What is the National
Indian Health Board?
Our Mission: One Voice affirming and empowering
American Indian
and Alaska Native Peoples to protect and improve health
and reduce health disparities.
What is the National Indian Health Board?
The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is a 501(c) 3 not for profit, charitable organization serving all 566 Federally
recognized Tribal governments for the purpose of ensuring
that the federal government upholds its trust responsibilities to provide health care to the Tribes. NIHB also works to elevate
health care status,
services and systems
of the Tribes and our Peoples.
NIHB provides policy analysis and advocacy
on American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) health and public health services, facilitates Tribal budget consultation, develops policy analysis, leads national Tribal public health programs and policy, is the coalition
lead for the NIHB National Tribal Health Information Technology Extension Center (HITEC),
and delivers timely information and other services
to all Tribal Governments. Whether Tribes operate their own health care delivery
systems through contracting and compacting or receive health care directly from the Indian Health Service (IHS), NIHB is their national advocate.
NIHB also conducts research;
provides policy analysis; assists
with Tribal capacity building in health program
development, management and assessment; provides national and regional Tribal health events; and
provides training and technical assistance in a variety of Tribal health areas.
These services are provided to Tribes, Area Health Boards, Tribal organizations, Tribal Leaders and members as well as federal agencies and private foundations. The NIHB presents
the Tribal perspective while monitoring, analyzing,
reporting on and responding to federal legislation, policy,
law and regulations. NIHB works collaboratively with the Tribes,
through the Tribal
health organizations, in the 12 IHS geographic Service Areas. NIHB also serves as a conduit to open opportunities for the advancement of AI/AN health care with other national and international organizations, foundations, corporations, academic
institutions and others
in its quest to build
support for, and advance,
Indian health care issues.
Raising Awareness
Elevating the visibility of Indian health
care and public
health issues has been a struggle shared
by Tribal governments for hundreds of years. For more than 40 years, NIHB has played a central role in focusing
national attention on Indian health care and public health needs. These efforts
continue to gain results and momentum.
The Tribes formed NIHB to serve as the unified advocate to the U.S. Congress,
IHS and other federal agencies, private foundations and potential friends
and allies about
health disparities, public
health and health
care issues experienced in Indian Country.
The future of health care for AI/AN remains grounded
in the Federal Trust Responsibility between AI/AN and the federal government. It is intertwined with policy decisions at the federal level and changes in
mainstream health care management. The NIHB provides Tribal governments with timely information in order to assist Tribes
in effectively making
sound health care policy decisions.
Our Board of Directors
Because the NIHB serves all federally-recognized Tribes,
it is vital that the work of the NIHB reflects the unity and diversity of Tribal values and opinions in an accurate, fair, and culturally-sensitive manner. This objective is accomplished through the efforts of the NIHB Board of Directors and through working with
the regional health boards, Tribes and health
organizations located in the 12 IHS Service Areas. The NIHB is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of representatives elected
by the Tribes in each of the twelve IHS Areas, through their regional
Tribal Health Board or health-serving organization. Each Area Indian
Health Board elects a representative and an alternate to sit on the NIHB Board of Directors. In areas where there is no Area Health Board, Tribal governments choose a representative. The Board of Directors elects an Executive
Committee comprised of Chairperson, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary, who serve staggered, two-year
terms and a Member-at-Large who serves a one year term. The Board of Directors meets quarterly.
NIHB Membership
The membership
of NIHB is comprised of all Federally
Recognized Tribes through
the 12 regional Tribal health
organizations:
Aberdeen Area: Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health
Board California Rural Indian Health Board Alaska Area: Alaska
Native Health Board Navajo Nation
Albuquerque Area Indian
Health Board Oklahoma City Area Intertribal Health Board Bemidji Area: Midwest Alliance of Sovereign
Tribes Phoenix Area: Intertribal Council of Arizona
Billings Area: Montana/Wyoming Tribal
Leaders Council Portland Area: Norwest Portland
Area Indian Health Board Nashville: United South and Eastern
Tribes, Inc. Tucson Area: Tohono O’odham
Nation & Pascua Yaqui Tribe
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