June 2014 Blogs

Contract Support Costs Update

Here is a chart with the latest update on IHS's progress on Contract Support Costs past claims settlements. Overall, approximately 900 pending claims have been or are in the process of being analyzed, and IHS has extended settlement offers on 410 claims and has settlements accepted or completed on 262 claims for a total settlement value of $448.8 million as of June 27, 2014. IHS will continue its work to make as many offers as possible on pending claims this year and will continue to provide regular updates. If Tribes have questions on the status of their claims, please contact your Area Director.

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Direct Service Tribes National Meeting

The IHS Direct Service Tribes Advisory Committee will be hosting their 11th Annual Direct Service Tribes National Meeting on July 9-10 at the Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown, 2600 Louisiana Blvd NE, in Albuquerque, NM. We will discuss several issues, including the Affordable Care Act, recruitment and retention, purchased and referred care, healthcare facilities, contract support costs, and other direct service issues. To register please visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DSTRegistration Exit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov  or for more information, please visit http://www.ihs.gov/DSTNM/

President Obama’s Trip to North Dakota

Last Friday, I had the honor of attending President Obama’s visit to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota. He attended the Tribe’s Annual Flag Day Celebration in Cannon Ball, ND. The Tribe did a great job hosting this well-coordinated event, and it was so much fun to see how excited the community members were for the visit.

The President’s speech is available here. Exit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov  The President announced new efforts to strengthen tribal communities through economic development and education. The fact sheet Exit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov  posted on the White House website announced our new Veterans Hiring Initiative, and I will send you more details separately. There is also a great video Exit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov  on the White House website that shows highlights from the day’s events. Here are a few of my photos from the event.

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Let’s Move! in Indian Country Celebrates 3rd Anniversary

On June 16, Let’s Move! in Indian Country (LMIC) celebrated its third anniversary at the Pueblo of Zuni in New Mexico. The Pueblo of Zuni exemplifies a community-driven effort to prevent childhood obesity by implementing innovative programming  that is firmly based on their traditions and culture. The Zuni commitment to improving the health of youth and families is also evidenced by their partnerships with the IHS, Nike N7 Fund, and the Notah Begay III Foundation.

Our IHS group was welcomed by Governor Quetawki, the Zuni community, and Traditional Zuni Youth Dancers who performed a beautiful Butterfly Dance. We visited the Zuni Youth Enrichment Program Summer Campers, who were playing games, gardening, and learning about how healthy eating and exercise make us all strong. We also visited the Zuni Comprehensive Health Center, saw firsthand how they are actively promoting breastfeeding, and helped celebrate their recent national designation as a Baby-Friendly Hospital.  We closed the day at the Zuni Wellness Center with a Kids Zumba class.  Some pictures of the event are posted below.

Please join me on Friday, June 20, from 1 – 3pm EDT for a variety of presentations featuring LMIC activities, accomplishments, and resources available to Native communities in support of childhood obesity prevention efforts. Attendees will also have the opportunity to share their tribe’s or organization's accomplishments and ask the presenters questions during this interactive session. Join the session here.

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Contract Support Costs Update

The Indian Health Service and the Bureau of Indian Affairs are holding a consultation session on Contract Support Costs (CSC) on June 8, 2014, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Dena'ina Center in Anchorage, AK, as a part of the upcoming 2014 National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Mid Year Conference. At this session, we will continue formal consultation and open dialogue on CSC, particularly focusing on working together to identify long-term solutions to this issue. For more information about the event, please visit the NCAI website .

For your reference, here is a copy [PDF - 240 KB] of the original invitation letter sent to Tribal Leaders from Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn for the session at NCAI Mid Year Conference, and my letter [PDF - 98 KB] dated May 12, 2014, with a general update on CSC. There will be other opportunities to provide input in the next several weeks if you are not able to attend the session next week, and we will provide additional announcements of those opportunities in the near future. You can submit input at any time at consultation@ihs.gov.

Since the focus of the session is on a long-term solution for CSC appropriations, and we will not be discussing the CSC past claims settlement progress, I am providing the latest update [PDF - 56 KB] on IHS progress on settling past CSC claims for your information.