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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Tribal communities

Improving Access to Health Care Coverage in Rural Communities with Medicaid and CHIP
A recorded webinar that provides strategies and best practices to improve outreach in an effort to enroll American Indian/Alaska Native communities (AI/AN) in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Discusses the importance of healthcare access and offers resources and tools for enrollment outreach.
Additional links: Slides, Transcript
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, National Rural Health Association
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Oversight Hearing titled, "Fentanyl in Native Communities: Federal Perspectives on Addressing the Growing Crisis"
Recording of a Congressional hearing addressing fentanyl among Native communities. Includes testimony from federal officials discussing previous efforts and future priorities for solving the opioid crisis. Subtitles available in the video player.
Additional links: Adam W. Cohen Testimony, Glen Melville Testimony, The Honorable Roselyn Tso Testimony, The Honorable Vanessa Waldref Testimony
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
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A Food Access Model in Michigan's Graying America
Presents a model for increasing food access for the aging populations in a rural county in Michigan. Discusses the barriers to food access in the county, highlights specific concerns for each population, and details approaches to overcome those barriers.
Author(s): Wajeeha Kamal, Lily Guiney, Miles Oates
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: American Communities Project
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Safe Driving in Tribal Communities: What can Tribal Governments and Health Professionals Do?
Fact sheet on strategies and policies tribal governments and health professionals can adopt to reduce motor vehicle crash injuries and deaths in tribal communities. Discusses seat belts, teen drivers, car seats, alcohol-impaired driving, and more.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Alaska Special Emphasis Report: Traumatic Brain Injury
Highlights rates of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in Alaska and discusses common causes of TBI and TBI-related rates of emergency department visits, hospitalization, and death. Breaks down data by sex, race, and causes.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Alaska Division of Public Health
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Indigenous Voices Against Suicide: A Meta-Synthesis Advancing Prevention Strategies
Analyzes research on suicide prevention for Indigenous populations in the U.S. Highlights Indigenous voices in the research and selects for a number of programmatic themes, such as integration of culture as prevention, support preferences, and challenges to prevention, among others.
Author(s): Meenakshi Richardson
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(22), 7064
Date: 11/2023
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Provider- and System-Level Barriers and Facilitators to Colonoscopy and Multi-Target Stool DNA for Colorectal Cancer Screening in Rural/Remote Alaska Native Communities
Highlights a study of the barriers and facilitators to colorectal cancer screening for tribal communities in rural and remote regions of Alaska. Bases findings on interviews with providers and an analysis of system-level factors, such as travel time and costs, weather, and COVID-19, among others.
Author(s): Diana Redwood, Melissa Toffolon, Christie Flanagan, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(22), 7030
Date: 11/2023
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Developing a Culturally Relevant Physical Activity Guide for Alaska Native Head Start Students in Rural Alaska: The Got Neqpiaq? Study
Highlights a survey of Alaska Native Elders, teachers, and parents on cultural modifications to the Head Start preschool programs' physical playtime activities in tribal communities. Features a partnership between the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Head Start, and the Rural Alaska Community Action Program. Details lessons learned from survey results on developing culturally competent physical education programming for Alaska Native preschoolers.
Author(s): Teresa Hicks, Barb Stillwater, Kathryn Koller, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 82(1), 2287791
Date: 11/2023
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The Impact of OCS Programs in Indigenous Communities
Highlights programming and funding for Indigenous communities offered by the Administration for Children and Families' Office of Community Services. Includes a map of tribal communities receiving funding and offers case studies of some funded projects.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: ACF Office of Community Services
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Invisible Children, Invisible Families: A Blueprint for Supporting The Child Care Needs Of American Indian And Alaska Native Families
Discusses the review of 184 Tribal Child Care Plans focused on access to culturally relevant child care and childhood education in tribal areas. Provides recommendations such as strengthening communication and collaboration between state governments and tribes, creating new approaches for tribes to serve members living off reservation, and reforming federal funding to address tribal needs using data-driven methods.
Author(s): Barb Fabre, Rob Grunewald, Linda K. Smith, Caroline Osborn
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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