This Blog includes news and announcements pertaining to the Urban Indian community across the nation.
Washington, DC (September 10, 2021) - Today, the Urban Indian Health Confer Act was introduced by Chairman Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) with bipartisan support from Representative Betty McCollum (D-MN) and Representative Tom Cole (R-OK). As an ongoing effort to rectify longstanding parity issues within the Indian health system, this legislation would require agencies and offices within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to confer with Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs) on policies and initiatives related to healthcare for urban American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN).
Washington, D.C. (June 25, 2021) – In Canada this past May, the discovery of 215 unmarked graves at Kamloops Indian Residential School brought past Indigenous traumas into the international spotlight. Yesterday, over 700 more unmarked graves were found on the grounds of the former Marieval Indian Residential School in Canada.
Washington, D.C. (May 25, 2021) – Today, Congressman Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Congressman Don Bacon (R-NE) introduced a bill in the House of Representatives that would expand the use of existing Indian Health Service (IHS) resources under Section 509 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA) (25 U.S.C. § 1659) to increase the funding authority for renovating, constructing, and expanding Urban Indian Organizations (UIO). Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA), James Lankford (R-OK) along with co-sponsors Moran (R-KS), Feinstein (D-CA), and Smith (D-MN) on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee introduced the identical Senate bill.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) announced a new partnership with Uber to provide rides to Native American LifeLines Baltimore for urban American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) living in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) metropolitan area to receive their COVID-19 vaccination. Through this partnership, Uber provides 2,000 free or deeply discounted rides to members of the AI/AN community in the DMV to ensure vaccine equity.
After months of tireless advocacy, the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) has partnered with Native American Lifelines (NAL), the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and the Indian Health Service (IHS) to bring the COVID-19 vaccine to urban Indians in the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia metropolitan area.
Washington, D.C. (April 14, 2021) - Today, the President of the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) testified before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs for an oversight hearing on “Examining the COVID-19 Response in Native Communities: Native Health Systems One Year Later.”