Project Firstline: UIO Funding Opportunity, Student Fellowships, Hiring Consultants

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Project Firstline:
UIO Funding Opportunity, Student Fellowships, Hiring Consultants

NCUIH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are collaborating on an infection prevention and control (IPC) training initiative for UIO healthcare workers.

CDC’s Project Firstline is a collaborative of diverse healthcare and public health partners that aims to provide engaging, innovative, and effective infection control training to more than 6 million healthcare personnel in the United States. Project Firstline will provide every person working in a U.S. healthcare facility the foundational understanding of infection control to protect the nation from infectious disease threats such as COVID-19.

NCUIH is pleased to announce the following opportunities (click to learn more):

Visit our project website to learn more.

IPC Project Champions Funding Opportunity

NCUIH is recruiting Urban Indian Organizations (UIO) to become Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Systems Champions to undertake locally-defined initiatives accompanied by a core set of requirements for targeted training and development as part of Project Firstline. Selected UIOs will have the opportunity to tailor activities and learning opportunities unique to Indian Country and to share their knowledge and expertise in adapting current IPC guidelines to combat the current COVID-19 pandemic on the frontlines of their organizations.

Collaborative activities will be facilitated by NCUIH and co-created by UIO IPC Systems Champions in a model that embraces Champions as teacher-learner and relies on 4 key principles of adult learning (involvement, experience-based, problem-centered, immediate relevance).

Goal of the Champion Initiative

Identify and implement sustainable UIO systemic changes in infection prevention and control critical to a culture of safety and create organizations that are flexible and responsive to ongoing needs during the pandemic and beyond.

Opportunity Overview for UIO IPC Systems Champions (IPCSC)

  • Maximum of 5 UIOs will be selected
  • Competitive awards of up to $40,000
  • Duration of participation is 8 months (November 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021)
  • Application deadline: September 30, 2020 at 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time
  • Participation requires a commitment to complete the core set of required activities
  • Selected Systems Champions will support information gathering, training module and modality development, pilot testing of materials, and participation in frontline staff training within their organization, including potential participation in CDC-supported Project Echo activities
  • NCUIH staff bring expertise, experience and support in multiple performance improvement methodologies, including LEAN, Six Sigma, and Just Culture
  • Participants are provided access to CDC and other subject matter and training experts
  • Option to participate in additional infection prevention and control train-the-trainer opportunities offered by CDCClick for more info

    Application Deadline September 30, 2020 11:59 pm ET

  • Learn More About IPC Champions

Student Fellowships

NCUIH is seeking fellowship applications from students in public health, health, communications, nursing, medicine or other related disciplines to support CDC-funded infection prevention and control training project activities.

Fellowship recipients should have a focus on urban Native health in one of the following areas:

  • infection prevention and control
  • public health
  • public health nursing
  • mental health
  • behavioral health
  • health communication
  • improving health processes
  • improving health quality
  • or a related area

Click for more info

Application Deadline September 30, 2020 11:59 pm ET

Apply for Fellowship

Part Time Virtual Training Consultant – Infection Prevention and Control

UIO Virtual Trainer – Infection Prevention and Control: The Infection Prevention and Control Virtual Trainer Consultant will serve as the primary training facilitator to Urban Indian Organization (UIO) health care and other frontline staff on infection prevention and control content in support of NCUIH’s CDC Project Firstline.

Requirements and Qualifications:

  • Professional experience working with American Indian and Alaska Native populations in health care is required.
  • Deep understanding of cultural aspects of working with American Indian and Alaska Native populations is required.
  • Current health care provider licensing/ credentialing or recent experience as a health care provider such as a nurse, physician, community health outreach worker is required.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of infection prevention and control practices, policies, and procedures is required.
  • Polished verbal communication and facilitation skills required.
  • Experience in online or virtual training technology platforms required.
  • Experience working for an Urban Indian Organization, the Indian Health Service or tribal facility in an urban or metropolitan area is strongly preferred.
  • Experience with the Zoom platform is preferred.
  • Demonstrated experience working with diverse groups of people is preferred.
  • Preference given to candidates who are American Indian or Alaska Native.

