August 2012 Blogs

Request for Comments: FY 2011 Report to Congress/Tribal Self-Governance Program

I sent a letter to Tribes requesting comments on our draft Fiscal Year 2011 Report to Congress on Administration of the Tribal Self-Governance Program, as required by the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act amendments. Comments are due on October 19, 2012. Here is the letter [PDF - 26K] and the draft Report to Congress[PDF - 275K].

NCAI Health Fellowship Workshop

I attended the NCAI (National Congress of American Indians) Health Fellowship Workshop and presented on a panel with the National Indian Health Board and the National Council on Urban Indian Health. The audience included NCAI's inaugural Native Graduate Health Fellowship recipient, Lisa Begay, who previously worked as a dental hygienist in the IHS and who now is a dental student at the Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health. Other finalists and students who applied were invited to the workshop. Here are pictures from the workshop.

Click on the thumbnails for larger images.

 

 

 

IHCIA Implementation Update: Draft Urban Confer Policy

The recent Indian Health Care Improvement Act reauthorization included a provision that requires IHS to confer with urban Indian organizations. The new draft policy is posted in the Federal Register for comment, and was sent to Tribes for consultation. Here is a copy of the letter [PDF - 27K] to Tribes and a link to the Federal Register Exit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov  posting.

IHS Tribal Consultation Update

The final agenda for the IHS Tribal Consultation Summit to be held on August 7-8, 2012, in Denver, CO, is posted on the tribal consultation website.

We have also posted several new tribal leader letters providing updates on consultation activities and have initiated a few new consultations. We have also developed a summary of all consultation activities initiated since June 2009 with brief updates on their status and outcomes. You can find those on our tribal leader letter website.

If the letter does not state a deadline for comments, then our practice is to request comments in 60 days from the date of the letter. Comments are always welcome addressed to me at IHS Headquarters in Rockville, MD, or by email to consultation@ihs.gov. Hope to see you at the IHS Tribal Consultation Summit!