News Release
National Council of Urban Indian Health
After extensive advocacy from National Council of Urban Indian Health and our partners for Urban Indian health, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) passed resolution AK-21-020: Call for Congress to Amend Section 509 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to Remove Facility Funding Barriers for Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs) on June 24, 2021, during National Congress of American Indians’ Mid-Year Conference. The resolution urges Congress to enact legislation to amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA) to remove the language restricting urban Indian organization facilities’ funding availability only to minor renovations to meet or maintain accreditation standards.
“Facility-related use of federal funds remains the most requested priority for our Urban Indian Organizations,” said National Council of Urban Indian Health CEO Francys Crevier (Algonquin). “The current limitations found in the Indian Health Care Improvement Act force Urban Indian Organizations to use their limited third-party reimbursement funds for necessary minor facility improvements to meet or maintain accreditation by Joint Commission for Accreditation of Health Care Organizations. National Council of Urban Indian Health leadership advocated for the adoption of this important resolution, and we applaud National Congress of American Indians for passing it.”
National Congress of American Indians resolutions are one of the policy mechanisms used to express the organizational positions on tribal, federal, state, and/or local legislation, litigation, and policy matters that affect tribal governments or communities. National Congress of American Indians members establish the organization’s positions on issues that affect tribal nations and Native people through a resolution process. Resolutions to be considered at the Mid-Year Convention are only accepted if they are determined to be emergency in nature and national in scope. The resolution, submitted by National Council of Urban Indian Health Director of Federal Relations, Sunny Stevenson (Walker River Paiute), calls on Congress to continue to honor the obligations made to tribal members by the federal government.
The National Congress of American Indians has been a longtime partner of National Council of Urban Indian Health, having collaborated on previous resolutions adopted in favor of Urban Indian health, including the extension of the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) to be inclusive of Urban Indian Organizations, temporary 100% federal medical assistance percentages (FMAP) for Urban Indian Organizations under the American Rescue Plan Act, and federal reimbursement for American Indian/Alaska Native veterans served at urban Indian organization facilities. Each of these National Congress of American Indians resolutions has been instrumental in compelling Congressional action to pass these critical means of addressing contemporary issues that urban AI/AN persons encounter in seeking care under the federal trust responsibility.
National Congress of American Indians’ resolution follows the introduction of the Urban Indian Health Providers Facilities Improvement Act under identical House and Senate bills (H.R. 3496 / S. 1797). The bipartisan, bicameral bills will pave the way for increased investment in the renovation and construction of urban Indian organization facilities. The passage of the Urban Indian Health Providers Facilities Act would amend Section 509 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. § 1659), the provision of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act that pertains to urban Indian organization facility funding. The amendment will not otherwise affect federal facilities funding for Indian Health Service or tribally-operated programs through existing Indian Health Service appropriations for improvements and renovations
Resources
List of National Congress of American Indians Mid-Year Resolutions
About National Council of Urban Indian Health
The National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) is the national non-profit organization devoted to the support and development of quality, accessible, and culturally-competent health and public health services for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) living in urban areas. National Council of Urban Indian Health is the only national representative of the 41 Title V Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs) under the Indian Health Service (IHS) in the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA). National Council of Urban Indian Health strives to improve the health of the over 70% of the American Indian/Alaska Native population that lives in urban areas, supported by quality, accessible health care centers.