 

Application Deadline September 14, 2020 11:59 pm ET
Apply as Virtual Trainer Consultant

Part Time Infection Prevention and Control Program Subject Matter Expert Consultant

Infection Prevention and Control Program and Process Improvement Subject Matter Expert (SME) Consultant: The Infection Prevention and Control Program and Process Improvement SME will provide consultation to Urban Indian Organization (UIO) health care and other frontline staff in the assessment, implementation, and improvement of successful infection prevention and control programs and practices in outpatient clinic settings including subject matter expertise on SAR-COV-2 management, in support of NCUIH’s CDC Project Firstline.

Requirements and Qualifications:

  • Demonstrated expertise in infection prevention and control practices, policies, and programs is required.
  • Current certification in infection prevention and control is strongly preferred.
  • Experience working or consulting in infection prevention and control in an ambulatory setting is required.
  • Demonstrated expertise in SARS-COV-2 infection prevention and control program and practice management is required.
  • Current health care provider licensing/ credentialing or recent experience as a health care provider such as a nurse, physician, community health outreach worker is required.
  • Polished verbal communication skills required.
  • Demonstrated experience working with diverse groups of people, including American Indians and Alaska Natives is preferred.
  • Demonstrated experience working with Indian Health Services, Tribal Health Systems, or Urban Indian Organizations is preferred.
  • Preference given to candidates who are American Indian or Alaska Native.

Application Deadline September 14, 2020 11:59 pm ET
Apply as IPC SME Consultant

National Council of Urban Indian Health Announces Wisdom Keepers: Campaign to Raise Awareness of Alzheimers and Dementia for Urban Indian Elders

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Studies show that 1 out of 3 American Indian and Alaska Natives over the age of 65 are at risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia.

 

Washington, D.C. (September 4, 2020) – Today, the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) announced the launch of a social media campaign during the month of September to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s and related dementia within the American Indian and Alaska Native community and to encourage urban Indians to visit their local Urban Indian Organization for health screening and wellness check-ups. The campaign was funded through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“As our country is battling COVID-19, it is important that our communities are doing all they can to stay healthy. The National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) was honored to partner with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on this critical project. In Native culture, our elders are the most revered members of our communities and we want to make sure they can keep their wisdom for years to come. We hope that this campaign will help our urban Indian communities raise necessary awareness about important risk reduction efforts for Alzheimer’s and related dementia,” said Francys Crevier, Chief Executive Officer of NCUIH.

Press Release: New NCUIH Report on Urban Third-Party Reimbursement

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Washington, DC (August 27, 2020)— The National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH)  is proud to announce the publication of its report – “Recent Trends in Third-Party Billing at Urban Indian Organizations”. The report provides an overview of billing methods and payment methodologies that Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs) use for third-party reimbursement, data insights, and related policies and issues relevant both in the recent past and in the age of coronavirus.

“We have long known that Urban Indian Organizations do not receive adequate funding from the federal government,” said NCUIH Executive Director Francys Crevier. “This report demonstrates how resilient UIOs have been in spite of this, setting up robust third-party billing arrangements in a complex policy environment.  Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic represents a catastrophic threat to the stability they have built”.

Key Findings Include:

  • Third-party reimbursement is more crucial to the stability of the Urban Indian healthcare system than ever. Between fiscal year (FY) 2010 to FY2018, third-party reimbursement nearly tripled, while funding from IHS appropriations remained relatively unchanged.
  • UIOs were projected to earn a minimum of $212.7 million in reimbursement in FY 2020.  Yet due to the coronavirus pandemic, NCUIH estimates that UIOs lost over a quarter of that expected revenue by June 21, 2020 (between $55.1 to $60.5 million).
  • In FY2018, UIOs received $672 per American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) patient from the Indian Health Service (IHS) budget’s Urban Indian Health line item.
  • The average Medicaid reimbursement rate UIOs receive is around $245 – nearly half the 2020 all-inclusive rate of $479 available to tribal health programs and IHS facilities.  The lowest rate NCUIH has on record was $70 in 2018, and 50% of UIOs currently receive between $170 and $300 per encounter.

