The Indian Health Board of Minneapolis, Inc. (IHB) is an Urban Indian Clinic and Federally
Qualified Health Center (FQHC) established in November 1971 to provide for the health needs of the American Indian community residing in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. With a mission to ensure quality, health care services for American Indians and other peoples, IHB provides high-quality, culturally relevant medical, counseling and dental services through fully trained providers with advanced medical and health management education to more than 5,000 patients each year.
IHB is the only urban American Indian clinic in the Minnesota Twin Cities area and draws patients in from across the metro. IHB has received SDPI funding since 1998 and is dedicated to providing excellent diabetes management services to the urban American Indian population. Access to quality, affordable care that you can trust is critical to the treatment and prevention of diabetes. In August 2010, IHB’s Diabetes Self-Management Education program was recognized by the American Diabetes Association, providing patients a greater consistency in the quality and quantity of diabetes education offered. In October 2012, IHB received certification by the State of Minnesota as a Primary Care Medical Home and our care model is based on a care team that supports a patient and their family. The SDPI program is part of the patient’s care team and is able to provide education as an integral part of their medical visit.
Patients can face many barriers when caring for their health. These barriers may include personal knowledge, skills, financial burdens, awareness of resources available to them, and accessing services at times that fit their needs. IHB’s internal collaborations among the medical, counseling, and dental departments as well as community partners provide patients with a range of opportunities to overcome these barriers.
This includes increasing one’s knowledge and skills in the prevention and self-management of chronic disease by participating in the offered individual and group education classes and interactive educational events proposed by this project. Patients are also offered care coordination services to assist in navigating the health care system, assist with preventive care, and link to resources to meet all aspects of the patient’s health all while minimizing health care costs.