LTSS Newsletter—July 2021

Next LTSS webinar: Staffing shortages in tribal long-term care facilities July 28, 2021   American Indian/Alaska Native Long-Term Services and Supports SOLUTIONS Technical assistance for culturally competent care July 2021   LTSS Technical Assistance Center Visit the online LTSS TA Center for videos, best practices, toolkits, a resource library, and a step-by-step planning roadmap.     Increasing vaccination access While many people have received a COVID-19 vaccine, access to vaccination is still an issue for many others. Fortunately, there are some new ways to increase vaccinations among populations who face transportation challenges or barriers to leaving their homes. Efforts to increase in-home vaccinations: For people who have difficulty leaving their homes, in-home vaccination is an important option for ensuring access to the vaccine. To encourage vaccine providers to administer additional in-home vaccines, Medicare provides a small incentive. Medicare recently increased the original incentive payment, nearly doubling it. Possible transportation solutions: Several avenues are available for helping connect people who need vaccines with transportation to their appointments. The National Council on Aging collaborates with Lyft to provide rides to vaccine appointments. The National Aging and Disability Transportation Center maintains a list of programs that provide free transportation to vaccine appointments in various areas throughout the country. View the recorded CMS webinar, Transportation in Indian Country, to learn more about transportation challenges that commonly affect tribal communities, transportation needs among elders and people with disabilities, and possible solutions for meeting those needs.           Encouraging vaccination for people with disabilities               People with disabilities are an important population to consider in increasing access to COVID-19 vaccination. A CMS report, Issues Affecting AI/AN Consumers with Disabilities (PDF, 798 KB, 23 pp), examines considerations specific to AI/AN people with disabilities. These issues may be important to consider in determining how to improve access to the vaccine. Specifically for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed materials to encourage this population to get vaccinated. The materials include: How I get my COVID-19 shot booklet (PDF, 930 KB, 13 pp) Stay safe from COVID-19 poster (PDF, 67.1 KB, 1 p)           CMS proposed rule for improving data collection, telehealth access, diabetes prevention, and care quality The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified many health disparities and underscored the urgent need to address them. In response, CMS is proposing an updated Physician Fee Schedule rule that would promote health equity for Medicare beneficiaries by: Enhancing data collection to provide a clearer picture of health disparities and ways to bridge those gaps Expanding access to telehealth services, including permitting Medicare to cover both in-person and telehealth visits to rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers for mental health services Strengthening the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) to reach a larger audience, including eliminating the Medicare enrollment fee for organizations that apply to become MDPP providers Improving the CMS Quality Payment Program to bolster the quality of care Promoting preventive vaccines under Part B   Learn more about the proposed rule and how to provide input or view fact sheets on the proposed changes to the Physician Fee Schedule and MDPP. New fact sheet on Title VI programs A new fact sheet from the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) (PDF, 1.3 MB, 2 pp) shares highlights from the findings of the National Title VI Program Survey. This survey assessed the services provided to tribal communities under Title VI programs. In August, n4a will release the Title VI survey toolkit, which will contain a report on the full survey results, as well as regional reports, fact sheets, and materials that programs can use to share the findings with their communities. To offer further information on the survey results, n4a and the Administration for Community Living will host a webinar on August 11 and a discussion with Title VI directors on August 12. More information about these events will follow soon. Recruiting UIOs to participate in NUENAS 1.0 The Coalition on Urban Indian Aging (CoUIA) is conducting its Native Urban Elder Needs Assessment Survey (NUENAS 1.0) to identify priority needs for the wellness of American Indian and Alaska Native elders who live in urban settings. CoUIA successfully partnered with 7 sites to administer the survey to their elders and is now seeking participation from 3 additional sites. Each urban Indian organization (UIO) that agrees to participate in NUENAS 1.0 and completes the required memorandum of understanding (PDF, 139 KB, 4 pp) will receive: $250 for survey administration Up to $2,500 in incentives, to be distributed to elders who complete the survey UIOs may opt to administer an electronic or paper version of the survey. To learn more about the survey, email CoUIA or read CoUIA's article about the successful pilot of NUENAS 1.0.   