Key Objectives:
- The Tribal Epidemiology Center (TEC) Directors will provide background for a Roundtable discussion, including:
- Outline the seven core functions of the Tribal Epidemiology Center (TECs) in the 2010 Affordable Care Act
- Describe the Public health authority status of TEC-Cs as mandated in the Indian Health Care Improvement Act
- Display a mapping of the twenty year progression and milestones of TECs in terms of geography, policy, and programs
- A dialogue focusing on possible partnerships, resource sharing and public health activities between the TECs with state and county health departments to assist with the improvement of health in Tribal communities will follow
Brief Summary:
The Tribal Epidemiology Center Consortium (TEC-C) will discuss their joint priorities and the opportunities to work more closely with state and county health departments in an effort to improve health across Tribal communities. The TEC Directors will provide a background for the Roundtable discussion which will include a history and background of the TECs to guide the information sharing dialogue. The discussion will provide an overview of the unique, twenty-year relationship between the Tribal Epidemiology Center (TEC) program funded via a Cooperative Agreement with the Indian Health Service (IHS) and American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages. The seven core functions of TECs and the Public health authority status, as mandated in the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (permanently reauthorized under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act PL 111-148), which authorizes access to data held by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), will also be summarized. TECs vary in their access to resources, data, and partnerships with local, state, and federal agencies. The Roundtable presenters will share the strengths of their individual programs and areas for opportunity and partnership during an information sharing dialogue with local and state health departments.