April 9, 2021 | Issue 21-12 |
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Biden Releases Discretionary Budget Request |
On March, 9 President Biden released his Fiscal Year 2022 (FY 2022) discretionary budget request. The budget, labeled a “skinny budget,” outlined topline discretionary spending for the various federal departments. The President’s full budget will be released later this spring with in-depth budget recommendations for the various departments and programs within the federal government. These budget recommendations are proposed to Congress who then formulate annual appropriations bills for the federal government.
Notably, the budget released on March 9 included an $8.5 billion funding recommendation for the Indian Health Service, a $2.2 billion increase from FY 2021. For the first time ever, the budget includes an advance appropriation for IHS in FY 2023. It also includes a commitment to robust consultation with tribes to evaluate options, including mandatory funding, to provide stable IHS funding in the future.
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NIHB Submits Testimony to the House Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States |
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UPDATES FROM THE FEDERAL & STATE ADMINISTRATIONS |
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IHS Dear Tribal Leader Letter on Updates to their initiatives on Alzheimer’s disease and the HIV pandemic |
On March 31, the Indian Health Service (IHS) released a Dear Tribal Leader Letter on the request for Tribal Consultation on two initiatives. The first is the use of $5 million to be used to address Alzheimer’s disease and the other is in relation to the $5 million that IHS will use to fund the “Ending the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Epidemic (EHE); A Plan for America which is intended to help Indian country on the elimination of the HIV and hepatitis C pandemic. This funding is intended to be used by Tribal health care facilities in the combat against these health disparities. For more information on what the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is currently doing in regards to Alzheimer’s disease and the HIV pandemic. The consultation will be held on April 13 and April 15, 2021. There will also be a virtual learning session that will be held on April 7, 2021. For access to the consultation and listening session click here.
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IHS Dear Tribal Leader Letter on an Update to their Health Information Technology Modernization Initiative |
On April 1, the Indian Health Service (IHS) released a Dear Tribal Leader Letter on an update on the Health Information Technology Modernization initiative. Specifically, the IHS has decided to fully replace the Resource and Patient Management System (RPMS). The letter also details current projects the IHS are engaged with in relation to the modernization project such as the “establishment of an overall governance structure for the Health Information Technology (HIT) modernization initiative, including appropriate representation of and participation by partners across IHS, Tribal, and Urban landscape.” This Modernization project is intended to provide Tribal health care facilities with state of the art, efficient technology for providers and patients to utilize. For more information on what the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) has done in relation to HIT please click here.
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A Notice of a Meeting of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee from HHS |
On April 1, The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a notice of a meeting of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee. This meeting will be held virtually and is open to the public. Topics at this meeting will include vaccine safety, communication activities for COVID-19 vaccines and immunization equity. Through several regulatory initiatives carried out by the current administration, the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine to vulnerable populations has become a growing concern. Due to the location in relation to resources, Tribal communities have become an outstanding example of the definition of these populations. Through this meeting, best practices and educational resources may be discussed for Tribal members and clinician staff to bring back to their communities. The meeting will be held from June 16-17, 2021. For more information on what the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) has done in relation to the distribution to Indian country of the COVID-19 vaccine, please click here.
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HHS Secretary Becerra’s Announcement on Enrollment Data in the Marketplace |
On April 4, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that more than 500,000 Americans have enrolled in Marketplace coverage during the Special Enrollment Period (SEP). Because of the assistance of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) put forth by the new administration, this SEP was able to re-open enrollment from February 15, 2021 till March 31, 2021. The data in this announcement also includes a significant incline in enrollment among historically uninsured vulnerable populations, such as American Indians and Alaska Natives, and specifies that as of April 1, 2021, health insurance premiums are expected to significantly decrease through funding from the ARP. For more information on the National Indian Health Boards (NIHB) outreach efforts on data enrollment in the Marketplace, please click here.
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GRANTS, RESOURCES AND EVENTS |
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Tribal Public Health Summit Exhibitor and Attendee Registration Still Open! |
Exhibitor registration deadline: Today! April 9, 2021 11:59PM
Attendee registration deadline: Tuesday, April 27, 2021
The National Tribal Public Health Summit (TPHS) is the premier American Indian and Alaska Native specific annual gathering focused on public health policy, systems, and infrastructure. During the TPHS, attendees will learn of and engage in material surrounding best, evidence-based, emerging, and promising practices developed by Tribes for Tribes.
As part of the Summit, the Virtual Exhibit Hall is hosted on the Summit’s virtual platform Pathable, where attendees and visitors can interact with exhibitors and learn more about their organizations, resources, and information. The virtual experience offers exhibitors the opportunity to engage with conference attendees while generating leads more easily than at an in-person conference. For those interested in reserving a virtual booth space, there is still time to register! The deadline to do so is tomorrow, April 9, 2021.
For more information regarding exhibitor registration, attendee registration, the artist marketplace, or becoming an official sponsor, read the latest TPHS Newsletter or visit the TPHS website.
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U.S. Office of Management and Budget Tribal Consultation |
On March 19, the Office of Management and Budget released a Dear Tribal Leader letter announcing a tribal consultation in accordance with President Biden’s Memorandum on government-to-government consultation. The consultation took place over two days on Friday, April 2 and Monday April 5. The official record for the consultation remains open through today, April 9. Written comments can be submitted to tribalconsultation@omb.eop.gov.
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The Office of Personnel Management Announces Tribal Consultations |
Friday, April 16
12:00 p.m.– 4:00 p.m. EST
Registration information forthcoming
For more information, visit the Office of Personnel Management website here. Written comments will be accepted through today, April 9, and can be sent to consultation@opm.com.
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NIHB Announces Three Funding Opportunities for Dental Therapy in Indian Country |
The National Indian Health Board is pleased to announce it is accepting applications for three funding opportunities related to dental therapy in Indian Country as part of NIHB's Tribal Oral Health Initiative. Completed applications should be submitted to Brett Weber at bweber@nihb.org and should reference the grant code in the subject line. Applications are due on Friday, April 30, 2021, by 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Applicants will be notified of their award status by May 31, 2021.
For more information on the three funding opportunities click here.
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NCAI Mid-Year Conference Registration Open |
Registration for the National Congress for American Indians Mid-Year Conference is now open. The conference will occur virtually this year and provide tribal leaders and partners an opportunity to discuss work on issues facing Tribal Nations. The virtual conference will be held:
June 20-24, 2021
Early Bird Registration Deadline: May 30, 2021
The conference agenda can be found on NCAI’s website here.
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CMS Extends Healthcare.gov Marketplace Special Enrollment Period |
For more information on the special enrollment period, visit the CMS website here.
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Visit the NIHB COVID-19 Tribal Resource Center at:
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