NIHB is Seeking Indigenous Knowledge through Key Informant Interviews for Environmental Health Project

NIHB is Seeking Indigenous Knowledge through Key Informant Interviews! Ni

To assist Tribal Nations in building systems of support for Tribal children, the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is working in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on a new initiative.

The purpose of this project is to increase the capacity of rural and non-urban Tribal communities for identifying and addressing elevated blood lead levels in Tribal children through interviews with Tribal representatives. The interviews will ask Tribal Health Directors or programmatic staff to describe their programs or operational plans in place for blood lead level testing and their current knowledge of lead exposure risk factors. Protecting children from exposure to lead is important to lifelong good health. Even low levels of lead in blood have been shown to affect IQ, ability to pay attention, and academic achievement and effects of lead exposure cannot be corrected.

To accomplish these aims the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) will engage regional rural and non-urban Tribal representatives and health professionals from Indian Health Service regions. After the interviews are complete, NIHB will generate a final report for CDC that will provide information on activities and structures in place for conducting blood lead testing as well as gaps and barriers experienced with regard to these efforts. CDC will use this information to help inform future activities for addressing elevated blood lead levels among children in Indian country. The final report will also provide information to Tribal partners aimed at strengthening efforts to reduce exposure and advance blood lead level testing among rural and non-urban Tribal children. NIHB will generate a report, designed to aid Tribes in strengthening their efforts to advance blood lead level testing among rural and non-urban Tribal children and build systems of support for responding to elevated blood lead levels in rural and non-urban Tribal children.

If your Tribe is interested in participating in this initiative , please contact Stephen Valliere, Public Health Project Coordinator, by 5:00 PM ET on September, 13 ^th at svalliere@nihb.org or (202) 507-4082.