Covering Indian Country – January 2023

January 2023

Spotlight: January 15 enrollment deadline

CMS recognizes the ongoing demand for culturally sensitive resources to help everyone choose the most appropriate health care coverage for themselves and their families.

To that end, we are pleased to share the link to Health Coverage Options for American Indians and Alaska Natives (PDF, 195 KB, 10 pp), an updated technical assistance document developed by CMS’s Division of Tribal Affairs and Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight.

The document offers enrollment assisters the guidance they need to help American Indians and Alaska Natives better understand coverage options available through the Marketplace, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Remind people to sign up for a Marketplace insurance plan before January 15.

As 2023 gets underway, help make sure non-tribal members have health care coverage for the rest of the year by reminding people to sign up for a Marketplace insurance plan before the January 15 enrollment deadline.

Other actions you can take include:

• Downloading and sharing the technical assistance document with people in your community
• Visiting HealthCare.gov for information about health care coverage for American Indians and Alaska Natives
• Viewing the presentation from a recent All Tribes Consultation Webinar on Marketplace open enrollment (PDF, 3 MB, 53 pp)

We also urge you to register for the next Health Insurance Marketplace Open Enrollment Period Stakeholder Webinar, which will provide critical information and resources to help consumers navigate open enrollment. For more details, refer to this newsletter’s calendar of events.

January: Medicaid renewal letter

Share this ad in your newsletter or on your website. For more information, please visit CMS’s Outreach and Education Resources page.

Health observances

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month

Visiting a health care provider regularly for Pap smears and human papillomavirus (HPV) tests can help screen for abnormal cells that might lead to cervical cancer.

Help promote cervical health by reminding clients that cervical cancer screening is a covered preventive service for women aged 21–65 years.

Also, let families know that vaccinating adolescents against HPV is another covered preventive service that offers significant protection from cervical cancer.

Healthy Weight Week: January 15–21

Incorporating Indigenous ingredients into their meals and eating fewer processed foods can help people achieve and maintain a healthy weight. In observance of Healthy Weight Week, share the link to to Indigikitchen’s collection of recipes and cooking videos featuring sunflower maple cookies, three sisters' soup, and more. Indigikitchen is an online program that builds wellness by: Fostering appreciation for traditional Native foods, such as berries, corn, and squash Inspiring people to find new ways of nourishing themselves and their families

Additional resources

Call for IHS injury prevention award nominations

The Indian Health Service (IHS), Division of Environmental Health Services, Injury Prevention Program invites you to submit nominations for the Rick Smith Injury Prevention Award (PDF, 481 KB, 5 pp).

The award recognizes individuals and groups whose projects or programs have addressed injury risks, rates, or disparities in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

Email nominations to IHS by February 10, close of business Eastern. Note, be sure to read more about the nomination process and the required format before making your submission.

AAIP COVID-19 vaccination campaign

COVID-19 continues to threaten the health of Native communities. That’s why the Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP) partnered with CDC to create a campaign promoting COVID vaccination of American Indians and Alaska Natives. Emphasizing the need to vaccinate children 6 months and older, the campaign offers resources to help reinforce the message that COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective, and widely available. Those resources include a: Downloadable brochure (PDF, 6.9 MB, 2 pp) Media gallery of ads, infographics, and YouTube videos

Funding opportunities

RCORP-Evaluation

Deadline: January 27
View the RCORP-Evaluation funding opportunity

Tribes and tribal organizations are encouraged to apply for a fiscal year 2023 Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP)-Evaluation cooperative agreement. The award recipient will be expected to:

• Analyze, synthesize, and disseminate information regarding the RCORP initiative’s impact on rural communities
• Strengthen capacity for data collection, reporting, and sharing to enhance the quality and sustainability of behavioral health care activities
• Improve rural communities’ ability to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to substance use disorder, opioid use disorder, and other behavioral health care issues

Rural Residency Planning and Development Program

Deadline: January 27
View the Rural Residency Planning and Development Program funding opportunity

The Health Resources and Services Administration is offering grants to develop newly accredited, sustainable residency programs that will expand the physician workforce pipeline and increase access to health care in rural areas. Programs must fit into one of the pathways described below.

• The General Primary Care and High-Need Specialty Pathway covers family medicine, internal medicine, preventive medicine, psychiatry, and general surgery
• The Maternal Health and Obstetrics Pathway includes programs that increase access to high-quality, evidence-based maternity care and obstetrical services

Approximately 15 applicants will receive up to $750,000 over a three-year performance period. Health centers operated by a tribe or tribal organization are encouraged to apply.

Native American Congressional internships

Deadline: January 31
View the Congressional internship funding opportunity

The Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy funds summer internships for American Indian and Alaska Native undergraduate, graduate, or law students who are committed to careers related to tribal public policy or supporting tribal communities.

The program places 12 interns in Senate, House, and federal agency offices to enhance understanding of how the U.S. government works with tribal nations. Interns will be expected to live and work in Washington, DC, from May 24–July 29.

School-based interventions to improve students’ well-being

Deadline: February 11
View the school-based interventions funding opportunity

CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion is offering cooperative agreements for school-based interventions to improve the health and well-being of school-age children and adolescents in underserved communities.

Award recipients can expect to receive up to $425,000 per year over a five-year performance period. Tribes and tribal organizations are encouraged to apply.

Calendar of events