Thursday, February 25, 2016

Additional Resources for Indian Health Services








What is the National Indian Health Board?

Our Mission: One Voice affirming and empowering American Indian and Alaska Native Peoples to protect and improve health and reduce health disparities.

What is the National Indian Health Board?

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is a 501(c) 3 not for profit, charitable organization serving all 566 Federally recognized Tribal governments for the purpose of ensuring that the federal government upholds its trust responsibilities to provide health care to the Tribes. NIHB also works to elevate health care status, services and systems of the Tribes and our Peoples. NIHB provides policy analysis and advocacy on American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) health and public health services, facilitates Tribal budget consultation, develops policy analysis, leads national Tribal public health programs and policy, is the coalition lead for the NIHB National Tribal Health Information Technology Extension Center (HITEC), and delivers timely information and other services to all Tribal Governments. Whether Tribes operate their own health care delivery systems through contracting and compacting or receive health care directly from the Indian Health Service (IHS), NIHB is their national advocate. NIHB also conducts research; provides policy analysis; assists with Tribal capacity building in health program development, management and assessment; provides national and regional Tribal health events; and provides training and technical assistance in a variety of Tribal health areas. These services are provided to Tribes, Area Health Boards, Tribal organizations, Tribal Leaders and members as well as federal agencies and private foundations. The NIHB presents the Tribal perspective while monitoring, analyzing, reporting on and responding to  federal legislation, policy, law and regulations. NIHB works collaboratively with the Tribes, through the Tribal health organizations, in the 12 IHS geographic Service Areas. NIHB also serves as a conduit to open opportunities for the advancement of AI/AN health care with other national and international organizations, foundations, corporations, academic institutions and others in its quest to build support for, and advance, Indian health care issues.

Raising Awareness

Elevating the visibility of Indian health care and public health issues has been a struggle shared by Tribal governments for hundreds of years. For more than 40 years, NIHB has played a central role in focusing national attention on Indian health care and public health needs. These efforts continue to gain results and momentum.

The Tribes formed NIHB to serve as the unified advocate to the U.S. Congress, IHS and other federal agencies, private foundations and potential friends and allies about health disparities, public health and health care issues experienced in Indian Country. The future of health care for AI/AN remains grounded in the Federal Trust Responsibility between AI/AN and the federal government. It is intertwined with policy decisions at the federal level and changes in mainstream health care management. The NIHB provides Tribal governments with timely information in order to assist Tribes in effectively making sound health care policy decisions.

Our Board of Directors

Because the NIHB serves all federally-recognized Tribes, it is vital that the work of the NIHB reflects the unity and diversity of Tribal values and opinions in an accurate, fair, and culturally-sensitive manner. This objective is accomplished through the efforts of the NIHB Board of Directors and through working with the regional health boards, Tribes and health organizations located in the 12 IHS Service Areas. The NIHB is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of representatives elected by the Tribes in each of the twelve IHS Areas, through their regional Tribal Health Board or health-serving organization. Each Area Indian Health Board elects a representative and an alternate to sit on the NIHB Board of Directors. In areas where there is no Area Health Board, Tribal governments choose a representative. The Board of Directors elects an Executive Committee comprised of Chairperson, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary, who serve staggered, two-year terms and a Member-at-Large who serves a one year term. The Board of Directors meets quarterly.

NIHB Membership

The membership of NIHB is comprised of all Federally Recognized Tribes through the 12 regional Tribal health organizations:

Aberdeen Area: Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board                    California Rural Indian Health Board Alaska Area: Alaska Native Health Board                                                    Navajo Nation
Albuquerque Area Indian Health Board                                                           Oklahoma City Area Intertribal Health Board Bemidji Area: Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes                                      Phoenix Area: Intertribal Council of Arizona
Billings Area: Montana/Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council                            Portland Area: Norwest Portland Area Indian Health Board Nashville: United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc.                                             Tucson Area: Tohono O’odham Nation & Pascua Yaqui Tribe