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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Director's Blog

Tribal Home Visiting Program - Grant Announcement

Posted on September 30, 2011

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, families and children in tribal communities can get better and more personal care through the Tribal Home Visiting program. This program allows families to voluntarily receive home visits from nurses and social workers. These visits can help mothers and their newborns stay healthy, prevent child injuries and child abuse, neglect, or maltreatment. Working with families will also help ensure children are ready for school and prepared to learn. At the federal level, the program is administered through collaboration between my colleagues at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF).

Since the Tribal Home Visiting Program began, over $10.5 million in grants have gone out to 19 Indian Tribes (including consortia of Tribes), Tribal Organizations and Urban Indian Organizations. Last year, 13 cooperative agreements totaling $3 million were awarded to tribes across the country, including:

  • Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (OK)
  • Fairbanks Native Association, Inc (AK)
  • Kodiak Area Native Association (AK)
  • Lake County Tribal Health Consortium (CA)
  • Native American Community Health Center, Inc (AZ)
  • Native American Professional Parent Resources (NM)
  • Northern Arapaho Tribe (WY)
  • Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe (WA)
  • Pueblo of San Felipe (NM)
  • South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency (WA)
  • Southcentral Foundation (AK)
  • White Earth Band of Chippewa Indians (MN)
  • Yerington Paiute Tribe (NV)

This year, even more agreements are being awarded, totaling over $1.5 million, including:

  • Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (NC)
  • Native American Health Center, Inc. (CA)
  • Riverside-San Bernardino County Indian Health, Inc. (CA)
  • Taos Pueblo (NM)
  • United Indians of All Tribes Foundation (WA)
  • Confederated Salish-Kootenai Tribes (MT)

The Tribal Home Visiting grants are quickly showing their potential to transform communities and support healthy, successful American Indian and Alaska Native children and families. In one grantee community, the energy generated by the needs assessment and the program caused an elder to proclaim that this program is what the community has been waiting for to bring hope for a better future. All of us at HHS are working to make sure that this important program reaches the communities that need it most, especially tribal communities, in order to improve the health and development of children and their families.