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National Indian Health Board (NIHB)
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The NIHB, a non-profit organization, conducts research, policy analysis, program
assessment and development, national and regional meeting planning, training and
technical assistance programs, and project management. The NIHB advocates on
behalf of all 569 federally-recognized Tribes in the development of national
Indian health policy. They present the tribal perspective while monitoring
federal legislation and opens opportunities to other national health care
organizations to network and engage their support on Indian health care issues. |
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This NIHB agreement provides a mechanism whereby any CDC program can partner
with an established American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) organization to
accomplish their work. The project will strengthen public health system
connectivity by increasing collaboration among public health partners at
national, region, state, tribal and local levels; ensure that AI/AN communities
are equally protected from infectious, occupational, environmental and
terrorists threats; and influence the public health workforce pipeline to ensure
that more Native students enter public health schools and related careers. |
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NIHB has a proven track record of providing direct and indirect services to
Native populations for 35 years through a community-based approach and proven
delivery system channels that represents an exact model for strengthening
program capacity and reducing health disparities. |
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Since 1972, the NIHB has advised the U.S. Congress, Indian Health Service and
other federal agencies, and private foundations on health care issues of AI/ANs.
NIHB staff maintains close communication with tribes, Area Health Boards and
national Indian organizations to give voice to AI/AN health policy concerns
through participation in numerous national organizations. |
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NIHB principal goals are: |
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Support the collaboration of the NIHB and its established infrastructure of Area
health Board with the CDC and its established Tribal Consultation Advisory
Committee (TCAC) |
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Strengthening Public Health System Connectivity |
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Identify and Develop Culturally-Appropriate Approaches to Reduce Disease Burden |
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Strengthen AI/AN Public Health Systems Capacity. |
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The purpose of the program announcement is to: |
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The overarching purpose of this project is to strengthen the capacity of the
NIHB and
build upon the formal, ongoing collaborative relationship between NIHB and CDC.
This relationship will benefit both organizations to better carry out their
respective missions and goals as they apply to AI/AN populations throughout the
U.S.. |
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Specifically, the program is intended to: |
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Coordinate capacity building and training efforts for Tribes and AI/AN regional
and national organizations by focusing on key chronic health diseases where
health disparities between Natives and non-Natives has been identified and
prioritized. Crucial program strategies will be implemented to support partners
in the development of AI/AN culturally appropriate programs/activities and
conducting health impact assessments to ascertain measurable benefits of
capacity building support with Tribes and Native communities. |
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Develop culturally-appropriate, innovative approaches that will holistically
reduce health risks and disease burden in AI/AN of all life stages. At the same
time, the NIHB will build stronger public health systems capacity within Tribal
organizations and Tribal governments serving AI/AN populations. |
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Work with CDC through NIHB and its established infrastructure of Area Tribal
Health Boards and area Tribes to increase and expand collaborative relationships
and strategies to positively impact public health issues affecting AI/ANs.
Particular deliberation will be given to state/county/city jurisdictions to
ensure that tribal perspectives are considered. Jurisdictions will be made
aware of the tribal cultural variations and assisted to recognize the need for
divergent solutions to similar challenges. |
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Increase disease prevention and health promotion activities to elevate the
health status at both the individual AI/AN and their communities and provide
tribes need technical assistance to build stronger prevention systems. Many
tribes already have outstanding, disease specific programs, but lack a
coordinated infrastructure to sustain system-level surveillance and prevention
efforts. Actively engaging Indian Country in CDC activity can help move program
silos to system approach. Tribal entities have emphasized the need for a more
robust federally-based public health workforce, improved linkages to public
health network, and stronger organizational capacity. |
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NIHB
is responsible for the following activities: |
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With CDC support, NIHB is well poised to promote concepts, methods and systems
of prevention accessible to AI/ANs in the same manner already enjoyed and
considered standard practice by mainstream America. |
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NIHB will facilitate the
implementation of CDC's Tribal Consultation Policy, participate in strategic
relevant meetings and training opportunities, and assist to increase AI/AN
tribes and communities knowledge of resource related to effective population
health protections and promotion activities and systems. |
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Project Period: |
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Four Years |
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Learn more about the Organization NIHB |
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Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB)
Tribal EpiCenter Consortium (TECC)
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As Indian Health Service has decentralization and downsized, their ability to
undertake public health surveillance and health research within many of its 12
administrative areas of the country, which roughly correspond to the 10
administrative regions of DHHS has decreased. Increasingly, the responsibility
for managing and utilizing health data has shifted to individual tribes and the
EpiCenters. This has brought with it the opportunity for the EpiCenters to
pursue innovative approaches to health data collection and utilization that are
responsive to the needs of the tribes that they serve. The EpiCenters are
ideally situated to work locally and be responsive to the needs and
sensitivities of tribal communities while cultivating close collaborative
relationships with state and federal agencies and academic departments. |
