National Indian Council On Aging Inc

THE NATIONAL INDIAN COUNCIL ON AGING, INC WAS FOUNDED TO ADVOCATE FOR IMPROVED COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH, SOCIAL SERVICES, AND ECONOMIC WELL BEING TO AMERICAN INDIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE ELDERS.

SENIOR COMMUNITY SERVICE EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM (SCSEP) - IS A COMMUNITY SERVICE AND WORK-BASED JOB TRAINING PROGRAM FOR OLDER AMERICANS. AUTHORIZED BY THE OLDER AMERICANS ACT, THE PROGRAM OFFERS PAID TRAINING THROUGH PART- TIME COMMUNITY SERVICE ASSIGNMENTS FOR UNEMPLOYED, LOW-INCOME ELDERS. WHILE IN TRAINING, PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED WAGES FOR PART-TIME COMMUNITY SERVICE EMPLOYMENT.

NATIONAL CONSORTIUM ON AGING RESOURCES FOR ELDERS' EQUITY -TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER (NCAREE-TAC) THE NATIONAL CONSORTIUM WAS ESTABLISHED BY THE ADMINISTRATION FOR COMMUNITY LIVING, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AND IS COMPOSED OF FIVE NATIONAL AGING ORGANIZATIONS. CONSORTIUM PARTNERS INCLUDE REPRESENTATIVE ORGANIZATIONS FOR EACH OF THE FOUR MAJOR RACIAL OR ETHNIC MINORITIES AND LGBT OLDER POPULATIONS. THE ORGANIZATIONS ARE NATIONAL ASIAN PACIFIC CENTER ON AGING (NAPA), NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR HISPANIC ELDERLY ASOCIACION NACIONAL PRO PERSONAS MAYORES (AN PPM), NATIONAL CAUCUS & CENTER ON BLACK AGING, INC (NCBA), SERVICES & ADVOCACY FOR LGBT ELDERS (SAGE) AND THE NATIONAL INDIAN COUNCIL ON AGING (NICOA). THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THE NATIONAL INDIAN COUNCIL ON AGING'S NCAREE-TAC IS TO SERVE AS AN INTERCONNECTED RESOURCE CENTER. THIS CENTER IS FOCUSED ON PROVIDING EDUCATION AND OUTREACH TO THE AGING NETWORK AS WELL AS AMERICAN INDIAN, ALASKA NATIVE, AND NATIVE HAWAIIAN ELDERS 55 AND OVER. THE NCAREE- TAC WILL PROVIDE EXPERTISE IN THE DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, AND SHARING OF CULTURALLY COMPETENT INFORMATION ON FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION THAT CAN IMPROVE DELIVERY OF SERVICES TO AMERICAN INDIAN, ALASKA NATIVE, AND NATIVE HAWAIIAN ELDERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

PURPOSE OF THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING IS TO ESTABLISH A COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE DIVERSE ELDER COALITION (DEC), ITS STATE PARTNERS AND COMMUNITY CATALYST (CC), AND THEIR STATE CONSUMER ADVOCATES. OVER THE COURSE OF THE COLLABORATION, DEC STATE PARTNERS AND CC STATE CONSUMER HEALTH ADVOCATES WILL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP TO IMPROVE HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE AND BENEFITS FOR OLDER PEOPLE OF COLOR AND LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER (LGBT) OLDER PEOPLE UNDER THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT (ACA), AS WELL AS THEIR OVERALL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN NEW MEXICO.

