Sunday, May 11, 2025
5/11/2025
Supporting Tribal Public Health Capacity in Coronavirus Preparedness and Response - 2020 - The Mohegan Tribe Health Department (MTHD) COVID-19 project will allow us to adapt response activities based on new insights and innovative solutions to specific COVID-19 health problems, implement/surge health emergency management staff, identify and roster surge staffing to augment core staff, execute, revise and develop program planning specific to COVID-19. This will assist in restoring tribal community activities and business operations to pre-COVID-19 functioning and subsidize MTHD operations for the first year. Looking ahead, this project will also help assess health needs for the reservation and surrounding communities specific to COVID- 19, allowing us to build new partnerships and continue to improve service delivery, while strengthening our overall network and ability to implement additional health services.This is essential to addressing both health and economic needs for the people of Mohegan. In the latter area, COVID-19 has incapacitated Mohegan Sun Casino-the economic engine that drives all Mohegan-owned businesses as well as our Tribal Government/programs- in a way that could not have been anticipated. More than 8,000 employees were furloughed from tribal-owned businesses in CT, PA, LA and NJ. As a result of the devastating consequences of COVID-19, our people and surrounding communities are scared, confused, angry and facing not only health and financial crises, but an increase in mental health related struggles.The Mohegan Tribe Health Department (MTHD), founded in 1996, provides a foundation of nearly 25 years of providing essential public health services to the tribal community and surrounding communities. The MHTD informs and empowers about health issues, mobilizes community partnerships to identify and solve health problems, develops policies/plans that support individual and community health efforts, enforces laws/regulations that protect health and ensure safety to all tribal citizens, employees, casino visitors and sur rounding towns. MTHD also works in conjunction with local and state governments and the Department of Health & Human Services.Under the direction of MTHD staff, our project will take place where tribal-owned businesses are located (CT, PA, LA and NJ). An integral part of this project, in conjunction with USET and Yale New Haven Health, is adding an emergency testing lab to our existing MTHD. The lab will be specific to COVID-19 testing/tracing/surveillance/antibody testing to contain the virus and ensure safe business re-openings. This is essential to the economic well-being and immediate health needs of our tribal community, employees and surrounding communities.CDC funding will allow us to strengthen preparedness/response in emergency operations, surveillance, reporting, surge staffing, clinical testing, communications, infection control and recovery activities. Core Staff: Executive Director (oversight of activities/compliance/ programming), Program Director (service delivery/training/information dissemination) and APRN (oversight of coordination of testing/tracing, in partnership with USET and other health officials) augmented by additional BH and MTHD staff. MTHD surge staffing is needed to restore operations to pre-COVID-19 functioning and provide up-to-date communications/ education. Behavioral Health (BH) surge staffing is essential due to COVID-19 increasing/ causing fear, anxiety, and first-time or exacerbating PTSD in our tribal members, employees and members of the surrounding community. BH will use telehealth technology to reach tribal members quarantined and/or residing outside of our area. (Tribal members reside in 32 states.)
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).