The authors of the report – Sunny Stevenson, JD (sstevenson@ncuih.org) and Andrew Kalweit, MPH (akalweit@ncuih.org) – presented initial findings at a Webinar on August 6, 2020 and will also present at the IHS Partnership Virtual Trainings on October 1, 2020.  A recording and slides for the first presentation are available online, alongside training materials.

NCUIH is thankful for the partnership with the Division of Tribal Affairs and Office of Minority Health at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as well as NORC at the University of Chicago, which made this project possible. We look forward to continued collaboration as we strive to achieve healthy equity for American Indian and Alaska Native people.

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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.

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PRESS RELEASE: National Native Organizations (NCUIH, NCAI, NIHB) Call for Congressional Action in Light of New CDC Report

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact: Meredith Raimondi, 202-932-6615, mraimondi@ncuih.org

CDC study finds that COVID-19 has a disproportionate impact on American Indians and Alaska Natives who are 3.5 times more likely to test positive for COVID-19.

Washington, D.C. (August 26, 2020) – Today, the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH), the National Indian Health Board (NIHB), and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) (the National Native Organizations) renewed a call for urgent action by Congress on COVID-19 emergency legislation for Indian Country in light of a new CDC study from August 19, 2020. Previously, the National Native Organizations expressed the need for Congress to immediately reconvene to pass emergency COVID-19 legislation. The last emergency supplement to Indian Country was on March 27, 2020 in the CARES Act, in which Indian Country received just 0.5% of the funding.

On August 19, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the results of a COVID-19 study that examined the impact of COVID-19 on American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs). The report revealed many concerning details about COVID-19’s impact on AI/ANs, including that, in the 23 selected states CDC studied, AI/ANs were 3.5 times more likely to test positive for COVID-19 than non-Hispanic whites.

“The CDC study proves what we have known for months to be true – American Indians and Alaska Natives are disproportionately contracting and dying every single day from COVID-19. Inaction by the federal government is a failure of the federal trust responsibility to provide health care to Natives in exchange for cessation of our lands. This is not the first time a virus is killing our people while the federal government stands by without any plan for Indian Country. The time is now for our Congressional leaders to take action and provide our people the resources obligated to them by the federal government before more lives are needlessly lost”, said Francys Crevier, Executive Director of the National Council of Urban Indian Health.

“We are grateful that Congress directed nearly $200 million to CDC to support Tribes during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is evident by the data that more resources and funding are needed. The CDC report highlights serious COVID-19 related challenges faced by American Indians and Alaska Natives, which is information that the National Indian Health Board has been relaying to media, Members of Congress and the Administration for months. Our messages are clear: Native people are disproportionately and negatively impacted by COVID-19; data gaps for Native health persist and need to be addressed; and serious investment is needed for public health infrastructure and health information technology within the Indian health system. Tribes need these resources, so we have a fighting chance to combat COVID-19 and the capacity to track the virus and all disease processes in Indian Country,” Stacy Bohlen, Executive Director of the National Indian Health Board.

“The federal government’s chronic underfunding of American Indian and Alaska Native public health systems has undeniably fueled the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on tribal communities,” said National Congress of American Indians CEO Kevin Allis. “Increased resources, including for public health infrastructure, are greatly needed to address these disparities and ensure that the United States upholds its trust and treaty responsibility to provide quality healthcare to tribal nations and their citizens.”

Background

On July 20, 2020, in response to these glaring inequities, NCUIH, NIHB, NCAI, and other organizations representing AI/ANs sent a letter to House and Senate leadership including recommendations for the fourth COVID-19 relief package. On July 27, 2020, the House Native American Caucus also sent a letter echoing the importance of addressing these needs. The recommendations included $2 billion in emergency funding for IHS and at least $1 billion for health infrastructure, Federal Torts Claim Act coverage and 100% Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) for urban Indian organizations, reauthorization of the Special Diabetes Program for Indians, and delivery of funds through preexisting IHS self-determination and self-governance contracts, among other provisions. These policies will provide AI/AN providers with the resources necessary to combat the disproportionate impact that COVID-19 has on AI/ANs.

