WHEREAS, the National Indian Health Board (NIHB), established in 1972, serves all federally recognized American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Tribal governments to provide one, unified voice affirming and empowering AI/AN Peoples to protect and improve health and reduce health disparities; and

WHEREAS, the NIHB advocates for Tribes to ensure that the federal government upholds its trust responsibility to AI/AN Tribal governments; and

WHEREAS, Tribes have a vested interest in public health activities and regulation and in providing valuable public health services to the populations they serve; and

WHEREAS, Tribes deliver public health services through various funding sources and partnerships resulting in a complex public health delivery system; and

WHEREAS, the NIHB, working through its standing Tribal Public Health Accreditation Advisory Board (TPHAAB), determined that voluntary public health accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) was feasible and identified significant enthusiasm for public health accreditation as consistent with the Native vision of healthy communities and improving health broadly; and