Policy at NCUIH

The National Council of Urban Indian Health has a unique responsibility to the urban Indian community as the sole national representative for urban Indians to educate policy-makers and ensure, to the furthest extent possible, that policies enacted by Congress or the Federal agencies support the urban Indian health care and further the accessibility of quality, culturally-competent health care for American Indians and Alaska Natives living in urban areas. The Policy Department at NCUIH is dedicated to developing a comprehensive, cohesive policy vision for the delivery of health care to American Indians and Alaska Natives living in urban centers.

The NCUIH Board of Directors provides guidance and the priorities for the Policy Department. The Board directed the Policy Department to focus on three main areas: Health Care Services Delivery; Government Relations; and Public Health Policy

All three categories are specifically devoted to ensuring that Federal, State, and local policies support and respect urban Indian health programs at all of their levels.

For Legislation & Policy-specific  Information please  go to our legislative department section by clicking here

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Departmental Values

The Policy Department at NCUIH is the main source of policy analysis and technical support for the individual urban Indian health programs. Since 1998, the Policy Department has provided policy analysis on the Federal, State and local level to the urban Indian health programs. In conjunction with the Legislative Department, the Policy Department seeks to ensure that proposed Federal policy and legislation be mindful of the unique situation of urban Indian health providers. In 2006, with the reorganization of NCUIH undertaken by the NCUH Board of Directors, the NCUIH Board directed the Policy Department to begin focusing on developing national level policy around urban Indian health as well as providing analysis and technical assistance to the individual urban Indian health programs.

The vision for a reformed Policy Department expressed in the NCUIH Strategic Plan 2006-2011, directed NCUIH to begin efforts on building a policy base focused on urban Indian communities. The NCUIH Board recognized that there was little Federal, State, or local policy focused on urban Indian communities, and directed the Policy Department to begin building that body of knowledge. The Board, recognizing the wealth of knowledge and expertise held by urban Indian communities, directed the Policy Department to develop urban Indian health policy through communication and feedback from the urban Indian health programs. The Policy Department is dedicated building the sophistication of urban Indian health programs with regard to the analysis, development, and promotion of policy that respects, supports and builds upon the successes of the urban Indian health program. The Policy Department works towards this goal through the principles set out by the Board of Directors and implement under the guidance of NCUIH Executive Director, Geoffrey Roth.

1.)    UIHP's have a wealth of knowledge and expertise on the health needs of urban Indians and how those needs can be met in a manner respectful of and supportive of American Indians and Alaska Natives

2.)    UIHP's and urban Indian communities are experts on their own needs and communities.

3.)    Policy development must be undertaken with guidance from the NCUIH board and with regular feedback and conversation with the urban Indian health programs.

4.)    Policy must be developed from research conducted through either the urban Indian epidemiology center or the TARC and through the community-based participatory research model.

5.)    Policy analysis will be done from a broad perspective that encapsulates the needs of all urban Indian health providers and programs.

These principles guide not only the Policy Departments work, but also ensure that the Policy Department seeks regular, ongoing feedback from the NCUIH membership and their communities. This feedback is a critical to the development of meaningful policy recommendations created by NCUIH staff and then distributed to policy makers on multiple levels from Congress to federal agencies. Despite the dedicated work of urban Indian advocates, there is little organized, preserved policy relating to urban Indians or urban Indian health providers. Thus it is critical for NCUIH to listen and understand our members from their own perspectives as both Native Americans and urban Indian health programs. The Policy Department builds upon the knowledge gathered, developed, and disseminated by the Technical Assistance and Research Center, and thus works within the TARC's vision of building upon the expertise within urban Indian communities.

While NCUIH supports and respects the policy aims and needs of Tribes and Tribal Organizations, it understands that the individual situations of urban Indian health programs and communities are often different than those for Tribes and Tribal Organizations. The Indian health delivery system is a complex system of providers Indian Health Service, Tribal, and urban Indian at different serve levels and with different needs. In order to ensure that all Indian patients receive quality, accessible health care regardless of whether they are on their home reservations or in an urban center served by an urban Indian health provider, NCUIH's Policy Department works to clarify federal and state policy to ensure its applicability across the entirety of the Indian health delivery system. Understanding and accepting the different needs of each community is essential to ensuring that American Indians and Alaskan Natives receive quality health care regardless of where they reside.

Another key component of ensuring that American Indians and Alaska Natives have the care and support they need regardless of whether they are located is reaching out to other communities and other health providers. NCUIH strives to carry our message and the message of our communities to other organization and communities. While NCUIH understands and strives to protect the unique relationship between Tribes and the federal government, as well as the status of Indian people as a political rather than ethnic minority, building coalitions with other communities is necessary for the longevity of our communities. The NCUIH Policy Department works with organizations such as La Raza, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and Papa Ola Lokahi in order to encourage understanding and collaboration. Through coalition building we can work to end health disparities.

The NCUIH Policy Department shares the conviction of the Board of Directors that our communities can teach, learn, and share wisdom, techniques, and practices with other communities within the United States and aboard. The indigenous rights movement in non-US based countries and through the United States in conjunction with the World Health Organization (WHO) provides a number of opportunities for developing new policy initiatives for the betterment of urban Indian health.

Even while working with non-Indian organizations and even with our Tribal partners, NCUIH is always mindful of our unique responsibility to the urban Indian community as the only national representative for urban Indians. The policy department committed to ensuring that all policy initiatives and efforts support our communities and build our capacity to speak on our own behalf.

For questions, suggestions and concerns about Policy sections in NCUIHs main Website or in NCUIHs KRC, please contact Policy Analyst, Danielle Delaney, JD either via e mail at ddelaney@ncuih.org , via telephone at 202 544 0344 or writing to: