Congressional Support for Advance Appropriations for the Indian Health Service

The following is a list of Members of Congress who have ever expressed support for Advance Appropriations for IHS whether through a letter, cosponsorship, testimony, statement.[1]

Action Alert: Save Native Lives – Contact Congress Today to Take Action

Title Last Name First Name State District Party
Sen. Murkowski Lisa AK R
Rep. Peltola Mary AK At-large D
Rep. Sewell Terri AL 7 D
Rep. O’Halleran Tom AZ 1 D
Rep. Kirkpatrick Ann AZ 2 D
Rep. Grijalva Raul AZ 3 D
Rep. Schweikert David AZ 6 R
Rep. Gallego Ruben AZ 7 D
Rep. Stanton Greg AZ 9 D
Sen. Feinstein Dianne CA D
Sen. Padilla Alex CA D
Rep. LaMalfa Doug CA 1 R
Rep. Huffman Jared CA 2 D
Rep. Garamendi John CA 3 D
Rep. Roybal-Allard Lucille CA 4 D
Rep. Thompson Mike CA 5 D
Rep. Matsui Doris Matsui CA 6 D
Rep. Obernolte Jay CA 8 R
Rep. McNerney Jerry CA 9 D
Rep. Khanna Ro CA 17 D
Rep. Lofgren Zoe CA 19 D
Rep. Lieu Ted CA 22 D
Rep. Carbajal Salud CA 24 D
Rep. Chu Judy CA 27 D
Rep. Cardenas Tony CA 29 D
Rep./Dr. Ruiz Raul CA 36 D
Rep. Bass Karen CA 37 D
Rep. Calvert Ken CA 42 R
Rep. Barragan Nanette CA 44 D
Rep. Levin Mike CA 49 D
Rep. Vargas Juan CA 51 D
Rep. Jacobs Sara CA 53 D
Rep. DeGette Diana CO 1 D
Rep. Neguse Joe CO 2 D
Rep. Courtney Joe CT 2 D
Del. Holmes Norton Eleanor DC At-Large D
Rep. Soto Darren FL 9 D
Rep. Wasserman Shultz Debbie FL 23 D
Rep. Williams Nikema GA 5 D
Sen. Schatz Brian HI D
Rep. Kahele Kaiali’i HI 2 D
Rep. Axne Cindy IA 3 D
Rep. Simpson Mike ID 2 R
Rep. Garcia Jesus “Chuy” IL 4 D
Rep. Schakowsky Jan IL 9 D
Rep. LaTurner Jake KS 2 R
Rep. Davids Sharice KS 3 D
Sen. Warren Elizabeth MA D
Rep. Kennedy III Joe MA 4 D
Rep. Keating Bill MA 9 D
Sen. Van Hollen Chris MD D
Sen. Peters Gary MI D
Sen. Stabenow Debbie MI D
Rep. Kildee Dan T. MI 4 D
Rep. Moolenaar John MI 4 R
Rep. Stevens Haley MI 11 D
Rep. Dingell Debbie MI 12 D
Rep. Tlaib Rashida MI 13 D
Rep. Lawrence Brenda MI 14 D
Sen. Klobuchar Amy MN D
Sen. Smith Tina MN D
Rep. Craig Angie MN 2 D
Rep. McCollum Betty MN 4 D
Sen. Tester Jon MT D
Rep. Armstrong Kelly ND At-Large R
Rep. Bacon Don NE 2 R
Rep. Gottheimer Josh NJ 5 D
Rep. Pallone Jr. Frank NJ 6 D
Rep. Watson Coleman Bonnie NJ 12 D
Sen. Heinrich Martin NM D
Sen. Lujan Ben NM D
Rep. Stansbury Melanie Ann NM 1 D
Rep. Leger Fernandez Teresa NM 3 D
Sen. Cortez Masto Catherine NV D
Sen. Rosen Jacky NV D
Rep. Titus Dina NV 1 D
Rep. Horsford Steven NV 4 D
Rep. Stefanik Elise NY 21 R
Rep. Brown Shontel OH 11 D
Rep. Joyce David OH 14 R
Rep. Mullin Markwayne OK 2 R
Rep. Cole Tom OK 4 R
Rep. Bice Stephanie OK 5 R
Sen. Merkley Jeff OR D
Sen. Wyden Ron OR D
Rep. Blumenauer Earl OR 3 D
Rep. DeFazio Peter OR 4 D
Rep. Fitzpatrick Brian PA 1 R
Rep. Cartwright Matt PA 8 D
Rep. Johnson Dusty SD At-Large R
Rep. Cohen Steve TN 9 D
Rep. Garcia Sylvia TX 29 D
Rep. McEachin A. Donald VA 4 D
Sen. Sanders Bernard VT D
Sen. Cantwell Maria WA D
Rep. Larsen Rick WA 2 D
Rep. McMorris Rodgers Cathy WA 5 R
Rep. Kilmer Derek WA 6 D
Rep. Jayapal Pramila WA 7 D
Rep. Schrier Kim WA 8 D
Rep. Smith Adam WA 9 D
Rep. Strickland Marilyn WA 10 D
Sen. Baldwin Tammy WI D
Rep. Kind Ron WI 3 D
Rep. Moore Gwen WI 4 D
Rep. Gallagher Mike WI 8 R
Rep. Cheney Liz WY At-Large R

