About the Healthy Indian Country Initiative
Promoting Innovative and Successful Tribal Prevention Programs
as Models For the Future
HICI Consultant
National Indian Health Board
Phone: (202) 507-4070
slocario@nihb.org
Audrey D. Solimon, MPH
Senior Advisor, Public Health Programs
National Indian Health Board
Phone: (202) 507-4078
asolimon@nihb.org
In 2007, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael Leavitt led a cross-country bus tour that promoted the “A Healthier U.S. Starts Here” initiative. The tour, which was aimed at promoting prevention efforts and efforts to promote healthier living, examined more than 20 sites in Indian country where the HHS noted that Tribes were providing unique, innovative and successful programs that improved the health of their community
The bus tour and the National Tribal Budget Consultation sessions resulted in the “Healthy Indian Country Initiative (HICI).” The Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP) was awarded 1.2 million dollars from the Health & Human Services Office of Minority Health (HHS/OMH) to partner with 3 national Tribal organizations: the National Indian Health Board (NIHB), the National Indian Council on Aging (NICOA), and the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH), to help support ongoing successful preventative health activities with 13 Tribal organizations, all of whom would receive funding via the AAIP.
The following Tribal communities were chosen for participation in the HICI project due to their current successful prevention projects. Each Tribal community is unique in their approach to tackling the health issues that continue to plague Indian Country today.
| Tribal Community | Topic Areas |
| 1. Coeur d’Alene Tribe (Idaho) | Youth Leadership Life Skills Training |
| 2.Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (Washington) | Historical/Multigenerational Trauma Suicide Prevention |
| 3.Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians (Maine) | Tobacco Use Prevention/Cessation Diabetes Prevention |
| 4.Hualapai Tribe (Arizona) | Alcohol & Substance Abuse Prevention |
| 5.Indian Health Board of Nevada | Methamphetamine Use Prevention |
| 6.Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (Wisconsin) | Violence Prevention (emphasis on Domestic Violence Prevention) |
| 7.Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians (Michigan) | Youth Leadership Life Skills Training |
| 8.Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (Michigan) | Healthy Living/Healthy Eating (emphasis on Traditional Foods/Gardening) |
| 9.Native Village of Minto (Alaska) | Alcohol & Substance Abuse Prevention Youth Leadership |
| 10.Penobscot Indian Nation (Maine) | Youth Leadership Suicide Prevention Tobacco Use Prevention/Cessation Healthy Living/Healthy Eating |
| 11.Ponca Tribe of Nebraska | Improving the Health Status of American Indian Women |
| 12.Rosebud Sioux Tribe (South Dakota) | Youth Leadership Suicide Prevention Alcohol & Substance Abuse Prevention |
| 13.
Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe (South Dakota) |
Driver Safety Alcohol & Substance Abuse Prevention |
This exciting partnership with the 13 Tribal grantees and the collaboration with the national Tribal organizations will not only be able to aid the Tribal communities in continuing the wonderful and successful work they have begun, but the HICI project will also be responsible for the creation of:
- A “Promising Prevention Practices” database/resource guide for Indian Country.
- Educational materials specific to Native Elders to better understand youth issues.
- Educational materials specific to urban Indians on prevention issues and community activities.
Each of these major HICI project deliverables are the responsibility of the NIHB, the NICOA, and the NCUIH, respectively. However, in order to achieve these deliverables, the national Tribal organizations and the Tribal grantees are working together to make the HICI project successful.
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