the spread of COVID-19, to decrease hospitalizations and deaths in Native communities.

Read the full op-ed


Posted December 22, 2020

National Indian Health Board Awarded $261,000 in COVID-19 Response Grants

WASHINGTON, DC—December 22, 2020—In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) supported 40 Tribes and Tribal organizations through mini-grants totaling around $261,000 to aid in their local COVID-19 responses.

Read the full release


Posted December 22, 2020

Congress Seals $2.5 trillion Spending and Stimulus Package

After months of impasse in negotiations, and at the 11th hour, Congress clinched a bipartisan and bicameral deal on a roughly $900 billion COVID-19 pandemic stimulus bill. The package is attached to a massive $1.4 trillion Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 omnibus appropriations package - which includes all twelve appropriations bills including the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies bill that funds the Indian Health Service (IHS). Alongside the stimulus and appropriations package is the surprise billing package provides the federal cost savings to pay for a 3-year extension of the Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI).

Read NIHB’s full Legislative Action Alert


Posted December 21, 2020

NIHB Statement on Congresswoman Deb Haaland as Biden-Harris Pick to Lead the Department of the Interior

WASHINGTON, DC—December 18, 2020—The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) offered the following statement from CEO Stacy A. Bohlen on the Biden-Administration’s nomination of Congresswoman Deb Haaland (D-NM) to serve as Secretary of the Department of the Interior.

Read the full statement


Posted December 14, 2020

NIHB Statement on FDA Approval of Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine for Use, Distribution

WASHINGTON, DC—December 14, 2020—The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) offered the following statement from CEO Stacy A. Bohlen on the Federal Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent approval of emergency use authorization to distribute the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine.

Read the full release.


Posted December 9, 2020

President-elect Joe Biden Announces Nominations for HHS Leadership

On December 8, 2020, President-elect Joe Biden announced key nominations and appointments of his health team, that includes Dr. Anthony Fauci who will continue his role as Chief Medical Adviser to the President on COVID-19. The team are leaders with deep experience in public health, government, and crisis management.

  • Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services - Attorney General of California, long-time champion of expanding access to healthcare, and former Congressman who helped pass the Affordable Care Act.
  • Dr. Vivek Murthy, Surgeon General - A physician, research scientist, and former Vice Admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. He currently serves as co-chair of the President-elect’s COVID-19 transition Advisory Board.
  • Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - An expert on virus testing, prevention, and treatment. She is the Chief of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital and a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
  • Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, COVID-19 Equity Task Force Chair - An expert on health care disparities. She is the founding director of Yale’s Equity Research and Innovation Center and co-chair of the President-elect’s COVID-19 Transition Advisory Board. Dr. Nunez-Smith will advise the President-elect on a whole-of-government effort to reduce COVID-19 disparities in response, care, and treatment, including racial and ethnic disparities.
  • Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - The nation’s preeminent expert on infectious diseases. Dr. Fauci will remain an essential voice both in informing the public about health risks and safety measures and in helping the scientific community, the Biden-Harris administration, and local officials overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Jeff Zients, Coordinator of the COVID-19 Response and Counselor to the President - An accomplished public servant widely known for his extraordinary track record successfully managing large and complex initiatives. Mr. Zients will advise the president-elect on the implementation of the federal government’s COVID response, including managing safe and equitable vaccine distribution, the pandemic supply chain, and coordination across federal agencies and state and local governments.
  • Natalie Quillian, Deputy Coordinator of the COVID-19 Response - A national security expert and former White House and Pentagon senior advisor who played an instrumental role in coordinating the Obama-Biden administration’s interagency response to the opioid epidemic.

    • Read the complete announcement here.


Posted December 8, 2020

NIHB, NCAI and NCUIH Send Joint Letter to Congressional Leaders on COVID-19 Relief for Indian Country

The National Indian Health Board, alongside the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) sent a letter to Congressional leadership on December 4, 2020. The letter urges Congress to include direct health relief funding to Tribes, including for vaccine distribution, COVID-19 testing and contact tracing, third-party reimbursement shortfall relief, and other provisions.

Read the full letter.


Posted December 8, 2020

NIHB, NCAI and NCUIH Send Joint Letter to Congressional Leaders Urging passage of Native Veterans Bills

The National Indian Health Board, alongside the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) sent a letter to Congressional leadership on December 4, 2020. The letter urges passage of Native Veterans bills including legislation to establish a Tribal Advisory Committee to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) and legislation to eliminate copays for Native Veterans, and to ensure the VA is fully reimbursing the Indian Health Service (IHS) and Tribes for services authorized under Purchased/Referred Care.

Read the full letter.


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