Development - KRC
NCUIH as a Non Profit Enterprise
The National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) was founded in 1998 to meet the unique healthcare needs of the urban Indian population through education, training, and advocacy. In this capacity, NCUIH is the umbrella organization for 37 Urban Indian Health Programs across the country. Each program is an autonomous satellite with a Board of Directors, an Executive Director, support staff, services and funding. For a majority of the programs the largest funding source is Title V of the Indian Healthcare Improvement Act. Title V specifically authorizes health outreach and referral, and the delivery of health services to American Indian/Alaska Native people who have migrated to urban settings
NCUIH Services Delivered
NCUIH delivers services in compliance both with its mission and its organizational objectives: leadership development, policy advancement, education, and communication. Accordingly, all services are carried out with the aim of strengthening NCUIHs membership as well as the organizations long-term survivability.
NCUIH serves as a legislative and technical assistance resource center; as well as a hub for communication and coordination between the individual Urban Indian Health Programs. This entails coordinating letter campaigns in support of Title V/Urban Indian Health Program, delivering information on funding and research opportunities, federal policy developments and recommendations for collective action; one-on one help, Technical Assistance, workshops and training as well as informative teleconferences, etc.
The NCUIH outreach program is geared towards maintaining good relations with each and all members. Through newsletters and periodical news updates, NCUIH ensures that the membership is kept up to date on political developments in Washington and is being introduced to all information, which may be of interest.
In terms of external relations, NCUIH works diligently to raise awareness of the need for quality health care services for Urban Indians and the plight of these programs to provide the services in the most efficient manner. Given the political developments it is safe to assume that the ignorance of policy makers/congressional representatives of the plight of urban Indians have continued unabated in the past few years. NCUIH strives to put urban Indian healthcare on the political agenda through ongoing educational efforts on the Hill (meetings and conferences), which are often co-sponsored either by NIHB or NCAI.
Finally, NCUIH continues to make the Urban Indian Health Program visible through participating in national workgroups, committees and advisory boards as well as through developing policy recommendations, providing congressional testimony, and partnering with national Indian and non-Indian health organizations.
The Urban Indian Health Sector (target identification)
Sector Size: Urban Indian Health Programs are primarily mandated to provide healthcare services and opportunities to AI/ANs living in urban settings, regardless of tribal origin. In compliance with the IHCIA mandate, any AI/AN who seeks services in their facilitiesand properly identifies him/herself as Native American or Alaska Nativeis eligible to receive healthcare. Considering the current migration trends (from reservations into urban settings), UIHPs clientele is expected to increase in the coming years. Although the extent to which urban Indian population can be accurately assessed is still a matter of debate, however the 2000 Census this population comprises of well over 60% of all Americans identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native (approximately 4.1 million).
The urban Indian population directly impacts the NCUIH membership and the services they provide because all AI/ANs living in urban settings are potential (and direct) clients of these programs. This in turn has an indirect impact on NCUIH, given its relationship with the UIHPs.
Taking the above into consideration, we can safely surmise that NCUIHs direct or primary target is its membership, which is limited and shall remain the same unless more UIHPs are created or a different category of organization is created under NCUIHs bylaws. By the same token, it can be inferred that NCUIHs secondary target is comprised of by urban Indian communities themselves seeking healthcare assistance from NCUIHs membership.
Clients Profile
Direct Clients: NCUIHs direct clients are all of the Urban Indian Health Programs constituting its Membership. Members provide an array of medical services to the urban Indian and metropolitan communities (in some cases, event to the larger community) in which they are located. Some are full primary medical providers (including behavioral and mental health as well as traditional American Indian healing) while others serve as referral centers. All of them, however, provide essential outreachand therefore a culturally relevant lifelineto their local urban Indian community. The 37 Urban Indian Health Programs are located in areas of the country to which the urban Indian population has migrated. These states/cities are: California (Los Angeles area, Bay Area, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Nebraska, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, South Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Massachusetts, New York and Maryland.
