Support Direct Funding from CDC to Tribes and Tribal Organizations for Public Health Work in Indian Country

WHEREAS, the National Indian Health Board (NIHB), established by Tribal nations in 1972, serves all Federally recognized American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Tribal governments by advocating for the improvement of health outcomes in AI/AN communities, as well as upholding the Federal government’s trust responsibility to AI/AN Tribal governments; and

WHEREAS, the National Indian Health Board is the only Tribal organization to perform this work at the national level, working in support and coordination with Tribal organizations at the Area and local level; and

WHEREAS, American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Tribal nations share a unique government to government relationship with the federal government which requires the federal government to provide health services to Tribal nations; and

WHEREAS, the government to government relationship is between no governments other than the U.S. federal government and federally-recognized Tribal governments; and

WHEREAS, as sovereign nations, AI/AN Tribal Nations have an inherent right to promote and protect the health of their people; and

WHEREAS, AI/AN have the lowest life expectancy of any demographic and suffer from some of the worst health disparities in the U.S.in a wide array of indicators such as diabetes, cancer, addiction, and injury; and

WHEREAS, Apart from statistics that highlight negative results, resiliency is inherent to Tribal Nations and evidence from asset-based programming is needed to contribute to a vision of healthy nations;

WHEREAS, Advancing health equity in Tribal communities remains a continued unmet priority across Indian Country; and

WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides funding to improve the health and well-being of AI/ANs and support public health infrastructure; and