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- By Native News Online Staff
WASHINGTON — In addition to articles already covered by Native News Online, here is a roundup of other news released from Washington, D.C. that impacts Indian Country last couple weeks.
Owner of Popular Denver Native American Restaurant, Ben Jacobs, Appointed by White House to Committee
Ben Jacobs (Osage Nation), who is co-owner of Tocabe: An American Indian Eatery and Tocabe Indigenous Marketplace in Denver, Colorado, was named by the White House on Friday to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, & Nutrition is a federal advisory committee.
For over a decade on a national level, Jacobs has worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). While advocating for feeding Native peoples, his work with FDPIR has included traveling to tribal communities supporting how best to incorporate local and traditional ingredients in collaboration with commodity ingredients to support better individual health and nutrition.
The President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, co-chaired by Chef José Andrés and Elena Delle Donne, will help cultivate commitments, and will announce Challenge participants in the fall of 2023.
CMS to Host All Tribes Webinar on Returning to Routince Operations After the Public Health Emergency(PHE)
With the COVID-19 PHE will end on May 11, 2023, the Center for Medicare and Medicade (CMS) will host a all tribes webinar on Monday, March 27 at 3:00pm EDT to discuss the return to the regular operation of Medicaid and CHIP Disaster Relief state plan amendments and Section 1135 waivers.
The session will provide an update on planning and actions for transitioning back to normal regulatory and statutory requirements.
CMS has a Spotlight webpage where it has gathered registration information, background resources, and related materials for Tribes.
In addition, CMS has prepared an enrollment toolkit to assist individuals with Medicaid or in the Children's Health Insurance Program on renewing their coverage or transition to other coverage if they are no longer eligible. The toolkit provides advice on how to effectively convey information on renewal forms, the Federal health insurance Marketplace, and more through different communication methods (email, U.S. Postal Service, social media, call center, etc.).
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Announces New Director of the Tribal Health Research Office (THRO)
The National Instistutes of Health announced that Karina Walters, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, has succeeded Dave Wilson as the Director of the THRO. Mr. Wilson is on assignment to the White House Council on Native American Affairs.
Dr. Walters is a social epidemiology and health prevention scholar with more than 28 years of experience in AI/AN health research. You may read more about Dr. Walters' background in the NIH's Director's Statement.
Young Native Women Mentorship Opportunities
The Indigenous Justice Circle and Indigenous Adolescent Girls' Empowerment Network seek young Native women interested in gaining experience and mentorship for their professional development. The entities are funding applicants engaged in the following areas: (1) Civil Rights or Cultural Preservation/Renewal; (2) Earth, Land, and Climate Justice; (3) Accessibility and Disability Rights; and (4) Gender Transformative Justice. Applications close on March 31.
More information is available HERE.
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