Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Traditional Healing State Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Urban Native provider seeks state support for cultural center; DHHS pursuing state-plan amendment for "traditional healing"
Summary
Native Inc. requested $1.9 million — roughly $1 million for land/building and remainder for cultural programming — to establish a cultural center in Bismarck; DHHS told the committee it plans to submit a state-plan amendment to Medicaid for reimbursement of traditional-healing practices and to consult tribes on policy design.
Lorraine Davis, founder and CEO of Native Inc., asked the committee for $1,900,000 in one-time support to establish a cultural center in Bismarck. She said roughly $1 million would support land acquisition or building costs and the remainder would fund cultural programming and prevention services. "The cultural center would have a sweat lodge," she said when describing the proposed facility and programming.
Lorraine explained that federal grants previously supported cultural programming in the Bismarck area but those competitive grants ended and the organization is expanding services to Fargo and Grand Forks as well. She argued the center would provide prevention, recovery supports and culturally responsive programming that is not otherwise available in urban settings.
Sarah Acre, director of the Division of Medical Services at DHHS, told the committee Medicaid is preparing to submit a state-plan amendment for traditional healing and that DHHS would pursue an effective date of July 1 if federal approval is granted. "We are intending to submit a state plan amendment for traditional healing," she said; DHHS plans to coordinate the policy through tribal consultation and to consider tribes and Indian Health Service as primary providers in the initial language.
Committee members asked whether urban, non-tribal Native providers could participate; DHHS said tribes and IHS are primary in the draft language but suggested an urban provider could participate under a tribal contract and that the department will raise questions with federal officials.
Chairman Nelson asked the department to provide timelines and to work with Lorraine on draft amendment language and implementation options. The department also agreed to provide follow-up materials about how cultural programming could fit into existing reimbursement streams (for example through Community Connect or free-through-recovery payments) and noted a separate state-plan amendment is the mechanism DHHS prefers to pursue first.
Ending note: the committee asked Lorraine to provide a detailed proposal and budget breakdown for any legislative amendment; DHHS and the committee will continue consultation and technical work on the state-plan amendment.