 

[1] NCUIH Research as of November 7, 2022. Available here: https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:ff22249f-2dfa-3ef5-8184-99a628541d3b

Be a Good Relative: What We Learned

Wonderful news; the National Council of Urban Indian Health has just completed its Be a Good Relative Campaign (BAGR). NCUIH is committed to the continuation and promotion of vaccine equity for Urban Indians. The BAGR campaign was launched to provide educational material on vaccines culturally tailored to Native and Urban Native communities. This series of four videos, promoted on February 16th, April 20th, April 29th, and June 16th.

These videos have been one of our most successful campaigns yet, reaching many people thanks to enhanced promotion for the third and fourth videos. The first video (#BeAGoodRelative Campaign: Flu Immunization) had 311 total views, with 5 reshares and 23 likes. It received 1,318 impressions. The second video posted on April 20th (#BeAGoodRelative Campaign: COVID-19 Myths vs Facts) was viewed 4,473 times, retweeted 104 times, and liked 656 times. The link was clicked 75 times.  The impressions on this video were 17,936 and the engagements were 1,275. The third video (#BeAGoodRelative Campaign: Annual Vaccines) had 249 total views, with 5 reshares and 4 likes. The last video (#BeAGoodRelative Campaign: Youth Immunization), was also quite successful. The video was viewed 3,182 times, retweeted 96 times, and received 472 likes. The link was clicked 53 times. The impressions on this video were 11,063 and the engagements were 819.

Feedback surveys showed that the second and final BAGR videos were effective at reaching and engaging the Urban Native community on vaccination.

One Third of respondents did not receive a COVID-19 vaccine. 66% were very likely to get vaccinated after watching the video, and only 5% were still not likely to get vaccinated.

Further, of the 271 AI/AN people who responded to the feedback survey, they overwhelmingly agreed that the video represented their community. People who worked at facilities that serviced American Indians and Alaska Natives also agreed that these videos were representative of the communities they serve.

Be a Good Relative: What We Learned

 

Be a Good Relative: What We Learned

 

Respondents were also asked what factors were the most important when considering getting a vaccine. There was a range of sentiments, the most prevalent of which was a desire to protect oneself against the virus and the disease. However, there were also a substantial group of respondents who indicated concerns for the safety of the vaccine as well as potential side effects. Additionally, respondents indicated that they would consider the effectiveness of the vaccine in protecting against the virus, a desire to protect their family or community, as well as trying to stop the pandemic. Some of the less common concerns were the perceived cost of acquiring the vaccine, access to the vaccine and equity, as well as more trials for effectiveness and safety. Knowing this we can see what sort of messaging would be most receptive to our community.

NCUIH thanks the Urban Indian community and everyone who viewed and provided feedback to our #BeAGoodRelative Campaign. We have learned much about effective vaccination messaging for our community. Moving forward, we will continue to share materials to promote vaccination and vaccine equity that our community would find helpful and useful.

COVID-19 and Infection Control: Good Ventilation & Air Handling as a Part of Infection Control (May 13, 2021)

May 13, 2021 | 2:30-3:30 p.m. EST

Next in the “COVID-19 and Infection Control” series is the seventh session, which will discuss the importance of “Good Ventilation & Air Handling as a Part of Infection Control.”

Presenters:

1.       Rochelle Moore, LMHC (Urban Indian Center of Salt Lake)

2.       Karen Kwok, MSN, FNP-BC, MPH (NCUIH)

3.       Dr. Abigail Carlson, (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

 

Objectives:

  1. Identify and review the techniques and requirements for proper ventilation and air handling procedures
  2. Encourage engagement around proper ventilation and air handling within a clinical setting as part of infection control
  3. Demonstrate an understanding and recognize the importance of ventilation and air handling in a clinical setting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Watch the Recording  Download the Slides

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House Passes NCUIH Bill to Extend FTCA Coverage to Urban Indian Health Workers

December 17, 2020

Today, the United States House of Representatives voted to pass H.R. 6535 to extend Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) coverage to urban Indian organizations (UIOs), which would put a stop to having to divert scarce resources away from health care to foot exorbitant insurance costs. This bill was passed by unanimous consent under suspension of the rules and will now be referred to the Senate for further consideration.

