U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Newsroom

December 27 2023: IHS Updates for Tribes and Tribal and Urban Indian Organizations

This bi-weekly update provides up to date information on recent events, meetings, conferences, upcoming deadlines, and recognition of the work being done across the Indian Health Service, other federal agencies, and Indian Country. For more information or questions, email IHSPublicAffairsStaff@ihs.gov.

Meeting with the Blackfeet Nation

Last week, Director Tso traveled to Browning, Montana, on the homelands of the Blackfeet Nation. Montana’s First Congressional District Rep. Ryan Zinke invited Director Tso to join his meeting with the Blackfeet Nation. She was able to hear directly from Blackfeet Nation Business Council members how the IHS can best work in partnership to meet the needs of the Blackfeet people, which remains a priority of the agency. This meeting was the first step in re-establishing a stronger IHS-Blackfeet Nation relationship and to move forward in a positive direction.

Tribal Self-Governance Advisory Committee Meeting

The Tribal Self-Governance Advisory Committee met with the IHS in Washington, D.C., on December 13?14 to discuss current priority issues for self-governance tribes. The TSGAC advises the IHS director, the Office of Tribal Self-Governance director, and other senior staff on issues and concerns pertaining to self-governance tribes and the implementation of the Tribal Self-Governance Program within the IHS. On December 13, Director Tso had the honor to meet in-person with the TSGAC to discuss and respond to questions on topics that included recruitment and retention, behavioral health grants, the GAO high-risk list, Special Diabetes Program for Indians, and more. The TSGAC and IHS meeting underscores the significance of collaboration, as we chart a course toward enhanced access to health care throughout Indian Country.

ONC Health IT Annual Meeting and TEFCA Launch Celebration

On December 14, Director Tso had the opportunity to participate in a fireside chat at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT Annual Meeting and Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) Launch Celebration. TEFCA represents interoperability standards that networks, including the IHS, must follow when sharing data, and the Common Agreement is a legal agreement that governs data sharing between networks. As you all know, the IHS is undergoing a massive initiative to modernize our health IT infrastructure. During our discussion, Director Tso spoke about the steps the IHS has taken thus far in that important process, and how TEFCA will enhance data sharing with the hundreds of partners across the 37 states where we deliver health care services. She also shared the exciting news of the recently revised agreement to facilitate reimbursement by the Department of Veterans Affairs to the IHS for health care related services provided by the IHS to eligible Native veterans.

Director Tso participating in the fireside chat: How TEFCA will Benefit Providers and Patients

HHS Secretary and HHS Region IX Director visit Phoenix Area IHS

On December 15, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and HHS Region IX Director Dr. Jeffrey Reynoso visited the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony Tribal Health Center to meet with tribal leaders and local and regional Indian health care advocates. The Secretary toured the facility and sat down with the tribal council to hear directly from them about the challenges they have faced, and to share the best practices that they are proud of as a self-governance tribe. RSIC Tribal Health Director Angie Wilson expressed her gratitude to the Secretary for the partnership and support they receive from IHS in providing quality health care services for the American Indian and Alaska Native patients that present for care at the health center.

2023 Health IT Modernization Program Recap

In 2023, we have made significant progress in the IHS Health Information Technology Modernization Program. Throughout the year, our dedicated IHS team and partners have worked diligently to prepare for the acquisition of a new enterprise Electronic Health Record solution. The program team is grateful for the opportunity to serve tribal and urban Indian organizations through the modernization of health care across throughout Indian Country. This year laid a strong foundation for their initiatives, and we look forward to all 2024 has to offer. Read the 2023 Health IT Modernization Program Recap blog post here.

IHS Publishes All-Inclusive Rates and Launches New Webpage to Support AIRs

On an annual basis, the IHS calculates and publishes calendar year reimbursement rates in the Federal Register. The rates are often referred to as the All-Inclusive Rates, or AIRs. The 2024 AIRs were published this week, several months earlier than in prior years and with measurable increases for all rates over the 2023 rates. The IHS also launched a new webpage dedicated to providing information on the AIRs, highlighting our commitment to providing transparency and clarity of information and processes to our tribal partners.

