Covering Indian Country – August 2019

August: National Immunization Awareness Month

Share this ad in your newsletter or on your website. Other sizes are available on CMS’s Outreach and Education Resources page. Public service announcements Share these informational audio clips and videos on your local radio station, website, and Facebook page. Audio  English Lakota Navajo Ojibwe Yupik Zuni Video  English Lakota Navajo Ojibwe Yupik Zuni Tweet it #Immunizations give kids and adults their best shot at health. Are your vaccines up to date? https://youtu.be/9KRN8mL7Dwo #CMSNativeHealth Flyers and fact sheets Download these resources or order copies on the Tribal Products Ordering Page. Please allow 2 weeks for your order to be completed. My Health—Children’s and Adult Vaccinations (PDF, 1.4 MB, 2 pp) includes checklists to help ensure people of all ages are getting the vaccines they need. Healthy Students, Promising Futures: School-Based Health for Indian Country (PDF, 738 KB, 2 pp) offers suggestions for connecting students to insurance and building partnerships that increase access to health care in schools. Off to College: Don’t Forget Your Health Care (PDF, 1.5 MB, 2 pp) explains what college-bound American Indian and Alaska Native students should know about health coverage options and vaccinations.

Health observances

National Immunization Awareness Month Observed each August, National Immunization Awareness Month highlights the importance of vaccination for people of all ages. Vaccines help prevent diseases, such as measles and whooping cough. As families gear up for a new school year, show your support for immunization requirements and recommendations by encouraging everyone you know in Indian Country to visit the Protect Your Circle website. Sponsored by the South Dakota Department of Health, the website includes vaccination schedules and other resources to help Native families stay up to date. Opioid Misuse Prevention Day: August 30 Opioid Misuse Prevention Day focuses attention on the causes of, and treatments for opioid misuse and addiction. In the weeks leading up to this annual health observance, help decrease the risk for opioid dependence and overdose by sharing 2 webinars: Opioid Prevention Strategies Building Blocks of Prevention: Public Health Tools for the Opioid Crisis The recordings are part of a Tribal Opioid Response (TOR) webinar series hosted by the National American Indian and Alaska Native Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration funds the TOR program and the ATTC Network.

Additional resources

Think Cultural Health Improving Cultural Competency for Behavioral Health Professionals is now available on the Think Cultural Health website of the Office of Minority Health. The free online training program takes approximately 5 hours to complete. It is accredited for licensed alcohol and drug counselors, nurses, psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers. Access the Think Cultural Health website today for a sneak peek at the training program or to view videos about the importance of culturally and linguistically appropriate services. CMS enhances its Mapping Medicare Disparities Tool Recently, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced improvements to its interactive Mapping Medicare Disparities Tool. The tool’s Population View now includes additional inpatient utilization measures and updated American Community Survey data profile pages. Additionally, the Hospital View includes new quality measures. Intended for researchers, administrators, and policy makers, the Mapping Medicare Disparities Tool allows users to see how chronic conditions, such as depression or hypertension, impact Medicare beneficiaries in different geographic areas. For help using the tool, watch the demonstration video or check out the Quick Start Guide(PDF, 43 KB, 2 pp). Celebrating the magic of transgender and Two-Spirit youth A new toolkit to improve access to health care for Native transgender and Two-Spirit youth is now available thanks to the efforts of Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board and the Seattle Children’s Hospital Center for Diversity and Health Equity. Celebrating Our Magic (PDF, 30.6 MB, 98 pp) includes resources to: teach Native transgender and Two-Spirit youth how to advocate for themselves when interacting with health care providers and help families and health care providers become more supportive and respectful of non-binary perspectives on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender roles. The toolkit also features photos and brief biographies of notable Native transgender and Two-Spirit individuals. No September newsletter This newsletter will not be published in September. Please keep an eye out for th

Funding opportunities

Connecting Kids to Coverage outreach and enrollment funding Letter of intent due: August 19, 2019 Application deadline: September 16, 2019 View the Connecting Kids to Coverage funding opportunity CMS has $6 million available for efforts to educate Native families about the availability of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program and help them with the application and renewal process. Letters of intent are due on August 19. Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship Deadline: September 13, 2019 View the Fellowship funding opportunity First Nations Development Institute has partnered with The Henry Luce Foundation to fund 10 fellowships of $50,000 each for Native individuals whose work benefits Indigenous people in reservation and/or urban settings. Funding recipients will be required to convene 3 times during the year-long fellowship to share knowledge and create a community of practice. Health care professionals are eligible to apply. We R Native Youth Community Service Mini-Grants Applications accepted on an ongoing basis View the Mini-Grant funding opportunity We R Native, a comprehensive resource center developed by Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, is offering funds to support community service projects, such as health fairs or activities held in conjunction with national health observances. Native youth ages 13–21 are encouraged to apply.

Calendar of events

CMS National Training Program (NTP) Workshop September 10–12, 2019  Providence, RI Register for the NTP workshop in Providence Workshop topics include key aspects of the Medicare program, the opioid crisis, an overview of the new Plan Finder on Medicare.gov, and scenario-based learning. Check the NTP Workshop Details page for more information. Fourth Annual Conference on Native American Nutrition September 15–18, 2019  Prior Lake, MN Register for the Conference on Native American Nutrition This conference is for tribal officials, researchers, and others with an interest in Native nutrition and food science. Topics include youth voices, urban and rural nutrition issues, and more. NIHB’s 36th Annual National Tribal Health Conference September 16–19, 2019  Temecula, CA Register for the National Tribal Health Conference Plan to attend the National Tribal Health Conference, sponsored by the National Indian Health Board (NIHB). The conference will focus on how updating health policies impacts tribes. Your attendance will help NIHB increase tribes’ capacity and ability to advocate for public, behavioral, and environmental health priorities. 3rd Annual National Native Health Research Training Conference September 23–25, 2019  Temecula, CA Register for the National Native Health Research Training Conference The theme of this year’s National Native Health Research Training Conference is “Tribal Health Research Agenda: Governance, Trust, and Culture.” The conference will help students, researchers, and health professionals develop research methods that are consistent with traditional Native ways of knowing. Sessions will focus on behavioral health, biomedical and health systems research, traditional medicine, and traditional ecological knowledge/environmental health.