Study Overview and Limitations

The CDC also found that AI/ANs infected by COVID-19 tended to be younger, with 12.9% of AI/ANs under 18 testing positive for COVID-19 compared to 4.3% of non-Hispanic Whites. The study was unable to identify disparities in COVID-19 disease severity and health outcomes compared to other racial and ethnic groups due to lack of available data for AI/ANs, illustrating the need for further research. Studies from the CDC, including this one, have shown that AI/ANs are among the racial and ethnic minority groups at a highest risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes. Factors contributing to higher rates of COVID-19 infection include historical trauma, preexisting health disparities, multigenerational households, and lack of access to running water.

The report also acknowledged several limitations due to incomplete data for AI/ANs.  First, data is voluntarily reported to CDC, which results in missing data and an incomplete picture of the prevalence of COVID-19 infection among our population. Second, the report included data from only 23 states, and the analysis only included one half of reported COVID-19 cases among AI/ANs during the same time period. Third, the methodology in this report used bridged-races estimates as population denominators which are known to inflate the Hispanic AI/AN population, resulting in an underestimation of mortality rates among AI/AN populations. The federal government must do a better job in meeting its trust responsibility to gather accurate and complete data to assess the true impact of COVID-19 in AI/AN communities.

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About the National Council of Urban Indian Health

The National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) is the national non-profit organization devoted to the support and development of quality, accessible, and culturally-competent health and public health services for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) living in urban areas. NCUIH is the only national representative of the 41 Title V Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs) under the Indian Health Service (IHS) in the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA). NCUIH strives to improve the health of the over 70% of the AI/AN population that lives in urban areas, supported by quality, accessible health care centers.A

About the National Congress of American Indians 

Founded in 1944, the National Congress of American Indians is the oldest, largest, and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization in the country. NCAI advocates on behalf of tribal governments and communities, promoting strong tribal-federal government-to-government policies, and promoting a better understanding among the general public regarding American Indian and Alaska Native governments, people, and rights. For more information visit www.ncai.org.

About the National Indian Health Board

Established by the Tribes to advocate as the united voice of federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes, the National Indian Heatlh Board (NIHB) seeks to reinforce Tribal sovereignty, strengthen Tribal health systems, secure resources, and build capacity to achieve the highest level of health and well-being for our People.

NCUIH, NIHB, and NCAI Send Joint Letter Urging Congress to Prioritize Indian Country in COVID-19 Vaccine Efforts

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On July 30, 2020, the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH), the National Indian Health Board (NIHB), and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) sent a letter to the leadership of the House and Senate Appropriations committees requesting a 5% direct set aside to the Indian health service, Tribal Nations, and urban Indian organization (I/T/U) system for vaccine distribution, administration, monitoring, and tracking in the next COVID-19 relief package. This set aside is vital because in previous pandemics American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) had death rates four times higher than the national average, yet were some of the last to receive access to a vaccine. During this current pandemic AI/ANs have the highest COVID-19 hospitalization rate. This vaccine set aside will help ensure that history does not repeat itself during the coronavirus pandemic. The 5% set aside is reflective of the size of the AI/AN population and will ensure equitable access to any future COVID-19 vaccine.

Letter

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Re:  COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

Dear Chair Shelby, Chair Lowey, Ranking Member Leahy, and Ranking Member Granger:

On behalf of the undersigned national organizations collectively serving all 574 sovereign federally-recognized American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Tribal Nations and all 41urban Indian organizations (UIOs), we write to strongly urge you to ensure that the next COVID-19 pandemic relief package includes direct set-aside funding to Indian Health Service (IHS), Tribal Nations, and urban Indian organizations (collectively “I/T/U”) for COVID-19 vaccine distribution, administration, monitoring, and tracking.

