Protecting the places Tribal communities live, learn, work, and play
NPAIHB’s Environmental Public Health Division works directly with Northwest Tribes to identify, assess, and address environmental health concerns and develop plans that strengthen the health and safety of Tribal communities.
Our team provides services to Northwest Tribes that have placed their Indian Health Service environmental health shares with NPAIHB. Tribes may elect any combination of the following services:
- Environmental Health
- Institutional Environmental Health
- Injury Prevention
We work alongside Tribes to support their authority to develop and regulate their environmental health standards.
We are committed to advancing Tribal sovereignty, environmental health through collective action and data-driven policy—rooted in both Traditional Ecological Knowledge and contemporary science. We support Tribes to safeguard environments, enhance preparedness, and strengthen community well-being for generations to come.
Contact: ehteam@npaihb.org
Environment Public Health Services
Environmental Health Services Core 638 Funding
Our team helps Tribally operated facilities to stay safe and healthy. We offer inspections, sanitation and safety reviews, compliance support, and policy checks.
Institutional Environmental Health Services
We conduct Environment of Care assessments for Tribally operated healthcare facilities, evaluating fire protection, emergency preparedness, infection control, water quality, ventilation, hazardous materials, and overall facility conditions.
Injury Prevention Services
The team supports Tribes in reducing unintentional and intentional injuries by strengthening community safety through culturally appropriate, data-driven approaches.
We provide motor vehicle safety education and physical resources like child safety seats; water first aid and safety education; and healthy home assessment technical assistance.
Water Infrastructure Improvement for the Nation (WIIN) Act Grant Services
Provides testing and mitigation activities related to lead in drinking water in schools and childcare facilities.
Environmental Public Health Projects
What is Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)?
Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is an Indigenous system of knowledge living through cultural memory, spiritual connection, and lived experience. Passed down by Elders, TEK has helped Native communities survive and adapt through times of change and hardship. It reflects values such as reciprocity, kinship with nature, and care for future generations, and includes land-based practices. We center TEK in our Tribal environmental health efforts as it’s critical for building strategies that reflect our relationships to place, the responsibility to future generations, and deep observation of seasonal and environmental change.
Looking for Environmental Public Health Technical Assistance?
We provide technical assistance on environmental public health issues ranging from accreditation and air quality to water quality, food safety, and beyond.
