PRESS RELEASE: USET Honors NCUIH with Partnership Award

/0 Comments/in /by

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NCUIH and USET are Long Partners Promoting and Protecting Tribal Sovereignty

(November 21, 2019, Washington, DC) – On November 5, 2019, NCUIH was honored and recognized at the 2019 United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc./USET Sovereignty Protection Fund Annual Meeting. NCUIH received this award for the longstanding partnership with USET and the USET SPF. At the event, USET and USET SPF celebrated 50 years of growth and success as an organization. Meredith Raimondi, Senior Manager of Communications and Events, accepted the award on behalf of NCUIH.

“On behalf of NCUIH, we were humbled to be included in USET’s recent awards ceremony honoring our joint work on the protection of Tribal sovereignty. We are truly grateful for our partnership with USET and congratulate them on 50 incredible years. Our collaboration has led to better defenses against attacks on Tribal nations which ensures the trust and treaty obligations thrive which take care of our people. Our relatives who have been fighting decades before us would be proud. We thank President Kirk Francis and Executive Director Kitcki Carroll for this honor,” said NCUIH Executive Director Francys Crevier.

###

Contact: Meredith Raimondi, 202-544-0344, mraimondi@NCUIH.org

image_pdfPDFimage_printPrint

PRESS RELEASE: Senate Passes Short Term Funding Bill Funding Urban Indian Health and SDPI

/0 Comments/in /by

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Meredith Raimondi, 202-544-0344, mraimondi@NCUIH.org

Shutdown Averted Through Dec. 20, 2019

The Senate has voted to keep funding the government and the President is expected to sign the bill before the deadline tonight. Following the lead of House who passed legislation on Tuesday, (H.R. 3055), the Senate passed the bill that will keep the government open until December 20, 2019. The stopgap measure is similar to the last Continuing Resolution in that it includes many health programs and the urban Indian health line item.  Notably, the Continuing Resolution extends the Special Diabetes Program (SDPI) for Indians – which will push back SDPI’s expiration to December 20th and give Congress another month to consider a longer-term re-authorization.  The bill also extends funding for Community Health Centers and the National Health Service Corps.

As federal legislators have been in negotiations regarding the FY2020 budget, the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) has pressed Congress to fund urban Indian health at $81 million and to pass responsible legislation regarding the future success of urban Indian organizations.

Contact Congress Today

Contact your Member of Congress to encourage them to pass a budget for IHS to include the Urban Indian line item with increased appropriations that reflects and honors the trust responsibility.

For further assistance, please contact:
Director of Congressional Relations, Carla Lott (cmlott@ncuih.org).

image_pdfPDFimage_printPrint

NCUIH Urges Congress to Take Prompt Action on the U.S. Civil Rights Commission Broken Promises Report

/0 Comments/in /by

Watch NCUIH Testify at Hearing View NCUIH Testimony

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact: Meredith Raimondi, 202-544-0344, mraimondi@ncuih.org

NCUIH Executive Director Francys Crevier Requested the House Subcommittee on Indigenous Peoples Address Chronic Underfunding

Washington, DC (November 20, 2019)— On November 19, 2019, the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States held an Oversight Hearing Reviewing the Broken Promises Report: Examining the Chronic Federal Funding Shortfalls in Indian Country. NCUIH Executive Director Francys Crevier, JD (Algonquin) testified before the Subcommittee and made several recommendations in response to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission “Broken Promises” Report.

“The Broken promises report, like many other well-intentioned reports and research, such as the IHS Urban Indian Needs Assessment and the Urban Indian Organization demonstration projects, raises awareness of these issues, but without a prompt true long-term commitment and subsequent actions to address these disparities, a report is only a report, and has little impact on the health status of our people. We ask Congress to treat this health system like the only one that you, your children and family have. We thank Chairman Gallego and Ranking Member Cook for holding this important hearing,” said NCUIH Executive Director Francys Crevier, JD (Algonquin).