Under both the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, and the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, AI/AN people had death rates four times higher than the nation. Unfortunately, under each of those public health crises – and despite their profound impact on Tribal communities and AI/AN People – access to and/or a distribution plan for vaccines were afforded last, if at all, to AI/AN communities. This is because under both of those previous pandemics, Congress failed to enact direct set-asides for the I/T/U system for vaccine access and distribution and the Administration failed to create specific plans to safeguard Tribes or their citizens. Neither Congress nor the Administration did any planning around vaccination, health promotion, disease prevention or other impacts in Indian Country during the H1N1 pandemic and other previous pandemics. Congress has the opportunity to ensure this sordid history does not repeat itself with the COVID-19 pandemic. Congress can achieve that by including a minimum 5% direct, statutory set-aside in funds for the entire I/T/U system for COVID-19 vaccine distribution. A 5% set-aside is reflective of the size of the national AI/AN population, and of numerous statutory funding set-asides Congress has previously enacted for issues like the opioid crisis, suicide, chronic disease, and many others. We strongly urge you to ensure that a statutory set-aside for COVID-19 vaccine distribution is included for the full I/T/U system in this next COVID-19 pandemic relief package.

The federal government has treaty obligations to fully fund health services in Indian Country in perpetuity. These obligations were established through the over 350 Treaties signed between sovereign Tribes and the United States, and reaffirmed in our U.S. Constitution, Supreme Court case law, and federal legislation and regulations. These obligations must be honored under the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. To that end, we greatly appreciate the $1.032 billion allocated to IHS under the CARES Act, and $750 million Tribal and urban Indian set-aside for COVID-19 testing under the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. These were critical, but not nearly sufficient, investments to stem the tide of the pandemic in Indian Country. As Congress negotiates funding for COVID-19 vaccine distribution, it must ensure direct funding and access to vaccines reach the full I/T/U system.

Indeed, Indian Country has been disproportionately impacted by this pandemic. This is a systemic reality rooted in large part in the chronic underfunding of IHS, including a long term shocking lack of investment in health and public health infrastructure.  Per capita spending for those utilizing the I/T/U system reached only 40% of national health spending in 2018 ($3,779 vs $9,409), and, unsurprisingly, AI/AN people experience among the starkest disparities in the underlying conditions that increase the risk for a more serious COVID-19 illness. These include Type 2 diabetes, liver disease, heart disease, cancer, obesity and asthma.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) AI/AN People have the highest COVID-19 hospitalization rate at 281 per 100,000 – a rate 5.3 times higher than for non-Hispanic Whites.[1] Aggregated national data on death rates show that AI/AN People are experiencing the second highest COVID-19 death rate, at 60.5 deaths per 100,000.[2]

In closing, we thank the Committee for the continued commitment to Indian Country and urge you to prioritize Indian Country in COVID-19 vaccine distribution and access. We patiently remind you that federal treaty obligations to the Tribes and AI/AN People exist in perpetuity, and must not be forgotten during this pandemic.   We urge you to make a commitment and follow through on it: determine that American Indians and Alaska Natives will receive the vaccine, will have funds sufficient to acquire and distribute it and the full faith and confidence of the United States Government will ensure distribution to this nation’s first citizens will be reliable, swift and early. As always, we stand ready to work with you in a bipartisan fashion to advance health in Indian Country.

Sincerely,

National Indian Health Board

National Congress of American Indians

National Council of Urban Indian Health

CC:

Lisa Murkowski, Chair, Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies

Tom Udall, Ranking Member, Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies

Betty McCollum, Chair, House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies

David Joyce, Ranking Member, House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies

[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. COVID-19 Data Visualization. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html

[2] APM Research Lab. The Color of Coronavirus: COVID-19 Deaths by Race and Ethnicity in the U.S. https://www.apmresearchlab.org/covid/deaths-by-race

Join the NCUIH Youth Council’s Indigi-Wellness Healer Campaign!

