Office of Tribal Affairs
March 19, 2020
In addition to the Friday weekly updates, CDC’s Office of Tribal Affairs and Strategic Alliances will send bi-weekly updates dedicated to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Below you will find guidance, resources, information on tribal webinars and conference calls, and tribal updates on COVID-19. For your convenience, the blue headings are hyperlinked so you can easily navigate to the priority items. In addition, you can add content from CDC’s COVID-19 website to your website using CDC’s content syndication services.
COVID-19 Guidance and Resources
• CDC’s Coronavirus Disease 2019 Updates, Resources, and Guidance
• COVID-19 Fact Sheets from the Urban Indian Health Institute
• Talking to Children about COVID-19 (Coronavirus): A Parent Resource
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Announces Actions to Address Spread of COVID-19
• Federal Housing Administration: Questions and Answers for External Stakeholders
COVID-19 Webinars and Conference Calls
• COVID-19 and Homeless American Indians and Alaska Natives Webinar
• Indian Health Service’s All Tribes COVID-19 Weekly Conference Call
• Update for Rural Partners, Stakeholders, and Communities on the COVID-19 Response
COVID-19 Updates and Tribal News
• Navajo Nation COVID-19 Preparedness Team Established to Address Coronavirus Precautionary Efforts
Sincerely,
Office of Tribal Affairs and Strategic Alliances
Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Email: TribalSupport@cdc.gov
Website: https://www.cdc.gov/tribal
GUIDANCE AND RESOURCES
CDC’s Coronavirus Disease 2019 Updates, Resources, and Guidance
CDC is responding to the novel coronavirus outbreak, which is an emerging, rapidly evolving situation. CDC is continuously working to provide updated information as it becomes available, in addition to updated guidance. Mitigation strategies from the White House Taskforce has been included on CDC’s COVID-19 website. Below you will find CDC’s guidance and resources. You can add content from CDC’s COVID-19 website to your website using CDC’s content syndication services.
- Situation Updates provides the situational summary, CDC updates on cases in the U.S., countries with confirmed COVID-19 cases, risk assessment and CDC in action.
- What You Should Know comprises information about how COVID-19 spreads, symptoms, prevention and treatment, people at higher risk, and frequently asked questions.
- Information for Specific Audiences contains resources and guidance on preventing COVID-19 spread in communities; information on higher risk and special populations; interim guidance for healthcare professionals, health departments, and laboratories; and resources for health departments and healthcare professionals.
- Communication Resources offers free communication tools and resources, such as videos, fact sheets, and posters, available for use and distribution.
COVID-19 Fact Sheets from the Urban Indian Health Institute
In response to the declaration of a nationwide public health emergency for COVID-19, Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI) has created three fact sheets about COVID-19 customizable for your clinic and community. A logo may be added to the lower righthand corner of each fact sheet. To view and download the fact sheets, click here to visit the website.
Talking to Children About COVID-19 (Coronavirus): A Parent Resource
The National Association of School Psychologists has developed a parental resource for talking with children about the Coronavirus. Parents can use this to help children cope with anxiety requires providing accurate prevention information and facts without causing undue alarm.
Reducing Stigma
Public health emergencies, such as the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), are stressful times for people and communities. Fear and anxiety about a disease can lead to social stigma toward people, places, or things. For example, stigma and discrimination can occur when people associate a disease, such as COVID-19, with a population or nationality, even though not everyone in that population or from that region is specifically at risk for the disease. Stigma affects the emotional or mental health of stigmatized groups and the community in which they live. Stopping stigma is important to making communities and community members resilient. See resources on mental health and coping during COVID-19. Everyone can help stop stigma relegated to COVID-19 by knowing the facts and sharing them with others in your community.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) Announces Actions to Address Spread of COVID-19
CMS is announcing several actions aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19. First, a call to action to health care providers across the country was issued to ensure they are implementing their infection control procedures. Second, State Survey Agencies and Accrediting Organizations will focus their facility inspections exclusively on issues related to infection control and other serious health and safety threats, like allegations of abuse – beginning with nursing homes and hospitals. Read more in the CMS Immediate Release.
Federal Housing Administration: Questions and Answers for External Stakeholders
Attached to this email are questions and answers on COVID-19 from the Federal Housing Administration. The document includes information on emergency preparedness, resident health, policy and operations, and property reviews and inspections.
WEBINARS AND CONFERENCE CALLS
COVID-19 and Homeless American Indians and Alaska Natives Webinar
The Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI) will host a webinar to discuss COVID-19 and homeless AI/AN populations. This webinar will be held with the Coalition to End Urban Indian Homelessness founder and Executive Director of Chief Seattle Club, Colleen Echo-Hawk. Along with Colleen, Abigail Echo-Hawk, Director of UIHI and Chief Research Officer of Seattle Indian Health Board will be presenting.
Join UIHI to hear recommendations on how to best serve homeless American Indians and Alaska Natives in regards to the COVID-19 outbreak including harm reduction strategies and policy recommendations for your local health jurisdictions. Register here.
Date: March 20, 2020
Time: 11:00am PDT
Indian Health Service’s All Tribes COVID-19 Weekly Conference Call
The Indian Health Service is hosting weekly All Tribes calls to provide updates on the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) for Tribal and Urban Indian Organization Leaders. Officials will provide COVID-19 preparedness efforts and response updates. You will have an opportunity to provide comments and ask questions to federal officials.
Time: 3:30-4:30 PM EDT every Thursday
Conference Call: 1-800-857-5577
Participant Passcode: 6703929
Webinar Adobe Connect: https://ihs.cosocloud.com/r4k6jib09mj/
Participant Password: ihs123
Update for Rural Partners, Stakeholder, and Communities on the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Response
CDC will host a conference call to share guidance with partners, public health practitioners, healthcare providers, and others working to protect the health of rural communities. Dr. Jay Butler, Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases, will describe what CDC knows at this point and is doing in response to this outbreak. There will also be time for questions and answers. To submit questions in advance, email eocevent337@cdc.gov with the subject “Questions for 3/23 Call”. Register here.
Date: March 23, 2020
Time: 1:00 PM EDT
UPDATES AND TRIBAL NEWS
Navajo Nation COVID-19 Preparedness Team Established to Address Coronavirus Precautionary Efforts
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer officially established the Navajo Nation COVID-19 Preparedness Team on Thursday, to monitor, plan, prepare, and coordinate precautionary efforts to address the coronavirus (COVID-19). Read more here.
MMWR: Active Monitoring of Persons Exposed to Patients with Confirmed COVID-19 — United States, January–February 2020
In December 2019, an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, began in Wuhan, China (1). The disease spread widely in China, and, as of February 26, 2020, COVID-19 cases had been identified in 36 other countries and territories, including the United States. Person-to-person transmission has been widely documented, and a limited number of countries have reported sustained person-to-person spread. Read more about infection control and prevention efforts of patients with COVID-2019 in this MMWR.