American Indian/Alaskan Native

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Dear Tribal Leader Letters

Dear Tribal Leader Letter (PDF - 30 KB) regarding new information related to tribes and urban Indian organizations on training for the HRSA 2021 National Shortage Designation Update 2.0 as part of the Shortage Designation Modernization Project.

Dear Tribal Leader Letter (PDF - 34 KB) Regarding an Update to the Establishment of the HRSA Tribal Advisory Council.

To help tribal organizations maximize the impact of key government programs, HRSA and the Indian Health Service (IHS) identified a number of priorities.

What are those priorities?

Increase Urban Indian Health participation in the Health Center Program.
Improve usage of Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designation to tribal populations
- Shortage Designation Criteria:
  - Members of Indian tribes are automatically designated as population HPSAs.
  - Outpatient health programs or facilities operated by a tribe or tribal organization under the Indian Self-Determination Act, or by an urban Indian organization receiving funds under Title V of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, are considered Federally Qualified Health Centers, and thus automatically designated HPSAs.
Support the workforce through health professions programs and the National Health Service Corps.
Enhance participation in the HRSA competitive grants process.
Provide greater technical assistance from HRSA regional offices.