Upcoming webinar   Staffing Shortages in Tribal Facilities: Past, Present, and Future Wednesday, July 28, 2021 Join UNITE (Uniting Nursing Homes in Tribal Excellence) for a panel discussion on unique staffing challenges for tribal nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Hear from nursing home and assisted living facility administrators and directors about the root causes of staffing challenges, strategies to overcome them, and future opportunities to address excellence in geriatric staffing for tribal elders. Please note your location's call-in time: 8 am Hawaii 10 am Alaska 11 am Pacific 11 am Arizona 12 pm Mountain 1 pm Central 2 pm Eastern Learning objectives: Learn the top 10 staffing challenges for tribal nursing homes and assisted living facilities Discuss past and present roles of nurse staffing agencies Learn about financial incentives during the pandemic and their impact on staffing shortages Hear about future staffing opportunities for tribal elder care Have questions for our presenters? Let us know before the webinar by emailing ltssinfo@kauffmaninc.com. Panelists   Deb Arbogast Administrator Medicine Wheel Village   Billie Phillips, RN Director of Nursing Morning Star Care Center   Jared Denton Regional Manager Native American Health Management   Ron Ross CEO Native American Health Management   Rae McAdams Cultural Director/ Environmental Supervisor Morning Star Care Center   Caregiver's corner   Help coping with losses from the pandemic Many people are grieving losses they experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, with especially severe impacts in Indian Country. Whether the loss was a job, a sense of security, or even a friend or family member, the emotions brought on by these losses can be intense. The John Hopkins Center for American Indian Health created a tip sheet (PDF, 199 KB, 1 p) for AI/AN communities on how to deal with losses from the pandemic. For the loved ones of front-line health care workers who were lost to the pandemic, the Brave of Heart Fund has several grant opportunities to help offset the costs of funeral expenses or lost wages. Funding is open through December 2021.     Join the conversation on LinkedIn Want to learn more about or discuss LTSS in Indian Country? Looking to connect with others working in the same field? Join the Tribal Affairs Group on LinkedIn.   Upcoming events   Phoenix Area Integrated Behavioral Health Conference Conference dates: Tuesdays, July 27–August 31 Register for the Phoenix Area IHS conference Topics covered during the virtual Phoenix Area Indian Health Service Integrated Behavioral Health Conference will include spirituality and behavioral health, preventing and treating substance abuse through a cultural lens, trauma-informed care and treatment protocols, and more. View the schedule (PDF, 726 KB, 1 p). 23rd biennial NICOA conference Conference dates: August 1–6 Register for the NICOA conference The 23rd National Indian Council on Aging (NICOA) conference will be held in Reno, NV, in conjunction with the National Title VI Training & Technical Assistance Conference. The theme of the NICOA conference is "Resilience for Tomorrow... Together." Workshop sessions will cover LTSS, elder abuse prevention, caregiver support, and more.   Funding opportunities   Alzheimer's Disease Programs Initiative—Grants to States and Communities Deadline: August 2 Apply for the Alzheimer's initiative funding opportunity The Alzheimer's Disease Programs Initiative cooperative agreements will fund the development and expansion of dementia-capable home- and community-based services to help individuals remain independent and safe within their communities. Through this initiative, the Administration for Community Living plans to award 13 cooperative agreements of up to $1 million each.   Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity Deadline: August 16 Apply for the CIIHE funding opportunity The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health plans to award two cooperative agreements to fund the establishment of a Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity (CIIHE). With awards of up to $1 million each, the two recipients will work together to establish the CIIHE, which will support education, policy development, and research to advance health equity for AI/AN populations.   Minority Leaders Development Program Deadline: August 17 Apply for the minority leaders funding opportunity The Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) is seeking applicants for the Minority Leaders Development Program. Through this opportunity, programs will identify and promote effective approaches for improving health outcomes for racial and ethnic minority populations. OASH plans to award three cooperative agreements of up to $750,000 each.   Sage and Sweetgrass grants for chronic disease management among urban AI/AN populations Deadline: August 31 Learn more about the chronic disease management funding opportunities The Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI) is inviting eligible urban Indian organizations to apply for their funding opportunities. UIHI is providing a minimum of six Sage grants (up to $95,885 each) and up to four Sweetgrass grants ($10,000 each) to address chronic disease education, prevention, and management for urban AI/AN populations.   Send us your news Do you have news to share about LTSS in Indian Country? Send it to ltssinfo@kauffmaninc.com, and we'll include it in a newsletter. Contact us with other comments or feedback, too. About the newsletter American Indian/Alaska Native Long-Term Services and Supports Solutions is published monthly by the CMS Division of Tribal Affairs to share information, funding opportunities, and resources with LTSS planners, tribal leaders, and supporters.

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