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Koolamaski/ Hello my name is Faith Bowman. I am from the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Nation in Wisconsin and I am currently a graduate student at the University of Utah.  am here as an alumni of the NCUIH Youth Council and to share with you the amazing work the 2020 Youth Council has been doing.

First, I want to say Anushiik, Yaw^ko, and give many thanks to all who participated in the Healing Gathering. The 2020 youth council is dedicated to helping Urban Native youth in their cultural, spiritual, and wellness journey. This year’s focus is on healthy relationships and indigenous love and overall wellness. As Native youth continue to struggle with wellness challenges because of COVID-19, NCUIH’s youth council wants to create a platform that amplifies youth voices and stories to the national level through its Indigi-Wellness Healer Campaign.

Join the Indigi-Wellness Healer Campaign

NCUIH’s Youth Council is excited to share that the Indigi-Wellness Healer Campaign. The Indigi-Wellness Healer Campaign is a social media campaign By Native Youth FOR Native Youth consisting of two hashtag themes- #NativeHealing and #IndigiLove- to express the importance of mental & physical wellness and healthy Native relationships, especially during the coronavirus pandemic.

Anushiik (Thank you)!

Click on the links below for more information
Visit Campaign Website to Download Toolkit, Create/Submit your Post & Win Amazing Prizes

Enter the Indigi-Wellness Healer Campaign Social Media Raffle and/or Concept Contest by August 20, 2020 @ 11:59 PM ET to win prizes from WE R NATIVE, Healthy Native Youth, United National Indian Tribal Youth, Inc (UNITY), the Center for Native American Youth and more!

RSVP to Indigi-Wellness Healer Campaign

NCUIH Youth Council Indigi-Wellness Healer Campaign Launching Tomorrow July 24!!

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NCUIH Youth Council Member Benjamin Sandecki shares with Native youth on what it means to be an Indigi-Wellness Healer and to Save-the-Date for the Launch of their Contest!

Learn how to become an Indigi-Wellness Healer!

Osiyo! My name is Benjamin Sandecki and I am a tribal member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. I am currently pursuing a doctorate degree in pharmacy at Southwestern Oklahoma State University College of Pharmacy. Throughout my pharmacy career, I have been privileged to intern at the Oklahoma City Urban Indian Clinic where my experience has directly allowed me to appreciate the importance of Native American health and wellness. I am also a current National Youth Council Advisory member representing the National Council of Urban Indian Health (for short NCUIH). I am excited to share with Native Youth across Indian Country about NCUIH’s Youth Council’s new launch date for our upcoming Indigi-Wellness Healer Campaign. In May, Youth Council members hosted a National Native Youth Healing Gathering in partnership with UNITY and UNITY’s Peer Guides. During this National Native Youth Healing Gathering we covered:

  1. Wellness Best Practices and Resilience tools for Native Youth during COVID-19 Pandemic
  2. Learned how to use strength-based healing approaches
  3. The UNITY Peer Guides shared how they heal and stay well during these challenging times and
  4. We provided the purpose of the youth council’s campaigns & how to become an Indigi-Wellness Healer.

NCUIH’s Youth Council is excited to share that the Indigi-Wellness Healer Campaign will launch on Friday, July 24th, 2020! As Native youth continue to struggle with wellness challenges because of COVID-19, NCUIH’s youth council wants to create a platform that amplifies youth voices and stories to the national level through its Indigi-Wellness Healer Campaign.

The Indigi-Wellness Healer Campaign is a social media campaign by Native Youth for Native Youth consisting of two hashtag themes- #NativeHealing and #IndigiLove– to express the importance of mental & physical wellness and healthy Native relationships, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. To me, an indigenous wellness healer is one who consistently supports others in their positive mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness journey. The Indigi-Wellness Healer Campaign is designed to help empower and inspire AI/AN youth to help with healing, self-love, and forming healthy relationships while connecting youth with Native youth-driven resources to build youth resiliency and improve the overall health of youth for the next seven generations!