THIS 400,000 MULTI-YEAR GRANT FROM THE WELLS FARGO FOUNDATION SHALL BE UTILIZED BY NATIONAL INDIAN COUNCIL ON AGING, INC. ("NICOA") FOR NATIVE CAPACITY BUILDING. NATIONAL INDIAN COUNCIL ON AGING, INC.'S MISSION ALIGNS WITH WELLS FARGO'S COMMITMENT TO HELP ADDRESS THE UNIQUE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL NEEDS OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN/ALASKA NATIVE (AI/AN) POPULATION. THROUGH THIS GRANT PROGRAM, NICOA SHALL BUILD ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY AND PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR IMPROVED COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH, SOCIAL SERVICES, AND ECONOMIC WELLBEING FOR AMERICAN INDIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE ELDERS. THE FUNDS WILL BE USED BY NICOA TO ENSURE IT HAS THE CAPACITY TO GROW AND TO ENSURE ITS LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY. QUANTIFIABLE INDICATORS OF SUCCESS WILL INCLUDE: 1.) HOSTING A SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION WITH RELEVANT STAFF, BOARD MEMBERS, KEY STAKEHOLDERS, AND RECEIVING CONSULTATION ON FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR THE ORGANIZATION, 2.) HIRING STAFF DEDICATED TO WRITING PERTINENT GRANTS AND IMPROVING NICOA'S FUNDRAISING CAPACITIES, AND 3.) PROVIDING EDUCATIONAL WEBINARS ON SOCIAL SERVICES AND IMPORTANT POLICIES THAT IMPACT AI/AN ELDERS. BY UTILIZING THESE GRANT FUNDS, NICOA EXPECTS TO IMPACT INDIAN COUNTRY WITH IMPROVED KNOWLEDGE OF SERVICES AND SERVICE ELIGIBILITY AMONG ELDERS, IMPROVE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TRIBAL LEADERSHIP AND TRIBAL ELDERS ABOUT RESOURCE ALLOCATION FOR PROGRAM AND SERVICE DEVELOPMENT, AND STRENGTHEN NICOA'S POSITION IN INDIAN COUNTRY AS THE PREMIER ADVOCATE FOR AI/AN ELDER ISSUES. CDC FOUNDATION GRANT - THE COVID PANDEMIC HAS HIGHLIGHTED THE INEQUALITIES THAT NATIVE COMMUNITIES HAVE LONG FACED. IN ONE SENSE AMERICAN INDIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE (AIAN) COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH ONE LONG, UNENDING PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY DUE TO PERSISTENT UNDERLYING HEALTH DISPARITIES IN HEALTH, SOCIAL, AND ECONOMIC FACTORS. ACCORDING TO THE KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION (KFF): AIAN PEOPLE HAVE DISPROPORTIONATELY HIGH RATES OF MANY HEALTH CONDITIONS THAT MAY PUT THEM AT HIGHER RISK FOR SERIOUS ILLNESS IF THEY CONTRACT CORONAVIRUS, INCLUDING DIABETES, HEART DISEASE, ASTHMA, AND OBESITY. ANALYSIS EXAMINING HOW MANY ADULTS ARE AT HIGHER RISK FOR EXPERIENCING SERIOUS ILLNESS IF THEY ARE INFECTED WITH CORONAVIRUS BASED ON CDCS IDENTIFIED HEALTH RISK FACTORS FINDS THAT 34% OF AIAN NONELDERLY ADULTS ARE AT RISK OF SERIOUS ILLNESS COMPARED TO 21% OF WHITE NONELDERLY ADULTS. AIAN ELDERS ARE AT INCREASED RISK DUE TO LIVING CONDITIONS INCLUDING LACK OF ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER AND PLUMBING AND LIVING IN CROWDED ENVIRONMENTS WHICH CAN LIMIT SAFE PRACTICES SUCH AS HAND WASHING AND SOCIAL DISTANCING. THE UNDERFUNDING OF THE INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE (IHS) MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR THE AGENCY TO FULFILL ITS MISSION AND MEET THE NEEDS OF THEIR PATIENTS. MOST AIANS LIVE OUTSIDE OF TRIBAL AREAS AND WHILE THERE IS A NETWORK OF URBAN INDIAN CLINICS, THEY ARE NOT EVERYWHERE, AND MANY CANNOT REACH THEM. THE KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION FOUND THAT AIANS ARE MORE LIKELY TO DELAY CARE DUE TO THE COST OF A VISIT. IN 2018 22% OF AIANS WERE UNINSURED, MORE THAN OTHER RACIAL AND ETHNIC GROUPS. N4A SHARED A FAST FACTS REPORT ON THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON TITLE VI NATIVE AMERICAN AGING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES. 38% OF TITLE VI DIRECTORS REPORTED THAT ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY WAS A BARRIER TO STAFF WORKING REMOTELY. BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY WILL BE KEY TO IMPROVING SOCIAL ISOLATION FOR MANY ELDERS.