Mission

Our mission is to provide quality public health support and health care advocacy to the tribal nations of the Great Plains by utilizing effective and culturally credible approaches.

Vision

Our vision is that all tribal nations and communities in the Great Plains will reach optimum health and wellness through the embrace of culturally traditional values that are empowered by tribal sovereignty.

Values

• Traditional Cultural Values: We will serve to uphold traditional cultural values by always seeking the wisdom of Creator for direction.
• Integrity: We choose to honor the people we serve and those who are dedicated to serving our tribes and tribal members by acting with fortitude and dedication to our mission at all times.
• Generosity: We choose to honor the people we serve and those who are dedicated to serving our tribes and tribal members by acting with generosity and selflessness at all times.
• Respect: We choose to honor the people we serve and those who are dedicated to serving our tribes and tribal members by treating them with dignity and compassion at all times.
• Ethics: We choose to act with honesty and fairness in every organizational decision, continually earning the trust of those we work with and those we serve.
• Advocacy: We will stand with conviction and courage to promote tribal sovereignty and equitable health and well-being for the tribal nations we serve and represent.
• Humility: We will always approach our work in the spirit of cooperation and collaboration in order to successfully achieve our mission.

Philosophy Statement

Hecel Oyate Kin Nipi Kte in Lakota, or “So That The People May Live.”

Statement of Purpose

The Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board is established to provide the tribal nations in the Great Plains region with a formal representative Board as a means of communicating and participating with the Great Plains Area Indian Health Service and other Health and Human Services entities and organizations on health matters. In pursuing this policy, the Board’s objectives are:

• To improve the effectiveness of the Indian Health Service by facilitating tribal participation in the consultation process.
• To assist the Indian Health Service in establishing program priorities and in distributing existing resources.
• To advise the Area Director and Great Plains Area Indian Health Service of tribal priorities in developing long-range program plans.
• To advocate for tribal interests and desires at state, regional and national levels for health-related concerns.
• To support the self-determination and sovereignty of tribes in their development of activities and programs to improve the health of tribal members.
• To provide technical assistance to tribes in the development and improvement of tribal health programs.
• To establish meaningful engagement and provide consistent means of communication to provide clear and concise information to the tribes.
• To represent the organization and member tribes before the Congress of the United States at any hearings and national organization meetings regarding health issues and health care.

The Board is organized exclusively for nonprofit purposes and will qualify as an exempt organization under Sec. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law).