Getting our Message Across to other Cultures
Native American organizations and the US Indigenous population in general traditionally develop better when being assisted by great Indian leaders. There are many reasons why, but two stand out. First, the historical trauma caused by previous federal policies and second, the native way of knowing and learning is different from mainstream modalities.
NCUIH promotes Native American and non-Native cross-training when available and possible. We are also aware that partnerships and alliances with other communities in the country can and do help us move forward. In fact most of our membership shares initiatives and projects with Non-Native American organizations.
The 2015 Marketing and Outreach Preliminary Results show that 95 % of Urban Indian Health Programs across the US reported partnerships with non-Native organizations. Likewise, the results from the 2008 UIHP Operations Survey shows that nearly fifty percent of all UIHPs reporting indicated that the respective American Indian/Alaska Native Community is Active in the larger mainstream community. Only 5 % reported preferred keeping a low profile.
Academic & Educational Partnerships
Of the UIHPs surveyed, 85.7% reported a relationship with a university on a variety of partnership activities:
- 68.4% of these UIHPs partner with University to offer apprenticeship
- 57.9% have research/evaluation projects
- 52.6% use Universities to recruit for positions
- 52.6% have projects to increase some type of health awareness
- 42.1% partner on community development work
- 36.8% partner on training efforts
- 15.8% use Universities to assist with providing clinical and support services
Shapiro Reno Cambridge, Organizer of the 2011 DC Native Round Dance: an event including the DC community at large
Of the UIHPs reporting, 90.5% have a relationship with a local government and 47.4% reported having grants and/or contracts from local agencies. Again, most partnerships were in the area of
- Health (81%)
- Development (14.3%)
- Justice (38.1%)
- Social Services (61.9%)
- Administrative (19%)
- Various community projects (25%; i.e. Homelessness, Cultural, etc).
Of those UIHPs receiving local Health grants and contracts; they included Outpatient Services (16.7%), Referral and Outreach (16.7%), Promotion/Prevention (33.3%), Nutrition (50%), Lab (16.7%), Pharmacy (16.7%), Mental Health/Counseling (16.7%), Substance Abuse (16.7%), Tobacco (16.7%), Youth Health Programs (16.7%), and other programs such as Dental and Medical Supplies.
Minority Partnering to Reduce Health Disparities
NCUIH actively collaborates and represents AI/AN in the larger CMS Office of Minority Health Initiative named Reducing Health Disparities through Quality Improvement. The Program is implemented by the University of Chicago's National Opinion and Research Center. NCUIH is tasked with Planning, Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating Programs for AI/AN. For More Information please contact Kimberly Fowler, PhD—TA and Research Director at kfowler(at)ncuih.org
NCUIH's work on the Organization of American States' Indigenous Rights Declaration
Since 2010 NCUIH has participated in the Organization of American States (OAS/OEA) meetings and groups regarding the Hemispheric Declarations on Indigenous rights. NCUIHis currently participating alongside the Navajo Nation Washington Office, the National Congress of American Indians, and the Indian Law Resource Center to serve as support for the International Indigenous Caucus at the Organization to review the United Nations Declaration of Indigenous Rights (UNDRIP). This work included, meetings to provide official feedback for the Hemispheric Sixteenth Meeting of Negotiations in the Quest for Points of Consensus, and making sure that urban issues, health & wellness were considered as part of the Tribal response.
For information on this initiative please visit the OAS page here.
For the working documents please click here.
From 2007 through 2010 NCUIH led the national efforts for the US to support the endorsement of the United Nations' Declaration on Indigenous Peoples Rights. NCUIH built consensus among Native American leaders on how important it was for the United States to join the rest of the world on recognizing and acknowledging that its Indigenous populations have and are fully entitled to preserve a different cosmology of their own. NCUIH contacted the US Department of State's Ambassador Rice in 2007 and Secretary Clinton in 2009 recommending both to designate a permanent representative to the Forum and the endorsing of the UN Declaration of Indigenous Rights in 2007,NCUIH approached the representative for the North American Region, Ms. Tonya Gonnella Frichner, ESQ, to bring to her attention the serious health care situation of the Urban Indian population and the hardships of those Indians that remain in Tribal lands.
Ms Frichner sent a special message to Urban Indian Community leaders Click here to view the message. During the Seventh and Eighth Sessions Ms Frichner used NCUIH's document's information as a basis for her speech at the Plenary Session ( intervention on the dire situation of our urban population ...) More...
NCUIH participates in the Department of State's Indigenous Leader Visitor Program, 2010
NCUIH took part in the US Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) for South America. Six representatives from Indigenous peoples from Ecuador Chile, Bolivia and Peru visited Washington DC in April 2010 to participate in the forum "Indigenous and Native American Society in the 21st Century. NCUIH and NIHB representatives met with the visitors at NIHBs premises on Capitol Hill. Both organizations provided a panel of international delegates with an overview of American Indian and Alaska Native health care infrastructure and delivery ( in respect to both Tribal and Urban settings). In addition, the group discussied overall current AI/AN health care issues and how the organizations provide legislative advocacy and assistance to indigenous communitiesTo know more about the Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program click here