“We applaud the House, especially Rep. Ruben Gallego and Rep. Markwayne Mullin, for their steadfast efforts to help urban Indian health workers get coverage like their other IHS and Tribal counterparts. We urge the Senate to move quickly to pass this law before the end of this Congress. As we battle this pandemic that is devastating Indian Country, this will be critical to save Native lives and will increase available health care services,” said Francys Crevier (Algonquin), NCUIH CEO.

In August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that across 23 states, cumulative incidence rates of lab-confirmed COVID-19 among AI/ANs are 3.5 times higher than for non-Hispanic Whites.1 Also, according to CDC, COVID-19 hospitalization among AI/ANs were 4.7 times higher than for non-Hispanic Whites. As this pandemic devastates Indian Country, UIOs have been forced to make extremely difficult choices – facing competing priorities and expenses, like increased PPE and renovation costs, in addition to very costly malpractice insurance. As of November, “the Oklahoma City IHS Area now has the highest total number of cases” and the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic is one of the UIOs that pays the highest annual rate for medical malpractice insurance. If provided insurance parity with IHS and Tribal facilities, this UIO alone could direct up to an additional $250,000 to patient care at a time when increased access to care is needed most.

This legislation has broad bipartisan support in both chambers and is endorsed by IHS. NCAI also has a standing resolution supporting this legislation, Resolution #PDX-20-038, “Supporting Extension of Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) Coverage to Urban Indian Organizations.”

Next Steps

H.R. 6535 will now be referred to the Senate for further consideration. On December 4, 2020, NCUIH and the National Congress of American Indians sent a letter to Congress to urge them to pass this bill before the end of the year and will continue to work with the Senate to encourage swift passage.

Background

Contact:

Meredith Raimondi

Director of Congressional Relations

mraimondi@ncuih.org

New UIO Funding Deadlines and Opportunities Plus Student Fellowship Extension

Funding for UIOs

New Funding Deadlines for GOTV, UIO Champion Funding, Professional Development, Student Fellowships

Please see below for new special opportunities for UIOs to receive up to $40,000 in funding:

One-on-One Grant Application Assistance

Our Technical Assistance (TA) team is standing by to help your team complete any of the below applications! We are here to answer any questions and provide a walk-through of the application to ensure correct and timely completion. Please contact Marc Clark at mclark@ncuih.org to schedule an appointment for assistance in submitting any of these applications.

 

Apply Now

Funding Opportunity: GOTV Partnership with the National Urban Indian Family Coalition (NUIFC)

We have extended the opportunity to apply for a minimum of $2,500 in funding for all UIOs for work that promotes both Get Out the Census and Get Out the Vote efforts. The deadline has for applications has been extended to October 16, 2020. As we move into the last few weeks, it has come to our attention that some organizations underestimated their capacity, materials, etc. for their initial application. This is an opportunity for you to request an increase in funds with a maximum request of $40,000 dollars. Our focus is making a final push as we move toward final voter registration deadlines in all States and want to supplement you with resources to meet the needs of your community. Please feel free to submit an additional application for an increase of funds.

Note: UIOs are eligible for this funding EVEN if the UIO already receives funding for these efforts. These funds can be used to supplement your existing GOTV plans. This final round of funding will be open to UIO applicants (and those re-applying)  UIOs who have the capacity to spend should  apply again and ask for more.  (It is ok to use previous application language with updated details.)

Deadline: October 16, 2020 11:59 pm ET

Funding Opportunity: UIO Infection Prevention Control Project Champions

NCUIH is recruiting Urban Indian Organizations (UIO) to become Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Systems Champions with awards up to $40,000 to undertake locally-defined initiatives accompanied by a core set of requirements for targeted training and development as part of Project Firstline.

About Project Firstline Champions

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)
  • 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 CDC
Deadline: October 30, 2020 11:59 pm ET
Learn More

UIO Project Champions Pre-Application Webinar Recording
Click to View Recording
Read More
About the Project Champion Funding Opportunity & download a sample application packet:
Click to Visit


Ask Questions

About all of our upcoming opportunities
ipc@ncuih.org

Learn More About IPC Champions
Apply Here

Professional Development Scholarship

Scholarships for professional development, certification and training in the amount up to $1100 will be awarded to individual UIO staff to support infection prevention and control or systems-based training to improve UIO approaches to care (safety, just culture, teams-based care). Applications accepted on a rolling basis.

Apply Here

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 October 14, 2020 11:59 pm ET

Apply for Fellowship

Statement of Solidarity

Washington, DC (June 17, 2020) – Today, the National Council of Urban Indian Health released the following statement:

We stand in solidarity with our Black relatives who have been subject to centuries of violence. The recent senseless murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, are a painful reminder of this country’s dark history that has not been forgotten. The National Council of Urban Indian Health stands with our Black brothers and sisters and our Afro-Indigenous relatives. We condemn racism in any form and demand justice from the system that caused this suffering.