Click on the links below to 1) RSVP to our Facebook event page for the Indigi-Wellness Healer campaign, 2) sign-up to NCUIH’s e-newsletter to receive important next steps on being an Indigi-Wellness Healer, 3) Learn more about the Indigi-Wellness campaign and you are one step closer to winning some awesome prize bundles!  Lastly, make sure to also apply to NCUIH’s 2020 Urban Indian Youth Council (only 2 weeks left).

RSVP to Facebook Event

Sign-up to NCUIH’s E-newsletter to Receive Important Steps on Indigi-Wellness Contest

2 Weeks Left to Apply! NCUIH’s Urban Indian Youth Council Class of 2020

An Indigenous Wellness Healer is one who:

  1. Using their culture to be a shield to protect them, while also knowing when to get help
  2. Inspiring Native Youth to heal themselves and practicing self-care
  3. Investing in positive change for mental, physical, emotional/ spiritual health and sharing your story to inspire others
  4. Promoting resiliency, building healthy relationships, promoting generational healing to empower the next seven generations

All AI/AN youth and allies across Indian Country are invited to participate.

Who: All AI/AN youth 25 years years old or younger.
What:  NCUIH Youth Advisory Council’s Indigi-Wellness Healer Campaign Contest
When: Participate online July 24th, 2020 – August 7th, 2020. Winners will be announced by August 30,  2020.
Where: Online, by uploading your social media posts on your Facebook, Twitter, and/ or Instagram pages. Make your settings as Public for the NCUIH’s Office to view your submission.
Why: Our two hashtag campaigns are designed to help empower and inspire AI/AN youth to heal, to promote self- love, and love between family, friends, and partners, while connecting youth with Native youth-driven resources to build youth resiliency and improve the overall health for the next seven generations!

NCUIH in the News: Executive Director on Native America Calling Program on COVID-19 Impacts on Indian Country

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Listen to Recording

WASHINGTON, DC (July 21, 2020) – On July 21, 2020, NCUIH Executive Director Francys Crevier joined Native America Calling for a program on the COVID-19 impacts on Indian Country.

From the Koahnic Broadcast Corporation:

In hotspots for COVID-19 around the United States, Native people make up a disproportionate percentage of infections. This is especially true in the Southwest, where Native American residents significantly outnumber other populations who test positive for the coronavirus. In addition, a new report finds young people of color experience social conditions that put them at greater risk if they contract COVID-19. We’ll take a look at some of the factors that contribute to increased Native representation among those who are infected and how some tribes are working to turn it around.

Guests:

Abigail Echo-Hawk (Pawnee) – director of the Urban Indian Health Institute and chief research officer at the Seattle Indian Health Board

Francys Crevier (First Nation Algonquin) – executive director of the National Council of Urban Indian Health

Leonela Nelson (Navajo) – Research Program Supervisor Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health

Warren Goklish (Apache) – Contact Tracing & Expanded Testing Coordinator at the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health

NCUIH Executive Director to Testify at Hearing on COVID-19 in Indian Country: The Impact of Federal Broken Promises on Native Americans

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The hearing on the “Impact of Federal Broken Promises on Native Americans” will be livestreamed on Friday at 10 AM ET.

WASHINGTON, DC (July 17, 2020) – On Friday, July 17 at 10:00AM ET, NCUIH Executive Director Francys Crevier will testify before of the United States Commission on Civil Rights regarding COVID-19 and its impact on American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/ANs). The Commission will hear testimony from experts, including Executive Director Crevier, on how Federal Broken Promises with regard to COVID-19 have impacted AI/AN healthcare, infrastructure, access to water, and broadband access.

The briefing will be streamed here.

civil rights

“I am honored to join this esteemed panel today. As the Broken Promises Report found, the failure of the government to address the wellbeing of Indian Country for the past two centuries has created a system where we are bound to fail — and that has proven no different during this pandemic. It is imperative to officially recognize systemic racism as the central factor of health inequities — NOT race. Our country is reeling from the recent killings of George Floyd and countless others at the hands of police, reckoning with the legacy of racial injustice that their deaths have laid bare, while simultaneously confronting the unequal impact of COVID-19 on people of color. This moment in time is both dangerous and full of great promise,” said Francys Crevier, Executive Director.

