Organizational Capacity
Management and Administrative Structure of the NPAIHB
Offices:
The NPAIHB administrative office is located in downtown Portland, Oregon in the heart of the Portland State University campus. The NPAIHB office is also conveniently located approximately one-half mile from the Portland Area Indian Health Service office, within five miles of the Bureau of Indian Affairs office, and within one mile of Oregon Health & Science University. The office facility is well equipped with modern computer capabilities, and well staffed to meet the needs of current, diverse activities provided for the tribal health programs of the 43 NPAIHB member tribes. The Board has been at this location since 1987. The Board has a fully operational local area network (LAN), a Circle of Health webpage, and a telephone system with voicemail and computer.
Administrative System: The Executive Director (ED) is responsible for all staff and programs at the NPAIHB and answers directly to a five person Executive Committee elected by NPAIHB delegates. A four person Management Team consists of the Executive Director, Administrative Officer, Health Resources Coordinator, and Policy Analyst and acts in an advisory capacity to the ED, and assists in research and development of organizational policy and practices. NPAIHB’s Strategic Plan maps our priorities, organizational values, mission, and health issues and concerns. NPAIHB’s organizational chart outlines the managerial structure. The EpiCenter, which is housed and supported by the NPAIHB, consists of four cores of operation including; Administrative, Data Management/Analysis, Training, and Research.
Fiscal Management System: The Finance Department is comprised of three staff members: Business Manager, Controller, Accounts Payable and Payroll Accountant. Purchases and payments are approved and processed utilizing purchase order forms that must be signed by project directors, certified that funds are available by the Controller, and approved by the Executive Director. The Board utilizes a fund accounting system designed to meet the informational and reporting requirements of the NPAIHB and its funders. The Board has an Annual Audit in compliance with the Single Audit Act and OMB A-133.
Organizational Capacity: From early on, the Northwest Tribes recognized that data, surveillance, and research were central to building awareness about health disparities afflicting American Indians and Alaska Natives. Because this effort was initiated by the Northwest Tribes, the EpiCenter has successfully engaged tribes in research and surveillance activities and as a result, serves as an essential resource for Northwest tribes for tribal health data and health information support. In addition, the NPAIHB hosts the Portland Area IHS Institutional Review Board (IRB), which oversees protection of human subjects in research occurring in Northwest Indian communities.
Over 190,000 American Indians/Alaska Natives reside in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, representing 6.3 percent of the nation’s American Indian population. Indian reservations are dispersed across immense distances in the Northwest, usually in isolated areas with sparse populations. The tribes of the Northwest vary in population size, culture, and geographic location. Indian health care delivery faces many unique challenges, including the fact that American Indian communities frequently lag behind their non-Indian neighbors in receiving basic health services. Further, rates for many infectious and chronic diseases in Northwest tribes far exceed rates for whites (Sugarman et al, 1996; Grossman et al, 1994; Puukka et al, 2005). One of the roles of the NPAIHB is to provide clinic-based data to the tribes to help them prioritize the acute and chronic disease problems that challenge them.
Our commitment to state and national-level advocacy on behalf of all tribes enables the EpiCenter to develop expertise in compiling and analyzing health-related data and to prioritize and advocate for prevention efforts based on data-driven solutions. The NPAIHB and its EpiCenter staff affect policy decisions through the annual IHS budget formulation and through the Indian Healthcare Improvement Act. By bringing attention to the disproportionate burden of disease and mortality carried by our tribal community, we are able to influence the re-allocation of resources to programs in greatest need. Consequently, our health promotion and disease prevention programs have significant impacts on the health agendas of tribal, state, and national health departments.
NPAIHB and its EpiCenter have substantial experience bridging collaborative efforts among tribes, states, federal agencies, and health service organizations. NPAIHB and its EpiCenter staff maintain positive working relationships with the Oregon Department of Health and Human Services, the Washington Department of Health, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, the Portland Area branch of the Indian Health Service, and numerous county health departments through partnerships involving the prevention of commercial tobacco use, the prevention of HIV/AIDS, asthma control, cancer control, women’s health issues, health data surveillance, and diabetes.