More Information:
Dear Tribal Leader Letter
New Reimbursement Rates Webpage
Federal Register Notice

DNS Forensic Nursing Consultation Program

The Division of Nursing Services has awarded the Forensic Nursing Consultation Program contract to the Texas A&M Center of Excellence in Forensic Nursing. The award of this highly anticipated five-year contract will provide much-needed advancement in forensic health care-related practices across IHS, tribal, and urban Indian facilities, ensuring our patients, families, and communities affected by violence receive trauma-informed health care and related resources. Click here to learn more.

IHS Deputy CIO Andrea Scott Spoke on Recruiting for High-Performing Teams

On December 12, IHS Deputy Chief Information Officer Andrea Scott participated in a panel discussion on “Empowering Excellence: Building High-Performing Tech Teams” during CDM Media’s Healthcare Tech Summit. She shared how the IHS Office of Information Technology has created a diverse workforce with more than 50 percent of division leaders who are female and also members of tribal nations. Tactics included employment paths for student interns, clear internal promotion paths across GS-levels, cross-division transfers, conversion of contractors, and standard telework and remote work. Andrea explained, “From recruiting at reservations and hiring college interns, to lab techs like myself who rose through the ranks with clear promotion paths, OIT actively builds a diverse workforce.” Dr. Setu Vora, chief medical officer for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, also spoke at the event on a “Digital Health Tribal Nation”. He covered improving access and engagement in health care for tribal communities and outlined the digital health journey of MPTN Health through the pandemic, emphasizing solutions to health care challenges faced by these communities.

Community Opioid Intervention and Prevention Program

The Division of Behavioral Health is pleased to announce the Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Community Opioid Intervention and Prevention Program. The purpose of this grant program is to address the opioid crisis in American Indian and Alaska Native communities by:

Developing and expanding community education and awareness of prevention, treatment, and recovery activities for opioid misuse and opioid use disorder;
Increasing knowledge and use of culturally appropriate interventions and to encourage an increased use of medication-assisted treatment/medications for opioid use disorder;
Supporting tribal and urban Indian communities in their effort to provide prevention, treatment, and recovery services to address the impact of the opioid crisis;
Increase harm reduction within tribal communities.

Tribes and urban Indian organizations can apply by February 7, 2024. The full notice is available here.

Hexavalent Combination Vaccine Listening Session

The CDC would like to learn from American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and tribal organizations about their perspective on potential updates to the preferential recommendation language for Hib vaccines for American Indian and Alaska Native infants to include the hexavalent combination vaccine, Vaxelis. Please share with our tribal leaders and communities to encourage joining a virtual 90-minute Zoom listening session at 2 p.m. ET on January 9, 2024, to share their experiences, needs, and ideas related to use of Hib vaccines in tribal communities. Register here.

IHS Funding Opportunities Support Tribal Self-Governance Planning and Negotiation Activities

Funding opportunities for the Fiscal Year 2024 Tribal Self-Governance Planning and Negotiation Cooperative Agreements administered by the Office of Tribal Self-Governance are now available and published in the Federal Register. The application deadline for both is February 19, 2024. These annual IHS cooperative agreement awards support tribes and tribal organizations with the planning and preparation necessary to assume responsibility for providing health care to tribal members through the Tribal Self-Governance Program. To learn more, read the recent IHS announcement.

Indian Health Service Scholarship

The IHS continuously strives to develop our next generation of leaders, as well as help make the pursuit of a meaningful career in Indian health attainable for American Indian and Alaska Native students. To support those efforts, the IHS Scholarship Program is now accepting applications for scholarship support for the 2024-2025 academic year. The IHS Scholarship Comparison Chart shows a list of eligible degree programs. Eligible students are encouraged to apply by February 28, 2024. Please share this widely with your networks, including with any parents or students who may be interested in this great opportunity.

IHS Externship Program

Applications are still being accepted for the IHS 2024 Summer Externship Program. This paid externship offers students the opportunity to gain working knowledge and experience in their chosen health profession or field with the Indian Health Service. Externships will be from May ?August 2024. The IHS continues to seek the next generation of leaders committed to improving the health of Native communities. The deadline to apply is January 8, 2024. Please share this widely with any parents or students who may be interested in this opportunity.

SmokefreeTEXT for American Indians and Alaska Natives

As part of a long-standing collaboration with the National Cancer Institute’s Smokefree.gov Initiative, the IHS announced the availability of SmokefreeNATIVE—a new, free text messaging program to help American Indians and Alaska Natives to quit smoking commercial tobacco. While sacred tobacco is important in many Native cultures for prayer, healing, and ceremony, commercial tobacco is harmful to our health. This program was developed by and for Native people to offer a culturally aligned, digital resource to improve access to evidence-based smoking cessation support. SmokefreeNATIVE offers six weeks of smoking cessation assistance and support with up to two weeks of preparation messages. People who smoke and are ready to set a date to stop can enroll anytime online or by texting NATIVE to 47848. Participants will receive three to five messages each day with information, encouragement, and support to help them on their journey to quit smoking. More information is available in the latest IHS blog post.

Gallup Indian Medical Center Emergency Department Dedication

The Gallup Indian Medical Center recently held a dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony for the new 14-bed emergency department building, which Director Tso had the opportunity to attend along with distinguished guests from Navajo Nation leadership and IHS headquarters. This is a remarkable achievement, symbolizing our commitment to providing comprehensive and culturally sensitive health care to this community. The highlight of this new building is the state-of-the-art CT scanner that is a cutting-edge platform for radiology services and additional trauma rooms. The expanded emergency department not only addresses patient flow but also implements efficient triage models, significantly reducing wait times—a marked improvement from the constraints of previous ED annex rooms. Special recognition goes to the dedicated individuals whose efforts brought about this achievement, including clinical staff, facility management, acquisition staff, and the Gallup Service Unit executive leadership team.

Dr. Paul Charlton providing a tour of the new GIMC Emergency Department modular building

Get Four Free A-Home COVID-19 Tests This Fall

Beginning on November 20, every home in the U.S. became eligible to order an additional four free, at-home COVID-19 tests. If you did not order tests this fall, you may place two orders for a total of eight tests. Your order of at-home COVID-19 tests is completely free–you won’t even pay for shipping. Order online or call 1-800-232-0233. The Administration for Strategic Preparedness & Response also developed a digital toolkit that includes printable flyers, social media posts, and graphics that can be shared to help raise awareness. This is especially important as families gather for the holidays and COVID-19 numbers rise across the country.

Tribal and Urban Indian Organization Members Participated in a Tribal Caucus at the December Virtual Summit

IHS leadership continued to increase partner awareness of the Health Information Technology Modernization Program during the Virtual Summit held on December 13. This event provided an opportunity for partner collaborations following the recent announcement that IHS selected General Dynamics Information Technology, Inc. to build, configure, and maintain the new enterprise Electronic Health Record solution using Oracle Health technology. Program updates were provided by Chief Information Officer Mitchell Thornbrugh. The Virtual Summit also included a Tribal Caucus, which provided time for tribal and urban Indian organization partners to gather virtually to formulate recommendations and feedback to IHS. Additionally, partners were encouraged to complete the Statement of Interest and participate in initial focus groups. With questions about the program or how to get involved, please email the Health IT Modernization team.

National Academy of Medicine Event

IHS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Loretta Christensen provided the keynote address at the National Academy of Medicine meeting on December 5 at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Among other objectives, the meeting explored case studies of workforce shortages in rural health settings and highlighted their strategies for overcoming workforce challenges and barriers to health worker well-being.

December 2023 Monthly Spotlight – Claremore Pharmacy, Oklahoma Area

Claremore's pharmacy team is being spotlighted this month for their hard work in establishing annual wellness visits. At these annual visits, pharmacists gain information about the patient’s medical and family history using a health risk assessment and review the patient’s overall wellness, including emotional and psychological well-being. This allows them to develop a personalized preventative medicine plan that helps prevent disease and disability based on the patient's current health and risk factors. All patients over the age of 66 can participate. Pharmacists are the primary lead for these visits. Based on risk, they will provide written recommendations to the primary care provider in the Electronic Health Record. A trial run for the program started in September 2023 to observe any obstacles that may occur. Now, they are scheduling these visits every day of the week. The program has been well received by both the patients and primary care providers. Congratulations to the Claremore pharmacy team!

Telebehavioral Health Center of Excellence

The Telebehavioral Health Center of Excellence Tele-Education Program is hosting the following training for health care providers:

“Behavioral Health Integration Webinar Series: Provider Roles: Changing the Way We Practice” on January 25 at 12 p.m. ET. Register here.

IHS Blogs

Subscribe to the IHS blog by providing your name and email address in the “Stay Connected”

Social Media
Follow IHS on X , Facebook and LinkedIn to see more of what the IHS is doing in your community and around the country. You can also follow the IHS Director on Facebook and X .