NIHB Partners with CDC on Frontline Project, Offers Training for Tribal Healthcare Workers

WASHINGTON, DC—October 29, 2020—The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is pleased to partner with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Project Firstline—a comprehensive infection control program designed to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases in U.S. healthcare settings. With Project Firstline funding, NIHB will implement a multi-pronged approach to providing infection prevention and control (IPC) training and technical assistance to Tribal health officials and Tribal health systems. The goal of the project is to assist frontline Tribal healthcare workers and infectious control officers in strengthening their knowledge base and improve IPC practices through interactive trainings and offering tools and resources to carry out their critical work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The National Indian Health Board is an organization that focuses greatly on Tribal public health and its infrastructures within the Indian health system. CDC’s Project Firstline is a way for our healthcare workers at Indian Health Service or Tribal facilities to access the training and tools they need to be superior at their jobs of saving our people’s lives,” said NIHB CEO, Stacy A. Bohlen. “In the world of COVID-19 that we’re living in now, we’re seeing the extreme gaps in healthcare access and delivery but we also need to focus on the people who are making it all happen – the healthcare workers – they need and deserve every support.”

Project Firstline, a $180 million program, is a CDC-led collaborative intended for the millions of frontline U.S. healthcare workers. It offers short training modules, townhall discussions, and tele-mentoring to ensure all workers in healthcare—from doctors to environmental services staff—are empowered with knowledge about the science and reasoning behind today’s infection control practices. Trainings will consist of concise, interactive and mobile device-friendly video segments, designed for busy frontline healthcare workers to access during breaks at work or during off hours.

Through Project Firstline, NIHB will create a Tribal Infection Control (TIC) Advisory Committee and is currently accepting applications. The committee will assist with developing content for the project, inform the mentorship program and learning community. NIHB will also host an IPC Institute and monthly TIC peer learning community webinars in addition to other activities to aid in building Tribal capacity. NIHB’s mentorship program will link TIC mentors with other Tribes and Tribal IPC officers to help build capacity and strengthen local efforts. NIHB is now accepting scholarship applications to assist Tribal infection control officers and health officials who want to take online IPC training courses or complete the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology (CBIC) certification exam.

To learn more about NIHB’s Project Firstline, please contact Courtney Wheeler at cwheeler@nihb.org.

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