May 30, 2023: IHS Updates for Tribes and Tribal and Urban Indian Organizations

This bi-weekly update provides up to date information on Indian Health Service and other federally-hosted meetings, conferences, deadlines and recognition from across the Indian health system. For more information or questions, email IHSPublicAffairsStaff@ihs.gov.

IHS Leadership Strategic Planning Session

Last week, the IHS executive leadership team met in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for a strategic planning session to further develop and monitor progress on the IHS 2019-2023 Strategic Plan, 2023 Agency Action Plan and IHS enterprise risk management work. During the meeting, leadership reviewed key priorities, risk assessment and action items to guide agency improvements throughout the year. Discussions included the progress being made, timelines for further action and the resources needed to accomplish goals consistent with the IHS mission.

IHS leadership team meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota

National Council of Urban Indian Health Conference

IHS Director Roselyn Tso recently attended the National Council of Urban Indian Health’s “Honoring our Ancestors ∓ Preparing for the Next Seven Generations” conference in Washington, D.C. At the meeting, Director Tso was able to share agency priorities and hear directly from urban Indian organization leaders as and discuss health and resource needs of urban Indian communities. During her remarks, Director Tso reiterated the IHS’ commitment to providing safe, quality health care to urban communities and encouraged our partners to review the new IHS 2023 Agency Work Plan. Without strong partnerships from NCUIH and urban Indian organizations, the IHS would not be able to provide our patients, families and communities with the health care they need and deserve.

While at the conference, Director Tso also attended U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough’s remarks. NCUIH presented Sec. McDonough and Councilman Nicklaus Lewis, Lummi Indian Business Council, with Native Veterans Health Ally Awards. The IHS continues to regard the health status of American Indian and Alaska Native veterans as one of our highest priorities.

(Left to Right) Robyn Sunday-Allen, chief executive officer, Oklahoma City Indian Clinic; Francys Crevier, chief executive officer, National Council on Urban Indian Health; VA Secretary Denis McDonough; IHS Director Roselyn Tso; and Councilman Nicklaus Lewis, Lummi Indian Business Council

Direct Service Tribal Advisory Committee Meeting

Director Roselyn Tso was recently joined by IHS headquarters leadership to provide updates and participate in discussions at the quarterly Direct Service Tribal Advisory Committee meeting in Richmond, Virginia. Established in 2005, DSTAC plays a crucial role in improving tribal public health outcomes for American Indians and Alaska Natives, advising the agency on the development of health policy and participating in IHS decision-making that affects the delivery of health care. The DSTAC is comprised of elected and appointed tribal leaders from nine IHS Areas with direct service tribes.

Quarterly Direct Service Tribal Advisory Committee meeting in Richmond, Virginia

OIG Consumer Alert: Fraud Schemes Targeting Native American Communities in Behavioral Health Treatment Centers

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General recently alerted the public of fraudulent schemes targeting tribal members in behavioral health treatment centers. Thank you to tribal and urban Indian health program leaders, along with IHS staff and programs, who have reported concerns to the appropriate law enforcement entities to help put an end to this fraudulent activity. The IHS will continue coordinating with the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, tribal leadership, urban Indian program leadership, and community partners to provide needed treatment, coordination, placement and transportation for those affected. To learn more, read the letter to tribal and urban Indian organization leaders.

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Throughout May, the IHS has joined many across the nation in observing Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. As the month comes to an end, join us in paying tribute to the remarkable achievements made by AANHPIs in advancing the future of our country. Please follow along on the IHS Facebook page as we recognize AANHPI colleagues for sharing their talents in helping to further the IHS mission.

IHS Personnel Update

Capt. Jana M. Towne, RN, BSN, MHA, an enrolled member of the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, was recently named as the acting director for the Office of Quality. Capt. Towne serves as the principal advisor to the IHS director on health care quality and compliance and provides leadership and management of the IHS quality and national compliance programs. In this position, she has responsibility and oversight of the health care innovation and quality improvement, risk management, patient safety and compliance activities of the agency.

Acting Director for the Office of Quality Capt. Jana Towne, RN, BSN, MHA

Webinar – Tribal Dementia Capacity Building: Early Lessons Learned from IHS Dementia Models of Care Grantees

On May 30, the IHS Elder Health Team is hosting the fourth webinar in the spring Alzheimer’s Grant Program webinar series to support tribal capacity building for Alzheimer’s and dementia. This webinar will include a panel of current IHS Alzheimer’s grantees discussing their original project plans, updates on the evolution of their work as they have moved into program implementation, and tips for IHS, tribal and urban Indian organization staff interested in improving clinical care for people living with dementia and those interested in applying for current IHS funding. To learn more about the recently announced funding opportunity, read the March IHS blog. To view past webinars, visit the Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Program webinars webpage.

• Models of Dementia Clinical Care: Early Lessons Learned from IHS Grantees
  May 30 at 4:00 p.m. ET | Register Now

Webinar – Resilience in Dementia Caregiving

The IHS Elder Health Team is proud to partner with seven federal agencies in planning the 2023 Focus on Aging: Federal Partners’ webinar series. Caregiving for a person living with dementia requires resilience–a capacity to adapt and persevere in the face of stress. In light of the growing prevalence of dementia in the U.S. and the necessity of dementia caregiving, research on caregiver resilience is critical, as are practical tools and strategies for building resilience among dementia caregivers. This webinar will feature a panel of four speakers discussing the latest research on resilience in dementia caregiving and providing real-world insights from dementia caregivers who are helping others to learn about resilience. Join the IHS Elder Care Listserv to stay up to date on announcements, webinars, and more.

