Tribes across the country made impressive strides in many areas of healthcare with minimal capacity and small budgets. Their dedication and determination resulted in improved care in significant areas, including the treatment and management of diabetes. This progress brings the promise of better health for the next generation of Indian Country.
While these strides give real hope, they must be coupled with energetic efforts to address public health. Several public health issues either closely approach or reach epidemic status in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. Consider the following recent statistics:
Public health initiatives encompass a wide range of activities, from health promotion to disease and injury prevention to emergency preparation. Public health initiatives also range in the types of strategies they employ. An initiative may use a broad education campaign, or a targeted intervention, or an attractive incentive to bring about improvements in public health. Sometimes initiatives focus on learning more about a problem or developing better surveillance of disease. At other times, a public health initiative utilizes law and policy to bring about better health for a community.
Not every public health problem can or should be addressed through law. Some problems may be better suited to education efforts, for instance. But some of the most critical public health problems in Indian Country – like the epidemic of accidental injury – may be most effectively addressed by law, often in combination other public health strategies.
Tribal Public Health Law Project
The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) has partnered with the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) to assist Tribes who would like to learn more about or enact public health laws. As part of this project, NIHB and NCAI will work to raise awareness of public health laws (and their potential positive impacts) and identify and showcase existing Tribal public health laws. We will also discuss existing barriers to utilizing public health law as public health approach and invite stakeholders to join the discussion to generate strategies to overcome these barriers.
Your donation directly supports our programs and services, providing high-quality resources and support to our community.
National Indian Health Board
50 F St NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20001
© 2024 National Indian Health Board
President Trump’s recent Executive Orders on federal funding could have serious implications for Tribal health. NIHB is actively advocating for Tribal Nations and providing key updates—click to learn more and access resources.