
National Council of Urban Indian Health
1 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Suite 800-D
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202.544.0344
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
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.
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.
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:
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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.”
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.
Meredith Raimondi
Director of Congressional Relations
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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
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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.
National Council of Urban Indian Health
1 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Suite 800-D
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202.544.0344