• Focus on Aging: Federal Partners’ Webinar – Resilience in Dementia Caregiving
  June 5 at 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. ET | Register Now

National Tribal Opioid Summit

In partnership with the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, the IHS will cohost the National Tribal Opioid Summit in Tulalip, Washington, Aug. 22-24. This three-day event will address the intersection of COVID-19 and the opioid crisis throughout tribal communities, focusing on centering the voices of recovery and tribal communities, effective solutions in Indian Country, culture as prevention and intervention, and a culture night hosted by the Tulalip Tribe of Indians. For more information, please visit the event webpage.

Infection Prevention and Control Training for Nurse Leaders

The Partnership to Advance Tribal Health and the IHS National Nursing Leadership Council Executive Committee released the two-part series on infection prevention and control as on-demand videos for those unable to attend the live meeting. The course features three speakers with decades of combined experience in IPC and covers important concepts for an experienced or emerging nurse leader to know, champion and monitor. Three hours of nursing CEUs are available through April 2025 for those who did not attend the live sessions and are taking this course for the first time.

• Access the videos and receive up to 3 hours of nursing CEUs
• References and resources for nursing leaders on infection prevention and control

Telebehavioral Health Center of Excellence Trainings
The IHS Telebehavioral Health Center of Excellence Tele-Education Program is hosting the following trainings for health care providers over the next two weeks:

• Maternal Mental Health: Screening Practices and Resources for the Field
  May 31 at 12:00 p.m. ET | Register now
• TBHCE Webinar Series: Eating Disorders: Awareness and Screening
  June 6 at 12:00 p.m. ET | Register now
• Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Webinar Series: Introduction to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
  June 8 at 1:00 p.m. ET | Register now

DDTP Advancements in Diabetes Webinars

The IHS Division of Diabetes Treatment and Prevention: Advancements in Diabetes Webinar Series is hosting the following webinar for health care providers:

• Native Nutrition Principles and Menus Inspired by the Ancestors
  May 31 at 3:00 p.m. ET. Attend the webinar

Save the Date

June 1: June Tribal and Urban Indian Organizations Call
June 1-2: IHS Director's Advisory Workgroup on Tribal Consultation
June 13: Tribal Leaders Diabetes Committee Meeting
June 15: DSTAC Monthly Meeting
June 20: IHS National Tribal Advisory Committee on Behavioral Health Meeting

Latest IHS Blogs

• Celebrating 2023 Emergency Medical Services Week
• Recognizing the Importance of Mental Health Awareness Month

Other News

National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Conference

On May 16, the Office of Information Technology Division of Information Security represented the IHS at this year’s National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Conference. The event was held in person for the first time in three years. The team set up a booth in the exhibitor hall and shared award-winning cybersecurity awareness products and best practices from the IHS for engaging and training on various cybersecurity topics.

Office of Information Technology Division of Information Security staff Aziza Sharp, Mike Ginn and Ed Conley at the National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Conference

Injury Prevention Specialists Meeting

During the week of May 15, injury prevention specialists representing the IHS Areas participated in the annual IHS Injury Prevention meeting, in collaboration with the CDC. The IHS Injury Prevention Program promotes building the capacity of tribes and communities by increasing understanding of the injury problem, sharing effective solutions, and assisting communities in implementing programs. Also attending were seven injury prevention fellows participating in the IHS Injury Prevention Fellowship Program, a 16-month advanced learning experience for individuals promoting injury prevention in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The current cohort of fellows is addressing pedestrian safety, opioid poisoning, elder fall prevention and suicide prevention. To learn more, visit the IHS Injury Prevention Program website.

(Photo 1) IHS Injury and Violence Prevention Fellows (Photo 2) IHS and CDC Injury Prevention Specialists

IHS Pharmacy Residents Attend Commissioned Officers Foundation 2023 Symposium

On May 10, a large number of prior IHS pharmacy residents participated in the Pharmacy Category Day at the 2023 Commissioned Officers Foundation Symposium. This group of USPHS pharmacist officers all started their careers with the IHS and now serve in many agencies across the HHS and DoD. The IHS pharmacy residency program is known for providing a strong post-graduate training foundation that enables pharmacists to advance their careers in progressively challenging clinical and administrative roles. This highly competitive and successful training program was started at the Gallup Indian Medical Center in 1976 and has produced more than 400 residency graduates from IHS and tribal facilities across the country. The current national program coordinator lead is Capt. Kendall Van Tyle. To learn more, visit the IHS pharmacy residencies website.

Forty-four former IHS pharmacy residents and national coordinators attending the 2023 COF Symposium in Tulsa, Oklahoma

HHS Assistant Secretary of Health Adm. Rachel Levine, M.D., recently joined Capt. Mehran Massoudi, HHS regional health administrator; Kristie Brooks, SAMHSA regional director; Rear Adm. Travis Watts, Oklahoma City Area director; Keith Reed, Oklahoma State Department of Health Commissioner, and Dr. Bruce Dart, executive director of the Tulsa Health Department; for a meaningful visit to the Indian Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa. During the visit, they had the opportunity to meet with Carmelita Skeeter, chief executive officer, and key members of IHCRC’s executive leadership team. The group engaged in robust conversation surrounding prominent issues affecting Native American communities, including maternal health, harm reduction through mental health treatment and substance abuse services, and the pressing matter of climate change and resiliency. Throughout the visit, collaborative efforts were emphasized, reflecting a shared commitment to addressing the unique health care challenges faced by tribal communities.

HHS Assistant Secretary of Health Adm. Rachel Levine, M.D., visits the Indian Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa