Community Health Aide Program (CHAP) TAG Vacancies
In February 2018, with the announcement of CHAP expansion to Tribes beyond Alaska, IHS created a CHAP Tribal Advisory Group.
Information on CHAP and CHAP TAG, including
vacant
positions, is available on the CHAP
website
.
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Join the National Partnership for Dental Therapy!
Click
HERE for more information!
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Stay Current: Health Alerts from the CDC!
Don't wait for the emergency to arrive before signing up for emergency alerts from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention!
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 National Indian Health Board Submits Testimony to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for the FY 2021 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Budget
On Wednesday May 20, the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) submitted its written testimony to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies for the record on the Fiscal Year 2021 (FY 2021) budget for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In addition to addressing the funding levels required for needed for Tribal programs annually, NIHB's testimony also reflected the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the current infrastructure of the Indian health system. High-level recommendations from NIHB to the the Subcommitee include:
- Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention (CDC)
- Maintain the Preventive Health and Human Services Block Grant with a direct, annual 5% Tribal set-aside
- Increase the funding of the Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country program by $32 million for FY 2021
- Provide a 5% Tribal set-aside in funding for HIV, viral hepatitis, and STI funding
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- Set aside Subtance Abuse Prevention and Treatmetn Block Grant funding for Tribes and Tribal organizations and work with authorizing committees to extend eligibility for Community Mental Health Services Block Grant funding to Tribes
- Double funding for the Tribal Behavioral Health Grant program to $80 million total, and have SAMHSA engage in Tribal consultation on restructuring the program to be formula-based with the option for Tribes to apply for funding under 638 self-governance authority.
- Double the Tribal opioid funding set aside to 10% for FY 2021 so that more Tribes can participate and existing grantees can expand the scope and delivery of services.
- Health Resources and Services Administration
- Maintain its $15 million set aside in National Health Service Corps funding for placements within the Indian health system and reject language in the FY 2021 President's Budget declaring the set-aside unnecessary
- Enact a 3-4% set aside in Health Center funding for the I/T/U system.
- Designate a funding set aside for Tribes for the implementation of the Action for Dental Health Program in FY 2021
- Maintain the Medicaid program as is, and expand its reach and availability for AI/ANs.
- Direct HHS to enter into pilot projects for self-governance in FY 2021.
If you have any questions regarding the testimony provided to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee, please contact NIHB Congressional Relations Director, Shervin Aazami at Saazami@nihb.org.
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In This Issue:
TOP STORY
CAPITOL HILL UPDATES
FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION AND STATE GOVERNMENT UPDATES
UPCOMING EVENTS, CALLS, AND WEBINARS
GRANTS AND RESOURCES
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National Indian Health Board Submits Testimony to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for the FY 2021 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Budget
On Wednesday May 20, the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) submitted its written testimony to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies for the record on the Fiscal Year 2021 (FY 2021) budget for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In addition to addressing the funding levels required for needed for Tribal programs annually, NIHB's testimony also reflected the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the current infrastructure of the Indian health system. High-level recommendations from NIHB to the the Subcommitee include:
- Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention (CDC)
- Maintain the Preventive Health and Human Services Block Grant with a direct, annual 5% Tribal set-aside
- Increase the funding of the Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country program by $32 million for FY 2021
- Provide a 5% Tribal set-aside in funding for HIV, viral hepatitis, and STI funding
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- Set aside Subtance Abuse Prevention and Treatmetn Block Grant funding for Tribes and Tribal organizations and work with authorizing committees to extend eligibility for Community Mental Health Services Block Grant funding to Tribes
- Double funding for the Tribal Behavioral Health Grant program to $80 million total, and have SAMHSA engage in Tribal consultation on restructuring the program to be formula-based with the option for Tribes to apply for funding under 638 self-governance authority.
- Double the Tribal opioid funding set aside to 10% for FY 2021 so that more Tribes can participate and existing grantees can expand the scope and delivery of services.
- Health Resources and Services Administration
- Maintain its $15 million set aside in National Health Service Corps funding for placements within the Indian health system and reject language in the FY 2021 President's Budget declaring the set-aside unnecessary
- Enact a 3-4% set aside in Health Center funding for the I/T/U system.
- Designate a funding set aside for Tribes for the implementation of the Action for Dental Health Program in FY 2021
- Maintain the Medicaid program as is, and expand its reach and availability for AI/ANs.
- Direct HHS to enter into pilot projects for self-governance in FY 2021.
If you have any questions regarding the testimony provided to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee, please contact NIHB Congressional Relations Director, Shervin Aazami at Saazami@nihb.org.
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FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION AND STATE GOVERNMENT UPDATES
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Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Issue Nursing Home Best Practices to Combat COVID-19
On May 13, CMS issued a
toolkit to aid nursing homes, governors, and state departments of health and other agencies to help nursing home facilities with the fight against COVID-19. The toolkit includes best practices for frontline health care workers and government officials on how to effectively amend certain challenges present in nursing homes during the pandemic. The toolkit covers specific subjects like infection control and workforce staffing. In addition to the toolkit, CMS released a
letter from Seema Verma regarding Nursing Home Facilities Management and Staffing. This letter detailed the regulatory work as well as oversight work CMS has done to keep nursing home residents healthy. The letter also discussed CMS's coordination with the CDC on just how exactly COVID-19 can spread through nursing homes, going as far as to advise that visitors be temporarily restricted.
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Interoperability Program Hardship Exception Application
On May 1, CMS released an
exemption application for Medicare Promoting Interoperability payment adjustment. The application for this exemption would apply to eligible hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) if they can show compliance with "the requirement for being a meaningful EHR user that would result in a significant hardship." Reasons for this exemption may include using decertified EHR technology, insufficient internet connectivity, extreme and uncontrollable circumstances and a lack of control over the availability of certified electronic health record technology. The application may be submitted each year for a maximum of 5 years.
Deadline to submit the application is September 1, 2020.
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UPCOMING EVENTS, CALLS, AND WEBINARS
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Please see below for call information to the
IHS' All Tribes Call on Thursday, May 28th at 4:00 PM Eastern
. This call is intended to update Tribes on the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Tribal Leaders will have an opportunity to provide comments and ask questions to federal officials. IHS has also scheduled a COVID-19 call for the following week at the same time-call info is the same for both calls.
Date:
Thursday, May 28th
Time: 4
:00 PM - 5:30 PM (Eastern)
Conference Call:
800-857-5577 | Participant Passcode: 6703929
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CMS ITU
Trainings
Don't miss the National Indian Health Board's (NIHB) presentation at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS), Indian Health Service (IHS), Tribal Health Programs, and Urban Indian Programs (CMS I/T/U) regional training sessions! CMS is committed to helping the I/T/U facilities to maximize their ability to access third party resources. To meet this objective, CMS, in partnership with the States, the Department of Veteran Affairs, the Social Security Administration, the DHHS Office of the Inspector General, IHS and NIHB provide training to patient benefits advocates on the programs and benefits available through Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Health Insurance Marketplace.
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