Our world has spent the past few months embroiled in battle against a pandemic that is disproportionality affecting communities of color. The structures which created this country left a legacy of systemic racism that has directly affected the health and well-being of our communities. While the pandemic has only cast a cloud on our communities more recently, Black Americans and Native Americans have been battling for generations. As the world takes to the streets, we see that our brothers and sisters are in pain.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many underlying health disparities to the surface. Socioeconomic disparities are one of the largest factors in determining health outcomes, and here Black Americans and Native Americans top the charts again. With a lack of access to quality food, housing, and education combined with intergenerational trauma, both communities already face staggering inequities. The added stress of a pandemic is enough to topple communities and cause death rates to skyrocket. Especially when these populations are more likely to be low-wage, essential workers, and less likely to have access to essential resources like running water. The exact same disparities which underlie the health crisis in our communities are the ones that create over-policing in our communities, disproportionate use of force by the police, and higher rates of incarceration. But we know these disparities did not arise on their own.

The United States was built atop stolen land, and it was built by stolen bodies, stolen labor. The United States owes an invaluable debt to its Indigenous population and its slave descendants.

But now is the time to begin trying to heal old wounds through instituting lasting systemic change. We cannot heal when senseless murders are happening in our communities each day. It is time for the United States to invest in the communities who built this country.

As Natives, we cannot remain silent as the population who holds with us in every regard continues to die in the streets. As health care professionals, as we’re in the midst of a another public health crisis, systemic racism, we cannot remain silent as the mental, physical, and spiritual health of this Nation is in peril due to the historical traumas our peoples have endured for centuries. We cannot allow this world to steal the breath from another soul. We cannot continue to support the system as it exists, as it is working the way it was meant to- against Black and Brown lives. We must be active in holding the United States accountable to change.

We urge you to educate and require more of yourself, your peers, and your family members. We must speak out in the face of blatant racism, in the face of microaggressions, to be prepared to make mistakes and to learn from them. It is long past time to create space for Black and Afro-Indigenous voices. Together, we will continue fight against any discrimination within our communities. Today, and tomorrow, we call on you to lend your resources, your signature, and your voice as we demand systemic change. It is we who are responsible for creating a better society.

We remember Philando Castile, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, we remember Paul Castaway, Zachary Bearheels, Sarah Lee Circle Bear, Corey Kanosh, Jason Pero, and we remember the countless others whose lives touched our communities but whose names never see a headline.

To the Black community—we know these injustices will not be undone in a week, in a month, a year. It will take constant commitment from the entire Nation. The traumas you have faced, know you are not alone in them, and that we will heal together. As Natives we know we are all connected, that the Black community needs investment and healing but it is not an island alone. We must share our resources and share our healing. You cannot be healthy while everyone else around you is sick. We must heal each other by investing in one another. And for our Afro-Indigenous relatives, we want to assure you that you have a safe space in our Urban Indian Organizations, and that your voices are not only heard but are cherished. We are resilient and we are still here because we can stand together. #NativesforBlackLives

“The beauty of anti-racism is that you don’t have to pretend to be free of racism to be an anti-racist. Anti-racism is the commitment to fight racism wherever you find it, including in yourself. And it’s the only way forward.” -Ijeoma Oluo

Urban Indian Organizations represent the trust responsibility the federal government has to its non-reservation Native populations. The trust responsibility is a recognition of the debt the United States owes its Indigenous population, health care we paid for with our land and blood.

Recommended Reading

  • “How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi
  • “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism” by Robin DiAngelo
  • “Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do” by Jennifer L. Eberhardt
  • “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” by Michelle Alexander
  • “So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo
  • “Raising White Kids” by Jennifer Harvey
  • “The Black and the Blue: A Cop Reveals the Crimes, Racism, and Injustice in America’s Law Enforcement” by Matthew Horace and Ron Harris
  • “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” by Bryan Stevenson
  • “The Fire Next Time” by James Baldwin
  • “They Can’t Kill Us All: Ferguson, Baltimore, And A New Era In America’s Racial Justice Movement” by Wesley Lowery
  • “Hood Feminism: Notes From The Women That The Movement Forgot” by Mikki Kendall
  • “Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism” by Bell Hooks
  • “Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People” by Ben Crump
  • “From Slavery To Freedom: A History of African Americans” by John Hope Franklin
  • “The Third Reconstruction: How a Moral Movement Is Overcoming the Politics of Division and Fear” by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and William Barber II
  • “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates
  • “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You” by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

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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.