Covering Indian Country – March 2019

Additional resources

National Nutrition Month Support healthy eating habits in your community during National Nutrition Month in March. Are you looking to incorporate healthy menu options into your community's meetings, gatherings, and events? Check out the Ordering Nutritious & Indigenous Foods Guidelines & Checklist (PDF, 6.2 MB, 6 pp), a culturally appropriate resource developed by the American Indian Cancer Foundation and its partners at the Lower Sioux Indian Community and the Public Health Law Center. Additionally, download My Native Plate (PDF, 2.8 MB, 2 pp), a nutrition education tool from the Indian Health Service that features sample meals and tips for a varied diet.

Learn about diabetes risk and prevention services The American Diabetes Association encourages people to take a type 2 diabetes risk testand learn how to lower their risk of type 2 diabetes on its Alert Day, March 26. American Indians and Alaska Natives are at greater risk of diabetes than non-Hispanic White Americans. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, 17.6% of American Indians and Alaska Natives have diabetes, compared with 7.3% of non-Hispanic Whites. CMS's brochure, Diabetes Care and Health Coverage for American Indians and Alaska Natives, describes diabetes prevention and treatment services available through Medicaid, Medicare, insurance plans purchased from the Marketplace and Indian Health Service.

Medicare's new "What's Covered" mobile app The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have the "Is it covered?" question answered with the new mobile "What's Covered" app. Available for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play, this app offers information about covered services and medical equipment and costs for Medicare Parts A and B. Users simply type the service or item they are seeking information about into the app. The app then delivers information about whether that service or item is covered by Medicare Part A or Medicare Part B and the costs the user can expect to pay. Users can also access a list of covered preventive services.

SAMHSA releases Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) 61: Behavioral health services for Native Americans The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) 61 provides practical and culturally relevant guidance on effective behavioral health services for American Indians and Alaska Natives. TIP 61 is divided into three parts: a review of the American Indian and Alaska Native population's demographics, history, challenges, and cultural adaptations to behavioral health care; a discussion of culturally responsive professional environments for AI/AN clients; and a literature review. Download TIP 61.

National Indian Health Board Health Policy Fellowships Deadline: March 30. The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is offering 1-year fellowships for Native youth, ages 18 to 24, to learn ways to make a difference in the health of their communities. Fellows learn how to work with tribal leadership, analyze health policy, and become effective advocates. NIHB covers the costs of three in-person meetings and five virtual trainings. Learn more about the Fellowships.

Funding opportunities SAMHSA's "Building Communities of Recovery" Deadline: April 2, 2019 These grants are intended to support the development, enhancement, expansion, and delivery of recovery support services. They will also promote and provide education about recovery. Learn more about Building Communities of Recovery.   ANA funding opportunities for community-driven projects Deadline: April 15, 2019 The Social and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS) program supports community-driven projects that meet the needs of Native Americans in areas such as community health, substance abuse, nutrition and fitness, and mental health. Learn more about SEDS. The SEDS program for Alaska funds efforts that will enhance the administrative and project management capacity of Alaska Native village governments. Examples of such efforts include programs to address family and child welfare issues, emergency preparedness, and disaster recovery. Learn more about SEDS for Alaska..   CMS Innovation Center: Maternal Opioid Misuse (MOM) Model Deadline: May 6, 2019 CMS will provide state Medicaid agencies and their care-delivery partners funds to increase access to essential physical and behavioral health services for new and expectant mothers who misuse opioids and infants exposed to opioids before birth. Learn more about the MOM Model.   CMS Innovation Center: Integrated Care for Kids (InCK) Model Deadline: June 10, 2019 This child-centered local service delivery and state payment model aims to reduce expenditures and improve the quality of care for children covered by Medicaid and CHIP who have, or are at risk for developing, significant health needs. Learn more about the InCK Model.