The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has awarded NDSU a $1.16 million grant for the "American Indian Public Health Institute and Sustainability Project." The grant begins July 1 and ends June 30, 2020.
NDSU’s American Indian Public Health Resource Center is housed in the Department of Public Health within the College of Health Professions.
“We are very grateful to the Helmsley Charitable Trust for the additional resources for the center at NDSU. They were the primary funding agency for our initial work over the last three years in providing technical assistance and expanding collaborations with tribes and American Indian communities to improve public health,” said Dr. Donald Warne, chair of public health and Mary J. Berg Distinguished Professor of Women’s Health.
The center addresses American Indian public health disparities through technical assistance, policy development, feasibility analysis, education, research and programming in partnership with tribes in North Dakota, across the Northern Plains and the nation. Its goal is to improve health systems, access to services, and health outcomes in rural, impoverished communities.
“With the new grant, we plan to take this work to the next level and join the National Network of Public Health Institutes. In this capacity, we will continue to enhance our funding opportunities to promote sustainability, and we will be able to access new partners in promoting public health in underserved populations,” Warne explained.
By joining the national network, the center anticipates increased external funding via grants and contracted services, elevating American Indian public health issues in national prominence and bringing greater focus on American Indian public health issues in the seven-state region.
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust improves lives by supporting effective nonprofits in health, place-based initiatives, and education and human services. Since 2008, when the trust began its active grant making, it has committed more than $1.6 billion to a wide range of charitable organizations.
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