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Celebrating Title VI and Native American Heritage Month in
November
By Lance Robertson, Administrator
and Assistant Secretary for Aging
When I attended the HHS
Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee Meeting in Alaska earlier
this year, I met with Alaska Native tribes in the towns of Tok and Eagle,
both located a few hours from Fairbanks, not far from the Canadian border.
Tok bills itself as the “coldest inhabited community in North America with
warm, friendly people.” Eagle, population 86, hosts a checkpoint on the
Yukon-Quest Dog Sled Race that runs each year in February. My visit was
arranged by the Tanana Chiefs Conference and the Dena’ Nena’ Henash
organization, which represent the interests and promotes the wellness,
education, and culture of the Interior Alaska Native people.
In September, I attended the National
Indian Council on Aging Conference at the Pechanga Resort and
Casino in Temecula, CA—an amazing opportunity to talk with tribal elders
about what they need to remain vital, engaged members of their communities.
These are the people I’m thinking of as we celebrate the 40th
anniversary of Title VI of the Older Americans Act. This amendment to the
1965 OAA legislation recognizes that older American Indian, Alaska Native,
and Native Hawaiian people are “a vital resource entitled to all benefits
and services available.” It also affirms that these “services and benefits
should be provided in a manner that preserves and restores their respective
dignity, self-respect, and cultural identities.”
That’s what I saw in Temecula, Eagle, and Tok when I visited
the ACL-funded programs there.
I am proud to say that Services provided under Title VI
include home and community-based services, such as support for caregivers
of elders and grandparents caring for grandchildren. In 2017 alone, ACL
awarded 270 three-year grants for nutrition and supportive services and 233
three-year grants for caregiver services. That’s why we are so pleased that
the FY 2019 appropriation passed by Congress includes more than $1 million
increase in Title VI funding.
ACL programs—funded through Title VI as well as other
sources—make a big difference for both older people and people with
disabilities in Indian Country. ACL works with the Indian Health Service,
Bureau of Indian Affairs, the National Council of Urban Indian Health, the Department
of Justice, and other public and private groups to raise awareness of the
issues and address the challenges faced by elders and people with
disabilities of all ages in tribal communities in both rural and urban
areas around the country.
For example, elder abuse and neglect affects elders from all
backgrounds, including American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native
Hawaiians. In September, ACL awarded a
grant to the University of North Dakota (UND), where the
National American Indian Elder Justice Initiative has been housed since
2009. The resource center assists tribes in raising public awareness of
elder abuse and neglect and developing laws to protect elders as well as
programs to prevent and address elder abuse and neglect. ACL also awarded a
grant to the Orutsararmiut Native Council in Bethel, Alaska to develop an
Elder Justice Program designed to reduce harm and mistreatment of elders
through a culturally appropriate, holistic, trauma-informed program that
helps support caregivers, build resiliency, and meet the needs of elders
with disabilities.
Every time I meet with tribal leaders, I am impressed with
their engagement and their willingness to speak out for their needs. This
is the type of engagement that is the key to building a person-centered
health care system that truly meets the unique needs of all people across
this great land.
In November, we celebrate Native American Heritage Month and the
rich cultural diversity and traditions Native Americans bring to our
Nation. I’m honored to work with tribal leaders from coast to coast to
continue to improve opportunities for Native elders and people with
disabilities to live independently in their communities.
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