Indirect Clients (patients): NCUIH also works to represent the health needs of all the American Indian/ Alaska Natives who live in urban settings. This population constitutes the majority of all AI/ANs. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, approximately 4.1 million individuals identify as Native American alone or in combination with another race. Approximately 64%[1] of these people reside in urban areas.
The median age of the urban Indian population is 30.0 years as opposed to 28.5 for the total American Indian and Alaska Native population and 35.4 for the general population. Although educational attainment levels for urban Indians are by and large comparable to the general population, it must be noted that 27.2% of the urban Indian population 25 years of age or older have not completed high school. This number is nearly 10% above that of the general population. Urban Indians are dispersed across the country. The largest communities can be found in major cities such as New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, etc. However, they can also be found in cities that were identified by BIA as relocation sites.
It is important to mention that NCUIH and its membership provide services to all urban Indian people regardless of tribal origin.Native American tribes share some culture and traditions, their cultural and legal differences are what is most generally acknowledge and accepted. UIHPs serve AI/AN patients regardless of their tribal affiliation and promote cultural activities, which are based on shared experiences, traditions and cultural values.
- Use Our Critical Situation to Lay the Ground for Bringing Together UIHPs, Urban and Tribal Communities and National and Regional Indian Organizations: It is when facing difficult times that the foundation for cooperation can be laid. Rather than despair over our current critical situation, we must work to engage all of Indian Country in our cause. Our health crisis can be a source of unification and strength.
- Get the Mainstream Media Attention and Retain It as an Ally in the Fight for Funding: While the media can be fickle, UIHPs and NCUIH must gain its attention and use it for promoting the crisis in urban Indian health nationwide.
- Make the federal government and Tribal Leaders Aware that the Future of Indian Country is Intricately Connected to the Urban Communities
- Strengthen UIHPs as Cultural Community CentersUrban Indian Identity Reinforcement: UIHPs already serve both as health and cultural community centers for their local urban Indian communities, but the latter is particularly something that could be expanded upon.
- Attract Attention of Major Private Donors and Other Pecuniary Resources: Additional funding for UIHPs may be available through major private donors (such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation).
- Laying the Ground for Using International Organizations as a Forum on Indigenous Issues and an Additional Source of Funding: As previously mentioned, International Organization constitute a source of untapped funding and networking opportunity.
- Make Use of the Critical Funding Situation to Boost Partnerships with Educational Institutions and Other Organizations Sympathetic to the UIH cause.
Increase influence on the Federal Government and Congress by Creating Stronger Relations with Relevant Staff: Ongoing advocacy efforts on the Hill create strong and robust relations with relevant congressional staff.
Positioning --Competitive Advantage--
The National Council of Urban Indian Health in fact holds a unique position: NCUIH is strategically positioned to be the voice of the urban Indian population before federal agencies as well as the major hub of information; that is, a gravitational center of information and resources from which both the urban Indian population and varied institutions kinds can draw and transfer information into. HAs the membership organization for the Urban Indian Health Programs, NCUIH is today the link between policy and realitythe only legitimate representative of unique Urban Indian Programs before federal institutionsand as such it holds the potential of:
a) Bringing urban and tribal leaders together to establish a continuous flow of communication; i.e. to diminish the urban-tribal gap.
b) Cultivating and coordinating relationships between UIHPs and major mainstream health research centers and universities.
c) Creating the necessary awareness among mainstream media outlets and broadcasting agencies.
d) Fostering political and managerial leadership among urban Indian youth.
e) Establishing connections between major private foundations and UIHPs
Located in the nations capital, NCUIH is uniquely placed to educate all of the national actors on the gross health disparities of urban Indians and the continued need for a comprehensive healthcare effort. Conversely, it is only through direct and frequent contact with its membership that NCUIH is able to provide its successful educational outreach to legislators and policy makers. NCUIH finest achievements lie in its ability to fills out the void between knowledge and representation.
[1] US Census Bureau. Special Reports. We the people. AI/AN in the US.
For More information please contact our communications assistant at: rcambridge@ncuih.org
