In this issue: Oneida Nation Veterans Department, new resources, funding opportunities, and more
Spotlight: Oneida Nation Veterans Department
|
|
|
|
Kerry Metoxen (Oneida), Manager, Oneida Nation Veterans Department
|
|
|
Recently, Oneida Nation of Wisconsin was declared a Purple Heart Reservation in honor of its Veterans who were killed or wounded in combat. Oneida Nation also broke ground on a Purple Heart Memorial, slated for completion in 2020.
|
|
Purple Heart recipients are eligible to receive lifelong compensation from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, eligibility is contingent upon receiving a formal diagnosis of PTSD and meeting VA criteria.
|
|
|
"Lots of men don't want to talk about it. Instead, they'll self-medicate with alcohol or become workaholics." — Kerry Metoxen, Manager, Oneida Nation Veterans Department
|
|
Persuading male Veterans to seek help for PTSD can be particularly challenging. Fortunately, Oneida Nation's behavioral health staff includes board-certified psychiatrists and counselors who can help Veterans address substance use disorders.
|
|
Men with PTSD also have the option of participating in a weekly group session facilitated by a psychotherapist. A separate program exists for female Veterans with PTSD or other trauma.
|
|
|
 |
|
Share this ad in your newsletter or on your website. Other sizes are available on CMS's Outreach and Education Resources page.
|
 Tweet it
|
|
Men, stay strong for yourself, your family, and your community with regular checkups and preventive health care.
Video
#CMSNativeHealth
|
|
Flyers and fact sheets
|
|
|
|
Download these files or order copies of these resources on the Tribal Products Ordering Page. Please allow 2 weeks for your order to be completed.
|
- The Men's Health Checklist (PDF, 1.4 MB, 2 pp) provides a list of preventive health services that are free with Medicare, Medicaid, and insurance plans purchased through the Health Insurance Marketplace.
- The brochure, Communities Need Healthy Men (PDF, 755 KB, 2 pp), explains how health insurance can benefit men and their families even if they already have access to an Indian Health Service clinic.
- The Enroll in Medicaid Flyer (PDF, 425 KB, 1 p) lets Native men know how they can qualify for Medicaid and that enrollment for tribal citizens is open year round.
|
|
|
Men's Health Month
|
|
During June, take every opportunity to ask the men in your life when they last visited a health care professional.
Timely treatment of ailments or injuries, along with regular wellness visits, can help people avoid serious physical or mental illness.
|
|
However, results of a survey commissioned by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) suggest that most men who are sick or in pain will wait at least a few days or a week before seeking treatment. Men ages 35–44 are more likely than men ages 45 and older to wait out the ailment or injury entirely.
|
|
Additionally, only about half of men have had a recent physical exam. According to the AAFP survey, the most common barriers that keep men from getting preventive care are:
|
- The belief that they need to be extremely sick to seek health care and
- The belief that healthy people have no reason to visit a health care professional.
|
|
June is National Safety Month
|
|
National Safety Month is an opportunity to highlight prevention of injuries and deaths related to motor vehicle crashes.
|
|
|
|
Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of unintentional injury-related death in the American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) population. Moreover, AI/AN men ages 20 and older are twice as likely as AI/AN women in that age group to die in a motor vehicle crash.
|
|
Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched a new webpage titled Injury Prevention in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities. The webpage features several resources on tribal road safety, including a toolkit, video, and best practices guide. The resources aim to:
|
- increase the use of seat belts and child safety seats and
- decrease alcohol-impaired driving.
|
|
National HIV Testing Day: June 27
|
|
In the weeks leading up to National HIV Testing Day, encourage everyone you know in Indian Country to find out their HIV status. Also, remind them that services are available to help people newly diagnosed with HIV.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), everyone between the ages of 13–64 should be tested for HIV at least once, and people at high risk for HIV should be tested yearly.
|
|
|
|
In a recent fact sheet, CDC estimates that about 1 in 5 American Indian and Alaska Native people with HIV (PDF, 778 KB, 2 pp) are unaware they have the virus, so they don't get the treatment they need to stay healthy and protect their partners from infection.
|
|
Healthy Heart, Healthy Brain
|
|
Research suggests that heart-healthy habits may help reduce people's risk for Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
|
|
|
| |
|
Preventing substance use among Native youth
|
|
Survey results show that many Native youth living on or near reservations begin using alcohol, marijuana, and other substances by grade 8.
|
|
Early initiation of substance use increases an adolescent's risk of developing a substance use disorder later, which is why ongoing efforts to prevent substance use disorders among Native youth are so critical.
|
|
To that end, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) urges tribal communities to participate in its 2019 Communities Talk initiative, a series of town hall meetings aimed at preventing underage drinking. Organizations interested in hosting a meeting may be eligible to receive a $750 stipend if they email info@stopalcoholabuse.net by Friday, June 14, 2019.
|
|
Additionally, SAMHSA's Native Youth Educational Services Workgroup has compiled an extensive list of programs and resources to address substance use disorders.
|
|
National Child Welfare Capacity Building Center for Tribes
Deadline: June 18
View the National Child Welfare funding opportunity
The Administration for Children and Families is offering funds to establish a National Child Welfare Capacity Building Center for Tribes.
The center will support the successful administration of child welfare programs and enhance tribes' ability to provide effective child welfare services.
|
| |
|
Fiscal Year 2019 Small Ambulatory Program
Deadline: June 28
View the Ambulatory Program funding opportunity
Indian Health Service will fund the construction, expansion, or modernization of small ambulatory health care facilities that serve American Indian and Alaska Native people.
Federally recognized tribes and tribal organizations are encouraged to apply.
|
| |
|
CMS ITU Outreach and Education Training
June 18–19, 2019
Billings, MT
Register for the ITU Training in Billings
|
|
The target audience for this CMS ITU training is business office staff, benefits coordinators, patient registration staff, medical records staff, and purchased/referred care services staff. Topics include CMS Tribal Affairs updates, Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, state-administered programs, Social Security, and Veterans Affairs.
Upcoming ITU Outreach and Education Trainings:
June 25–26 in Richmond, VA
August 14–15 in Norwich, CT
|
2019 National Title VI Training and Technical Assistance Conference
August 13–16, 2019
Minneapolis, MN
Register for the National Title VI Training and Technical Assistance Conference
|
|
The conference is hosted by the Administration on Aging Office for American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Programs. The draft agenda (PDF, 232 KB, 9 pgs.) includes workshops on topics such as best practices in tribal nursing homes, disaster preparedness, adult day care, and home care assistance.
|
Fourth Annual Conference on Native American Nutrition
September 15–18, 2019
Prior Lake, MN
Register for the Conference on Native American Nutrition
|
|
This conference is for tribal officials, researchers, and others with an interest in Native nutrition and food science. Topics include youth voices, urban and rural nutrition issues, and more.
|
|
Contact Us
Do you have news to share? Send it to coveringic@kauffmaninc.com for possible inclusion in an upcoming newsletter. Contact us with other comments or feedback, too.
|
About the Newsletter
Covering Indian Country is published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Division of Tribal Affairs to share resources, success stories, and best practices with the people who connect tribal communities to health coverage.
Download Adobe Reader for the best reading experience with PDF files.
|
|
