Great Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center Programs

Implementing and supporting emergency operations by:

• Developing and/or disseminating accurate and timely information
• Supporting surge staffing, coordination across systems, and infection control
• Contributing to public health surveillance and reporting, testing, and data management
• Supporting the implementation of countermeasures and mitigation strategies
• Planning, implementing and supporting recovery efforts and review

Responding to intimate partner violence, childhood trauma, and suicide driven by COVID-19 by:

• Identifying, scanning, accessing, and summarizing available data
• Conducting or supporting rapid and routine assessment/screening
• Assessing the ability of syndromic surveillance to capture outcomes
• Implementing or supporting adapted interventions, programming, and mentorship
• Assessing and planning the expansion/enhancement of existing educational resources and materials
• Compiling a toolkit of training, outreach, and planning resources

Implementing the Seven Core Functions of Tribal Epidemiology Centers by:

• Compiling, collecting, and disseminating tribal public health data
• Providing epidemiological, evaluation, and other public health support
• Assessing, summarizing, and responding to tribal health priorities and needs
• Responding to public health outbreaks and emergencies affecting tribal communities
• guiding and supporting change within public health and clinical systems
• Growing GPTEC as a public health resource

Funding provided by the Indian Health Services Division of Epidemiology & Disease Prevention since 2003

Providing evaluation and data support to Great Plains Area Substance Abuse and Suicide Prevention and Domestic Violence Prevention Programs by:

• Developing and supporting the use of Purpose Area-specific reporting tools
• Hosting regional project roundtables to share best practices, network, and provide training

Funding provided by the Indian Health Service’s Division of Behavioral Health since 2015

Supporting the implementation of culturally informed research projects to promote the investigation of and response to health disparities affecting tribal communities by:

• Funding Tribal Student Research Projects
• Supporting the implementation of behavioral health assessment and response projects

Funding provided by the National Institute of Minority Health & Health Disparities

Supporting HIV prevention, coordination, diagnosis, treatment, and response in order to contribute to ending the impact of HIV by:

• Promoting access to HIV data
• Establishing partnerships and connecting systems to support response to HIV
• Supporting the provision of HIV education at the local level
• Conducting HIV Community Health Assessments and supporting the completion of tribal HIV Response Plans

Funding provided by the US Department of Health & Human Services since 2019

Implementing and supporting public health infrastructure and capacity growth, the success of health promotion and disease prevention programming, and the sustainability of public health services by:

• Growing and supporting data infrastructure, services, and governance
• Cultivating public health capacity and human resources through internships, training, certifications, and communities of practice
• Funding the implementation of innovative Tribal Public Health Projects
• Promoting tribal public health best practices
• Supporting public health grant writing, management, and sustainability
• Providing structured and comprehensive public health support services
• Promoting systems thinking, partner mapping, and regional alignment/collaboration
• Growing and supporting evaluation infrastructure and services

Funding provided by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention since 2017

Supporting oral health staff and programming by:

• Conducting webinars and a regional roundtable to support alignment and sharing of best practices
• Pursuing the development of an oral health client assessment
• Pursuing the development of an oral health data abstraction guide
• Pursuing the review and development of oral health outreach and educational materials

Funding provided by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

Promoting the documentation and awareness of impacts generated by Good Health & Wellness in Indian Country projects implemented throughout the Great Plains Area by:

• Hosting regional gatherings to support collaboration and the sharing of best practices
• Developing regional evaluation reports
• Pursuing a qualitative Policy Project to summarize and promote the replication of policies passed at the tribal level

Funding provided by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

Promoting the monitoring and awareness of and response to the opioid epidemic by:

• Improving the quality of and access to opioid morbidity and mortality data
• Developing and implementing an opioid surveillance strategic plan

Check out the Opioid Surveillance Hub

Funding provided by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention since 2018

Promoting and supporting community awareness of sexually-transmitted infections and how to prevent them as well as the reduction of teen pregnancy and associated risk behaviors by:

• Increasing knowledge, self-empowerment, and preparation for adulthood among AI/AN youth within participating communities
• Providing medically-accurate, culturally-competent, and informed/responsive teen pregnancy prevention (TPP) education

Funding provided by the Family & Youth Services Bureau since 2011