Partners Invited To Participate in Indian Health Service: Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Health Summit and Other American Indian/Alaska Native Tribe, Tribal Entity Activities

The Indian Health Service (IHS), in an ongoing partnership with American Indian and Alaska native (AI/AN) people in order to elevate the health status of this population to its highest level, is seeking to collaborate with other public and private organizations to support its many programs and initiatives. Despite concerted and sustained efforts by the IHS and Tribal programs, substantial disparities in health persist for AI/AN people, compared to the overall United States (U.S.) population. For this reason, the IHS has planned an ambitious initiative on HP/DP, the ``Healthier Indian Communities through Partnership and Prevention Summit,'' to be held on September 21-24, 2004 in Washington, DC. A pre-summit IHS/HHS/tribal leaders meeting will be held on September 21, 2004. At the HP/DP Summit, the IHS will explore with interested public and private organizations, the risk behaviors that contribute to the chronic lifestyle diseases that impact many AI/AN communities. Included topics will be preventing diabetes among at-risk populations, increasing the likelihood that persons with undiagnosed diabetes are diagnosed, reducing complications of diabetes, preventing and reducing overweight and obesity, and reducing the complications of asthma. The HP/DP Summit will provide an opportunity to meet with organizations and entities that have achieved these outcomes by improving nutrition, increasing physical activity, preventing tobacco use and exposure, increasing tobacco cessation, increasing the use of appropriate health care services, improving the quality of health care, and increasing effective self-management of chronic diseases and associated risk factors. At the HP/DP Summit, the IHS goal is to meet with potential partners in Tribal and community-focused programs that include the full engagement of schools, businesses, faith-communities, health care purchasers, health plans, health care providers, academic institutions, senior centers, and many other community sectors working together to promote health and prevent chronic disease. At the HP/DP Summit, the IHS will present partnership opportunities such as: (1) Healthy Native Communities Fellowship Program; (2) Building Alliances for Communities in Action for Wellness (Resource Roundtable Conferences); (3) Community Wellness Champion Forums; and (4) the Just Move It campaign. In the future, the IHS plans to work together with partners to promote health and prevent disease throughout Indian country. It is intended that these partnerships will create opportunities for businesses and other organizations to participate in shaping a healthier U.S. More information about the Summit is available at http://www.ihs.gov/hpdp.