Dear Tribal Leader Letters

On Thursday, June 30, 2022 at 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. ET, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will hold a virtual Tribal Consultation & Urban Confer focused on improving maternal health research to support Tribal communities. NIH is expanding an existing agency-wide program known as Implementing a Maternal health and Pregnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE), which focuses on reducing preventable causes of maternal deaths and improving health for women before, during, and after delivery. NIH is launching a new Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence and will publish a new Funding Opportunity Announcement in the upcoming months. The attached Framing Letter provides additional information on the initiative.

Questions for the consultation include the following:

• How can the goals and objectives of the Centers of Excellence be inclusive of the needs of tribal communities?
• Are there research priorities or types/areas of research, e.g., culturally-based practices, that should be included to specifically address the needs of expectant mothers and their families in tribal communities?
• How can we better encourage and facilitate research partnerships with tribal communities on maternal health topics?
• What special considerations for tribes should be in place as we develop funding opportunities?
• How should the data hub for the Centers of Excellence be established to incorporate and sustain tribal sovereignty for data collected and stored?

Link to join the consultation over Zoom is included in the letter. Written comments can also be submitted to [email protected] until July 16, 2022.

On April 15, the Indian Health Service (IHS) is seeking Tribal Consultation from all 12 IHS areas on how to best use the funds from the Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) for the upcoming fiscal year 2023. Specifically, IHS is requesting answers from Tribes from four questions. 1) What type of data does your SDPI program collect (clinical, prevention, education, etc.)? 2) What challenges do SDPI community-directed programs experience with spending SDPI funds, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic? 3) How can the IHS improve Federal grant management processes and make improvements at the Federal level to better support Tribal programs? 4) What recommendations do you have regarding the best way to support Tribes and Tribal Organizations not currently funded by the SDPI without impacting the current funding distribution? Written comments can be submitted to [email protected]. Comments are due on May 15, 2022.

On April 6, the Department of Health, and Human Services (HHS) released a Dear Tribal Leader Letter informing Tribes of the newly updated Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2022-2026. You can access the Strategic Plan at this website: Strategic Plan FY 2022 – 2026 | HHS.gov   Overall, this plan has five Strategic Goals which are highlighted. These goals include

1. Protecting and Strengthening Equitable Access to High Quality and Affordable Healthcare.
2. Safeguarding and Improving National and Global Health Conditions and Outcomes.
3. Strengthening Social Well-Being, Equity, and Economic Resilience.
4. Restoring Trust and Accelerating Advancements in Science and Research for All.
5. Advancing Strategic Management to Build Trust, Transparency, and Accountability.

  In creating this plan, the Department held three events for Tribal leaders and members to attend and provide input. Relating to input from Tribal leaders at these events, HHS extended its comment deadline to January 19, 2022, and on January 13, 2022, the last Consultation session was held with Secretary Becerra.   The Department states in the letter that this updated Strategic Plan responds to recommendations from Tribes and Tribal organizations to reflect the specific health and human service needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives such as focusing on maternal health, behavioral health, economic opportunity, and addressing trauma.   For questions on the Strategic Plan please contact [email protected].

The Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released a Dear Tribal Leader Letter on the “2022-2026 FEMA National Tribal Strategy”. This strategy is designed to incorporate Tribal input and ideas on how to improve agency support to Tribes when responding to, preparing and recovering from disasters. FEMA coordinated 10 regional feedback sessions with Tribes to seek feedback on the draft. Comments are due on April 11, 2022. To submit comments please email [email protected].

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be hosting its annual Tribal Budget Consultation. This consultation aims to provide an open discussion for Tribes on national health and human services with HHS leadership. This consultation will be held virtual and planning calls will be held before the consultation to accurately identify the Tribal specific concerns at national and regional levels. Planning calls will be held on: • Thursday, March 17, 2022 at 1:00 PM ET • Thursday, March 24, 2022 at 1:00 PM ET • Thursday, March 31, 2022 at 1:00 PM ET Written testimony can be sent to [email protected].