The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it is hosting a consultation on May 4, 2021, for elected leaders of federally recognized tribes, or their proxies, to solicit input on ways to implement new, emergency health care grants in tribal communities.

The consultation will be held virtually on Tuesday, May 4, 2021, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Click here to register.

Ms. Wahleah Johns, Senior Advisor and Acting Director of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy, and Mr. Jigar Shah, Executive Director of the DOE Loan Programs Office, invite you to participate in a 2-hour roundtable discussion session. This session welcomes all tribal leaders and staff responsible for energy and utility programs, economic and enterprise development, and finance; related tribal non-profits and associations; and industry, including banks, equity investors, and energy developers.

Ms. Johns and Mr. Shah are interested in hearing from all participants on the challenges in developing tribal energy projects and how funding and financing programs offered through DOE can be structured to address them. Participants are encouraged to use this opportunity to speak directly with Ms. Johns and Mr. Shah to offer feedback on making these programs more effective for Indian Country to meet tribal economic development and energy resilience needs.

Register for the roundtable discussion.

DOE encourages written comments in advance of the session; please submit by 5 p.m. ET Monday, May 3, to telgp@hq.doe.gov.

Join the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center’s Women Are Sacred Conference (June 8-10, 2021, virtual). This is an outstanding, three-day opportunity to connect virtually with survivors, advocates, grassroots organizers, tribal leaders, law enforcement, child welfare, social services, and tribal court personnel across Tribal Nations, Alaska Native villages, Indian and Native Hawaiian communities to build capacity and enhance your advocacy skills to strengthen the movement to end the violence. Registration is only $150, no cost for youth ages 16-24.

The conference agenda is available on the conference site at niwrc.org/was.

NAFOA SEEKS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR[/sub] The Executive Director serves as chief executive officer of the organization and is responsible for overseeing the administration, programs, and strategic plan of the organization. The position reports directly to the Board of Directors.

Learn more and apply at www.nafoa.org/jobs.

By Brian Kelly, Head of PNC Healthcare

After the initial shock delivered by financial market disruption and the inability for providers to continue elective procedures which rippled through the country in March, healthcare systems struggled to “stop the bleeding.” The most successful systems were already developing long-term solutions to accelerate improvements in care and cost. In some ways, the pandemic has given them permission to accelerate implementation of existing plans, and to be innovative in adopting new strategies for improving the patient experience, delivering better outcomes and reducing costs.

Many clients have been working for decades to be more efficient but found barriers to moving forward based on the complexities of the industry and the entire ecosystem surrounding healthcare. COVID-19 has provided a catalyst to implement these changes and many systems are now tackling challenges to operating margins while enhancing patient safety. These current actions to preserve systems’ financial health have been supported by relationships with other healthcare providers, supply chain members/participants, legislators and financial institutions.

Read more in the Spring 2021 NAFOA Navigator (page 107-108)