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This Blog includes news and announcements pertaining to the Urban Indian community across the nation.
The National Council of Urban Indian Health has requested that Congress honor the United States trust responsibility to urban Indians by passing emergency funding that includes Urban Indian Organizations for the prevention and treatment of the Coronavirus -Covid 19 risk.
WASHINGTON, DC (February 14, 2020) – The National Council of Urban Indian Health has released the 2018 – 2019 Urban Indian Organization Shutdown Report. The report summarizes and presents the results of a survey NCUIH circulated during the 2018-2019 shutdown to capture important metrics and narratives regarding its impacts. The United States federal government shutdown of 2018-2019 occurred from midnight Eastern Standard Time on December 22, 2018 until January 25, 2019. Nineteen out of forty-one Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs) reported. The responses from this survey were used in NCUIH’s policy and legislative advocacy initiatives during and after the shutdown. While the Indian health care delivery system consists of three prongs — IHS, Tribal Health Programs, and UIOs — the report focuses on UIOs.
WASHINGTON, DC (February 11, 2020) – On February 10, 2020, the President released the annual budget proposal for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021. The proposal includes a total of $96.2 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which represents a nearly 10 percent cut to current enacted budget. Under the request, the Indian Health Service (IHS) would receive approximately $6.4 billion in FY 2021. NCUIH, in conjunction with the Tribal Budget Formulation Workgroup (TBFWG), had encouraged the Administration to fund IHS at $9.1 billion with an urban Indian health line item of $105.9 million for FY 2021. This is an increase of $48.2 million for urban Indian health over the enacted FY 2020 budget. The proposed IHS budget falls nearly $3 billion short of TBFWG’s overall IHS recommendation, and the proposed urban Indian health funding amount constitutes $56.3 million less than the TBFWG recommendation.
WASHINGTON, DC (February 11, 2020) -- National Council of Urban Indian Health President Maureen Rosette (Chippewa Cree Nation) testified before the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee as part of American Indian and Alaska Native Public Witness Days (February 11 and 12, 2020). President Rosette was invited as an Honorable expert witness participating on the health care panel of the 1st day of tribal and urban leader hearings.
WASHINGTON, DC (February 7 , 2020) – Walter Murillo (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), Chief Executive Officer at Native Health in Phoenix, Arizona, has been recognized as Health Equity Health Advocate of the Year by Families USA. Murillo was selected for his exemplary work championing for better health care in Arizona in his over 21 years at Native Health. Under his leadership, Native Health has long provided quality, culturally-competent health care for urban Indians.
Washington, DC (January 31, 2020) - On January 30, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the Healthy Adult Opportunity Initiative (HAO), a guideline for states to convert Medicaid funding into block grants – effectively establishing a cap on federal funding on Medicaid. The letter, sent to state Medicaid directors, provides guidance for states seeking to carry out demonstration projects under section 1115 of the Social Security Act to include either an aggregate or per-capita cap financing model in their state Medicaid programs – in contrast to the current open-ended financing system that provides for unlimited (i.e. does not cap) federal matching funds for all state spending under Medicaid’s federal rules.
The National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) and the National Indian Council on Aging (NICOA) have initiated a partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The goal of the MOU is for the organizations to work together to improve the health of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities.
NCUIH's Executive Director Francys Crevier and President-Elect Walter Murillo presented at the Families USA Health Action 2020 Conference on January 24, 2020 in Washington, DC. The panel was titled, "Innovative, Resilience-Based Solutions to Improve Health Among American Indians and Alaska Natives" and included Stacy Bohlen of the National Indian Health Board and Jerilyn Church of Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board.
SCOPE OF WORK
To provide learning opportunities and professional development for board members and executive staff of the various Urban Indian Organizations (UIO) [1] through a series of webinars, communities of learning (COL) teleconferences and distance training activities. UIOs are non-profit federally qualified health centers that provide culturally competent health care and services to American Indians and Alaska Natives living in urban settings through the Indian Health Service. There is a need to support executives and their board members with training and best practices to support their sustainability and governance capacity for growth in the healthcare sector. NCUIH strives for healthy American Indians and Alaska Natives living in urban settings, which comprise over 70% of the AI/AN population, supported by quality, accessible health care centers and governed by leaders in the Indian community. NCUIH represents urban Indian Health Organizations receiving grants under Title V of IHCIA and the American Indian and Alaska Natives they serve.
The National Council of Urban Indian Health is excited to announce that Ms. Julia Wakeford has accepted a six month internship and will serve as a Policy Assistant to the Director of Congressional Relations. Julia is Yuchi and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma. She has experience working in tribal government and on tribal political campaigns. While in undergrad, she worked in Diversity and Inclusion as well as in Multicultural Admissions. Julia holds a B.A. in Indigenous Socio-Political Studies from Swarthmore College. We look forward to Julia using her talents and becoming a part of our dynamic team as NCUIH continues advocacy efforts on behalf of our members and Urban Indian health care issues.