WHEREAS, the National Indian Health Board (NIHB), established in 1972, serving all federally recognized American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Tribal governments by advocating for the improvement of health care delivery to AI/ANs, as well as upholding the federal government’s Trust Responsibility to AI/AN Tribal governments, does hereby establish and submit the following resolution; and

WHEREAS, Tribal Nations are inherent public health authorities; and

WHEREAS, Tribal Epidemiology Centers (TEC) were designated as public health authorities under Section 214 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA)¹ ; and

WHEREAS, despite these authorities under federal law and regulations, both Tribes and TECs are routinely denied access to public health data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and from state and local health departments; and

WHEREAS, a 2016 report from the CDC found that racial misclassification of AI/ANs on death certificates remained as high as 40% from 1999-2011 – over 13 times higher than for Hispanic or Asian/Pacific Islander populations² ; and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Indian Health Board calls on the Congress to enact legislation to improve data sharing, to strengthen Trial public health infrastructure; and

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the National Indian Health Board calls upon the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to give direct access of public health data to Tribes, the Indian Health Service, and TECs; and

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the National Indian Health Board calls upon the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop guidance for state and local health agencies to improve the quality and accuracy of birth and death record data for AI/ANs; and

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2003. HIPAA Privacy Rule and Public Health Guidance from CDC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from
• Arias E, Heron M, Hakes JK. The validity of race and Hispanic-origin reporting on death certificates in the United States: An update. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Stat 2(172). 2016.