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Last Reviewed:April 15, 2009
Last Updated: April 15, 2009
Content Source:
Office of Minority Health & Health Disparities (OMHD) |
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Cooperative & Inter-Agency Agreements
American Indian/Alaska Native Populations
Cooperative
Agreements
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National Indian Health Board (NIHB)
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The NIHB, a non-profit national American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN)
organization based in Washington, DC, conducts 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.
The NIHB provides a vehicle to keep the flow of health care information in front
of policy makers and tribal governments manifesting progress in health care and
strengthening tribal sovereignty. NIHB utilizes the Area Health Boards to
assist CDC in a communication link between the CDC the tribes. Area Health
Boards and their constituent tribes provide advise to CDC on health policy,
planning, and program design. |
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This NIHB agreement provides a venue to increase 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 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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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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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
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. 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 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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Project Period: |
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Four Years |
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Learn more about the Organization NPAIHB |
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Inter-Agency Agreements
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Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of
the Secretary (OS) Inter-Departmental Council on Native American Affairs (ICNAA)
Inter-Agency Agreement (IAA) |
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The purpose of this agreement is to establish a mechanism
whereby the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Divisions contribute
to meet the need for administrative support for the Intradepartmental Council
for Native American Affairs (ICNAA). The ICNAA was reactivated by former
Secretary Tommy G. Thompson to address Native American issues within the HHS in
2002. |
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ICNAA principal goals are: |
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To develop and promote a HHS policy to provide greater access and quality
services for AI/AN/NAs throughout the Department and where possible, the Federal
Government. |
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The ICNAA is located in the Immediate Office of the Secretary. The Secretary’s
Deputy Chief of Staff provides general oversight to the Council and, in the
absence of a Chairperson, serves as the Acting Council Chairperson. The IGA
provides executive direction and coordinates with the Council Chair and Vice
Chair on all Council activities. |
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The purpose of the ICNAA Inter-Agency Agreement (IAA) is to: |
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The ICNAA, authorized by the Native American Programs Act of 1974, as Amended,
serves as the focal point within the Department for coordination and
consultation on health and human services issues affecting the American Indian,
Alaska Native and Native American (AI/AN/NA) populations, which include over 560
federally recognized tribes, approximately 60 tribes that are state recognized
or seeking federal recognition, Indian organizations, Native Hawaiian
communities, and Native American Pacific Islanders, including Native Samoans.
The ICNAA membership consists of the heads of HHS Operating Divisions, Staff
Division heads, the Director, Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA), the
Director, Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (CFBI), the Executive
Secretary (ES) to the Department, and two HHS regional representatives. |
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Specifically, the IAA is intended to: |
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The INCAA is to promote implementation of HHS policy and agency plans on
consultation with AI/AN/NAs and Tribal Governments in accordance with statutes
and executive orders. The Council is to identify and develop legislative,
administrative, and regulatory proposals that promote an effective, meaningful
AI/AN/NA policy to improve the health and human services for AI/AN/NAs. The
Council also identifies and develops a comprehensive Departmental strategy
proposal that promotes self-sufficiency and self-determination for all AI/AN/NA
people. Lastly, the Council promotes the Tribal/Federal government-to-government
relationship on a Department-wide basis in accordance with Presidential
Executive Order. |
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ICNAA
is responsible for the following activities: |
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The IGA will use the funds contributed by way of this agreement to support the
activities of the Council. Compliant with statute, the ICNAA meets twice a year.
One Council meeting focuses on policy issues and the second Council meeting
addresses budgetary needs of AI/AN/NAs. The Council also includes an Executive
Committee, which provides oversight and direction to the Council and meets as
required to perform this function. The Council members are supported by
appointed Liaisons to assist them with Council activities. The Council Liaisons
provide technical support to the Council throughout the year and participate in
assigned workgroups to complete Council activities as may be to required to
address the concerns and initiatives of the Department regarding AI/AN/NAs. As
recommended by the Executive Committee, funds will be contributed to the Council
by the Council’s Operating Divisions members and accepted by IGA for
distribution to the Administration for Native Americans (ANA). During the
funding period, IGA and ANA agree to conduct no less than 2 Full Council
meetings, Executive Committee meetings and convene the Council’s Liaisons on an
as-needed basis for the purpose of carrying out the ICNAA mission. |
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Project Period: |
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Renewed Annually |
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Learn more about the Organization ICNAA |
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Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of
Minority Health (OMH) Health Research Advisory Council (HRAC)
Inter-Agency Agreement (IAA) |
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This agreement sets forth the work scope to be accomplished by the Office of
Public Health and Science (OPHS), Office of Minority Health (OMH) and the Center
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC funds will be transferred to the
OMH to support the activities of the American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN)
Health Research Council (HRAC). |
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HHS AI/AN Health Research Advisory Council (HRAC) principal goals are: |
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To establish a group of tribal leaders to provide input on the health research
priorities and needs of AI/ANs. The Group would serve three distinct but
interrelated functions: |
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Obtain input from tribal leaders on health research priorities and needs for
their communities; |
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Provide a forum through which Operating Divisions (OPDIV) and Staff Divisions (STAFFDIV)
representatives can better communicate and coordinate the work their respective
organizations are doing in AI/AN health research; and |
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Provide a conduit for disseminating information to tribes about research
findings from studies focusing on the health of AI/AN populations. |
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The purpose of this Inter-Agency Agreement (IAA) is to: |
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Collaborate with HHS OMH and other OPDIVs to support research on the health
needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives and to gather tribal input on the
research needs and priorities of tribes. While all organizational components of
the Department have tribal consultation policies in place, as does the
Department itself, regularly scheduled consultation meetings tend to focus on
more immediate service delivery and financing issues. AI/AN research priorities
do not receive regular or in-depth consideration at most consultations.
Moreover, none of the Departmental components have AI/AN groups to provide
advice specifically on health research matters. In addition, no active
organization within the Department is charged with coordinating and optimizing
AI/AN health research. |
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Specifically, the HHS/OMH IAA is intended to: |
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Input provided by the tribal representatives will be used as an important source
of information in the developing and coordinating OPDIV/STAFFDIV research
portfolios. Information collected by this group will be in accordance with the
Secretary’s Tribal Consultation Policy that was signed on January 14, 2005. It
will be used as a resource to complement other avenues of input, such as disease
specific advisory groups that are currently active in certain agencies of the
Department. |
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Several division of the HHS will participate in the AI/AN Health
Research Council. To date, the following are included in this effort: the
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), the Office
of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA), the Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality (AHRQ), the Indian Health Service (IHS), the National Institutes of
Health (NIH), the Office of Minority Health (OMH)/Office of the Secretary, and
the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The Office of Minority Health will
provide leadership and coordination support for the AI/AN Health Research
Council. |
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Health Research Advisory Council (HRAC)
is responsible for the following activities: |
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The OMH
will use the funds contributed by way of this agreement to support the
activities of the AI/AN Health Research Group. |
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Department will convene the subject group 1-2 times per year in the
Washington, D.C. area, with interim conference calls as needed.
Representatives from each OPDIV/STAFFDIV will attend the meetings of the
group. After the formal session, a summary of tribal recommendations
will be developed. Representatives of the OPDIVs/STAFFDIVs will bring
this summary back to their home organizations for use in strategic plan
and budget development, as well as for discussions with the
representatives of other departmental organizations about how they might
work together to accomplish some of the stated priority research needs
of the tribal group. The representatives of the OPDIVs/STAFFDIVs will
meet formally at least once per year, shortly after the annual group
meeting, to discuss the identified priorities and possible
collaborations. |
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As
recommended by the OPDIVs/STAFFDIVs contributing to this effort, funds
will be contributed to the AI/AN Health Research Council and accepted by
OMH. During the funding period, OMH and the OPDIVs/STAFFDIVs agree to
conduct no less than 1 full meeting, conference call meetings and
convene the OPDIVs/STAFFDIVs on an as-needed basis, for the purpose of
carrying out the goals of the AI/AN Health Research Council. |
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Project Period: |
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Renewed Annually |
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Learn more about the HRAC. Contact Wilbur Woodis at the HHS OMH at
wilbur.woodis@hhs.gov. |
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