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The lead agency for this project is the Northwest Tribal Epidemiology Center (NTEC)
(located at the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board) which serves 43
federally recognized tribes in Idaho, Oregon and Washington, approximately
272,000 AI/ANs. The two consortium partners are the Southern Plains
Inter-Tribal Epidemiology Center (SPIEC), located at the Oklahoma City Area
Inter-Tribal Health Board, that serves 4 federally recognized tribes in Kansas,
38 in Oklahoma, 1 tribe in Texas, and 4 Urban Indian Health Centers, some
654,911 AI/ANs and the California Tribal Epidemiology Collaborative (CTEC), a
partnership of the California Rural Indian Health Board, Inc., the Indian Health
Council, and the Riverside San Bernardino County Indian Health, Inc. Together,
these organizations serve four DHHS regions (Regions VI, VII, IX and X). The
Consortium establishes a formal collaboration between the two newer EpiCenters
(California and Oklahoma) and one of the longest standing and productive
EpiCenters (Northwest). The EpiCenter Consortium model establishes a number of
mechanisms for ongoing consultation with constituent tribes and a list of joint
projects, allowing each EpiCenter to benefit from the experience and expertise
of the others. |
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The short term goal for the TECC is to share the tools and experience of
existing and prior data collection projects and interventions in Indian Country
to increase the cultural competence, effectiveness, and penetration of injury
prevention programs in all three areas. Long term goals is to use this
collaboration model to establish a National Network of 11 Tribal EpiCenters
serving all regions of Indian Country, maximizing resources and experience and
further building of tribal Epi capacity with community based participatory
methods. |
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NPAIHB principal goals are: |
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Continue the formal interregional collaboration of three tribal
epidemiology centers. |
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Increase the integration of EpiCenters into the data collection systems
and public health resources that already exist among their constituent
tribes through analysis of the tribal capacity assessment. |
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Increase the standardization of data analysis among the three regions to
allow better comparability of AI/AN health data across regions on a
national level. |
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Increase the capacity of EpiCenters to assist their constituent tribes or
tribal consortia in using epidemiologic data in a locally-determined and
culturally relevant way to effect policy changes in their communities. |
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Promote the sustainability of the EpiCenter system and maintain the
personnel infrastructure at each EpiCenter to support a steady funding
stream and to ensure that the services offered to tribes remains
consistently available. |
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The purpose of the program announcement is to: |
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Over the four years of the project, the Consortium is designed to become a
national network among the tribal epidemiology centers (“EpiCenters”) in all
areas of the United States. In the first year, they will establish an
interregional network of 3 EpiCenters that will collaborate in building tribal
epidemiologic and public health capacity, and promoting the standardization and
culturally competent use of health data to improve the health of Native people. |
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The short term goal for the TECC is to share the tools and experience of
existing and prior data collection projects and interventions in Indian Country
to increase the cultural competence, effectiveness, and penetration of injury
prevention programs in all three areas. Long term goals is to use this
collaboration model to establish a National Network of 11 Tribal EpiCenters
serving all regions of Indian Country, maximizing resources and experience and
further building of tribal Epi capacity with community based participatory
methods. |
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Specifically, the program is intended to: |
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Curb the health disparity trend affecting AI/AN communities, assist tribes and
community based organizations to initiate capacity building strategies, such as,
technical skill building, management skill building, management systems
development, resource diversification, network building, organization
cross-fertilization, and multisectoral collaboration in order to build their
organizational capacity. |
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Assist state and federal agencies to respect the tremendous diversity among
individual tribes and regions of Indian Country, both in terms of the health
characteristics of the population and the manner in which health services are
delivered. Tribes and tribal consortia all over the country are implementing
excellent community-based efforts and the impact of these programs can be
maximized by adapting these models to other Native communities. |
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Assist tribes to participate in state and federal surveillance activities, and
with utilizing health data to bring about positive changes in the health of
their communities. Increase collaboration among EpiCenters in different regions
as essential to maximizing the expertise and scarce resources that exist to
serve the public health needs of the tribes. |
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Facilitate the sharing of successful programs, practices, and interventions
among the tribes in these three areas. By virtue of their partnerships with
most or all tribes in their area, EpiCenters are an ideal mechanism to
disseminate locally generated knowledge and expertise through formal and
informal collaborations so they get the exposure and publicity that they
deserve. |
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NPAIHB
is responsible for the following activities: |
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The NPAIHB will promote the collection and dissemination of high-quality health
data with the aim of eliminating health disparities facing AI/AN communities. As
the responsibility for managing and utilizing health data has shifted to
individual tribes and the EpiCenters, it has brought the need and opportunity
for the EpiCenters to pursue innovative approaches to data collection and
utilization that are responsive to the needs and sensitivities of tribal
communities while cultivating close collaborative relationships with state and
federal agencies and academic institutions. This program supports OMHDs efforts
to identify and foster partnerships and collaborative activities with public,
non-profit, private organizations and agencies, and academia to improve their
organizational capacity. |
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Project Period: |
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Four Years |
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Learn more about the Organization NPAIHB |
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