In 2018, the Commission issued the Broken Promises: Continuing Federal Funding Shortfall for Native Americans report, which addressed the inadequacy of federal funding for Native American programs despite the United States’ trust responsibility to promote tribal self government, support the general well being of Native American people, tribes and villages, and to protect their land and resources.

Agenda

Friday, July 17, 2020 | 10:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. EDT

  • Introductory Remarks: 10:00 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. EDT
  • Panel: 10:10 a.m. – 11:40 a.m. EDT
    • Geoffrey Blackwell, Chief Strategy Officer, AMERIND Risk Management Corporation
    • Chief William Smith, Chairman, National Indian Health Board
    • Chief Lynn Malerba, Secretary, USET Sovereignty Protection Fund
    • Jonathan Nez, President, Navajo Nation
    • Fawn Sharp, President, National Congress of American Indians
    • Francys Crevier, Executive Director, National Council of Urban Indian Health
  • Closing Remarks: 11:40 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. EDT
    • Catherine E. Lhamon, Chair, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

 

All Testimony

Call for Comments

The U.S. The Commission on Civil Rights is requesting comments related to COVID-19 and the Broken Promises Report. Comments can be submitted until Friday, July 24, 2020 to BrokenPromises@usccr.gov or OCRE/Public Comments, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Suite 1150, Washington, DC 20425. The Commission seeks comments on the following questions:

  • Broken Promises found that Native Americans experience distinct health disparities as compared to other Americans which are compounded by Native American healthcare programs being chronically underfunded. How has the outbreak of COVID-19 impacted these health disparities?
  • Broken Promises found that there is a severe lack of affordable housing and adequate physical infrastructure in Indian Country. Due to a lack of federal investment in affordable housing and infrastructure such as roads, water, sewer, and electricity, Native Americans often find themselves living in overcrowded housing without basic utilities and infrastructure. What have been the consequences of these disparities in housing conditions and access to infrastructure during the outbreak of COVID-19?
  • Broken Promises found that telecommunications infrastructure, especially wireless and broadband internet services, is often inaccessible to many Native Americans in Indian Country. These services are necessary to keep the community connected to telehealth services, remote education, economic development, and public safety. Has this lack of telecommunications created additional barriers for Native Americans in coping with and reacting to the pandemic?
  • Have the congressional responses to the pandemic – especially the passage of the CARES Act and other stimulus packages – done enough to help Native people with the challenges posed by COVID-19?
  • Has the Executive Branch’s responses to the pandemic – including its statutory interpretation and administrative implementation of laws passed by Congress – done enough to help Native peoples cope with the challenges passed by Congress?
  • What recommendations should the Commission make to Congress and the federal government to ensure that Native American communities can address the coronavirus pandemic?

OPM Announces Nationwide Special Solicitation for Combined Federal Campaigns – Pledge to NCUIH by June 30

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The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced that the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) will conduct a nationwide special solicitation to support charities serving and affected by COVID-19. This special solicitation will run through June 30.

Under this solicitation, the CFC giving platform will reopen for federal employees, military employees, and retirees who may want to make supplemental pledges to charities hard hit by the COVID-19 emergency, as well as to charities providing emergency services to Americans and global citizens affected by this pandemic. One hundred percent of the donations received will go directly to the over 6,000 local, national, and international health and human welfare charities who are struggling to keep up with the increased demand posed by COVID-19.

“By participating in this special solicitation, federal employees can contribute to charities that provide support to people impacted during this critical time. Americans are coming together to support one another, and the Combined Federal Campaign is a great opportunity for federal employees to continue in the long tradition we have of supporting our fellow Americans in need,” said Acting Director Michael Rigas.

All COVID-19 guidance issued by OPM is available at opm.gov/coronavirus

The CFC online giving portal can be accessed at  opm.gov/ShowSomeLoveCFC