November 2012 Blogs

IHS Listening Session Update

The IHS Listening Session scheduled for December 6, 2012, in Washington, D.C., will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Department of Health and Human Services Hubert H. Humphrey Building. For more information, including a copy of the letter sent to Tribes and a draft agenda, go to our tribal consultation page. The Listening Session is being held the day after the White House Tribal Nations Conference.

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IHS Listening Session

IHS is planning a half-day listening session the day after the White House Tribal Nations Conference on December 6, 2012, as an additional opportunity to provide input and dialogue with the IHS Director. Location and details will be posted here and sent to Tribes as soon as they are available. Please save the date!

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Healthy Native Communities Fellowship

The Healthy Native Communities Fellowship (HNCF) graduation ceremony was held in Washington, D.C., in October. The HNCF program trains American Indians and Alaska Natives in health, wellness, leadership, and community mobilization concepts and is co-sponsored by the IHS Health Promotion Program and the Healthy Native Communities Partnership, Inc. HNCF has trained over 255 fellows over the past 8 years, including this year's 25 graduates. Here is a picture from the event:

Click on the thumbnails for larger images

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IHS Navajo Area Listening Session

I traveled to Window Rock, AZ, to hold an IHS Navajo Area Listening Session in October. I met with the leadership of the Navajo Nation, including President Ben Shelly, Vice President Rex Lee Jim, and Council Delegate Jonathan Hale, and then toured the Navajo Nation Division of Health. John Hubbard, IHS Navajo Area Director, also attended the listening session. Here are some pictures from the visit:

Click on the thumbnails for larger images.

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USET Board of Directors Meeting

I met with the United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc., Board of Directors in October, where I provided an IHS update and answered questions. Here is a picture from the meeting of me with the IHS Nashville Area Director, Martha Ketcher:

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Meeting with Assistant Secretary Washburn

Yesterday I met with the new Department of Interior Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs, Kevin Washburn, who oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education. We had some initial discussions about common issues and possible collaborative efforts. Here is a picture from the meeting:

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National Congress of American Indians 69th Annual Convention

I attended the National Congress of American Indians 69th Annual Convention in Sacramento, CA. I provided an IHS update in the general session, met with Tribes, and attended the Health Committee. In my presentation I thanked the National Congress of American Indians for their partnership with the IHS. Here are some pictures from the meeting:

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Office of the Surgeon General

I met with Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, M.D., and her senior leadership to discuss our partnership with the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. IHS represents the largest group of officers in the Commissioned Corps, and these officers serve in some of our most hard-to-fill positions. We discussed recent changes in the mission of the Corps that should help us more with recruitment and retention of officers in the IHS since our mission matches well with the focus of the Corps to serve the most vulnerable populations. Here is a picture from the meeting:

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Hurricane Sandy Update

The impact of Hurricane Sandy continues to be felt in the New York and New Jersey areas, and our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the storm. Our IHS Nashville Area has been working closely with United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc. (USET) as they work with FEMA to help the Tribes impacted by the storm. As of November 1, all IHS, tribal, and urban Indian health clinics on the east coast were open, but some tribal communities such as Narragansett and Shinnecock continue to deal with power outages and damage from the storm.

IHS is also helping with HHS USPHS Commissioned Corps deployments to the region, and to date, over 60 IHS officers have been approved to deploy. HHS continues to provide support for the health, mental health, and human services needs in the region impacted by the storm. The IHS Nashville Area will continue to monitor the situation and work with USET and the Tribes in the affected region.

I have received emails from IHS employees wondering how they can help. USET has set up a Tribal Emergency Relief Fund on their website , and other non-governmental organizations that are helping to assist in the general response to the hurricane, such as the American Red Cross, are accepting donations. You can check news sources for ways you can help; for some ideas, here's an article on the CNN website .

Thank you to all of our employees who are helping with the storm recovery efforts. I continue to be grateful for the enormous dedication and compassion of our employees and our tribal partners. Their commitment to serve makes a difference every single day.

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Office of General Counsel Meetings

IHS works closely with its Office of General Counsel (OGC) on a variety of complicated legal matters each day. In September, the Public Health Division of the HHS OGC met in the IHS Reyes Building for their annual meeting. In October, the IHS Chief Medical Officers met with the regional OGC attorneys to discuss clinical and legal issues. Here are pictures from those meetings:

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Tribal Delegation Meeting: Norton Sound Health Corporation

I met with the Norton Sound Health Corporation in a tribal delegation meeting where we discussed the final steps in the construction of their new hospital in Nome, AK. Here is a picture from the meeting:

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