In her testimony, Ms. Crevier emphasized that Congress has long recognized that the federal government’s obligation to provide health care for Native people off of reservations, declaring:

“The responsibility for the provision of health care, arising from treaties and laws that recognize this responsibility as an exchange for the cession of millions of acres of Indian land does not end at the borders of an Indian reservation. Rather, government relocation policies which designated certain urban areas as relocation centers for Indians, have in many instances forced Indian people who did not [want] to leave their reservations to relocate in urban areas, and the responsibility for the provision of health care services follows them there.”

“Data shows that reoccurring health problems are more acute for Natives living in urban areas than other populations. Urban Indians have greater mortality rates from chronic disease compared to all other populations, including diabetes, liver disease, tuberculosis and suicide,” added Ms. Crevier.

NCUIH made the following recommendations:

  • IHS UIO parity for FTCA, 100% FMAP and the IHS-VA MOU
  • Increase urban Indian line item budget to $81 million (currently it is less than 1% of the IHS Budget)
  • Advanced Appropriations to prevent future devastation during shutdowns as shown through the NCUIH Shutdown Preliminary Report

More Information

Witness List

Panel I  

  • The Honorable Patricia Timmons Goodson (testimony),  Vice-Chair, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
  • Dr. Anna Maria Ortiz (testimony), Director, Natural Resources and Environment, U.S. Government Accountability Office
  • Rear Adm. Chris Buchanan (testimony), Deputy Director, Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  • Mr. Jason Freihage (testimony), Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior

Panel II

  • The Honorable Fawn Sharp (testimony), President, National Congress of American Indians
  • The Honorable Lynn Malerba (testimony), Secretary, USET Sovereignty Protection Fund
  • The Honorable Jonodev Chaudhuri (testimony), Ambassador, Muscogee Creek Nation
  • Ms. Stacey Bohlen (testimony), Chief Executive Officer, National Indian Health Board
  • Ms. Francys Crevier (testimony), Executive Director, National Council of Urban Indian Health

###

About the National Council of Urban Indian Health

The National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) is the national organization devoted to the support and development of quality, accessible, and culturally-competent health services for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) living in urban settings. NCUIH envisions a nation where comprehensive, culturally competent personal and public health services are available and accessible to AI/ANs living in urban communities throughout the United States.  NCUIH is the only organization that represents all 41 Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs) federally funded by the Indian Health Service.

image_pdfPDFimage_printPrint

Giving Tuesday is December 3, 2019

/0 Comments/in /by

Dear Friends:

The 2019 NCUIH #GivingTuesday Campaign will support critical but unmet policy needs and marginalized issues: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Elder Health, Youth Suicide Prevention and Environmental Health!

 “At NCUIH we are extremely inspired by how the #GivingTuesday community has embraced this concept of giving. As we prepare for December 3, we’re thrilled and excited by the community’s generosity. Now, more than ever, we need your help,” said Francys Crevier, Executive Director of NCUIH.

Donate to become an advocate while sharing the love of the season!

Why?

  • NCUIH is devoted to protecting and advocating for AI/AN needs and to ensure a future for our Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs) across the nation. For over 20 years, NCUIH has devoted all of its efforts to advocate for Urban Indian Health Programs’ interests and needs before Congress and Federal agencies. NCUIH works with Congress to promote awareness of AI/AN disparity issues and resources to better serve our AI/AN communities in urban settings.

Donate at least $10 per month and be an integral part of NCUIH’s life-changing work (less than 2 drinks at Starbucks and it is going to protect the future of Indian health!).

This year’s 2019 NCUIH #GivingTuesday will support and expand our work on:

Urban Indian Youth and Suicide Prevention Council

  • The Youth Advisory Council needs your help to:
    • Expand the training and opportunities for the Council to be equipped to be the future Urban Indian Health Leaders—and to
    • Increase the number of forums for our Urban Indian Youth to educate all of us on the optimal way to keep our youth safe and healthy!

Donate

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Initiative

Donate Learn more

AI/AN Urban Environmental Health Initiative

Donate Learn more

Elder AI/AN Urban Health Improvement Initiative

Donate

More detail on each initiative supported here

Three (3) our ways you can make an impact this #Giving Tuesday:

  1. Donate at least $10 per month and be an integral part of NCUIH’s life-changing work (less than 2 drinks at Starbucks and it is going to protect the future of Indian health!) or through the CFC Campaign
  2. Donate a one-time lump amount
  3. Share our Facebook posts and retweet us to spread the message #NCUIH, #GivingTuesdayshare the #NCUIHLove

Thank you for supporting Indian communities across the country!

NCUIH Staff

Donate

image_pdfPDFimage_printPrint

Breaking News: Fifth Circuit to Rehear ICWA Challenge En Banc

/0 Comments/in /by

Today, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued an order directing a challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) to be reheard en banc — before the entire Fifth Circuit. As previously reported, a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit had ruled ICWA Constitutional in August, finding it was not a race-based statute that would violate the Equal Protection Clause. The States of Texas, Louisiana, Indiana, and several adoptive parents had urged the Court to set aside and rehear the August decision, asserting similar arguments to the original briefing and that tribal membership is determined on an “overwhelmingly racial nature.”

The federal government filed a brief in response earlier this week, arguing that the plaintiffs “miss the fundamental point . . . [namely,] tribes have authority to set their own membership criteria, which may be based in part on biology or descent[.]” The Cherokee Nation, Oneida Nation, Quinault Indian Nation, Morongo Band of Mission Indians, and Navajo Nation (Intervenor) filed an opposition to the petitions for rehearing en banc last month, as did the federal government.

Today’s order does not necessarily mean that the Fifth Circuit will find ICWA unconstitutional, but does vacate its earlier decision and add another round of briefing to the case – which is scheduled for December and January. The Court seeks to hear oral argument during the week of January 20.

NCUIH will continue to monitor updates as they become available and will circulate a further analysis to urban Indian organizations at a later date.

image_pdfPDFimage_printPrint

PRESS RELEASE: Senate Passes First FY 2020 Appropriations Minibus with Interior Spending Package

/0 Comments/in /by

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Meredith Raimondi, 202-544-0344, mraimondi@NCUIH.org

November 4, 2019

Senate Passes First FY 2020 Appropriations Minibus with Interior Spending Package

Minibus includes $53 million for Urban Indian Health

The Senate passed its first fiscal 2020 spending package on Thursday, as lawmakers have only a few weeks left to prevent a government shutdown. This approximately $332 billion package, cleared the full Senate by a final vote of 84-9, and included spending bills for the departments of Interior, Agriculture-FDA, Commerce-Justice-Science, and Transportation-HUD.

The House minibus was passed in June, under H.R. 3055. The Senate minibus, known as minibus #2, provides a lower overall funding level for the Indian Health Service (IHS) at roughly $6 billion in FY 2020, compared to $6.3 billion under the House minibus. So far, negotiations between the House and Senate on a final spending package has shown little to no progress, as the current Continuing Resolution (CR) is set to expire on November 21, 2019.

According to the House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) another stopgap measure through February or March would most likely be necessary – although House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) publicly declare all twelve FY 2020 appropriations bills will be completed by the beginning of the New Year.

The National Council of Urban Indian Health has tirelessly advocated both the House and the Senate to increase the urban Indian health line item. In May, the House Appropriations Committee approved the FY 2020 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill that included an approximated $30 million increase for urban Indian health care in the Indian Health Service budget- bringing funding to $81 million for Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs). Shortly after, the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced a $35 billion Interior spending package to include a recommendation of $53 million for the Urban Indian Health program, an approximate increase of almost $2 million above the current enacted level.

House

  • IHS – $6.3 billion
  • Urban Indian Health – $81 million

Senate

  • IHS – $6.04 billion
  • Urban Indian Health – $53 million

Contact Congress

As Congress works to shape the federal government’s budget, there is still time for you to contact your member of Congress today and tell them to prioritize increased funding for urban Indian health!

image_pdfPDFimage_printPrint