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The Silent Crisis: Suicide Among Native Americans Reflects Global Mental Health Emergency
Overview: World Suicide Prevention Day, observed annually on September 10, highlights the global toll of suicide while drawing attention to the disproportionately high rates experienced by American Indian and Alaska Native people. AI/AN communities face the highest suicide rates of any racial or ethnic group in the United States, with particularly alarming rates among males, […]
Alaska Native Medical Center Transfers to Tribal Ownership
The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium takes ownership of Alaska Native Medical Center from the federal government.
Tribal consortium achieves long-desired ownership of Alaska Native Medical Center
The nation’s biggest tribal health organization now owns the Anchorage hospital it has long operated.
Federal government transfers ownership of Alaska Native Medical Center to tribal consortium
The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, which has co-managed the hospital for years, took over ownership from the Indian Health Service following a yearslong effort.
ANTHC to get $400 million settlement from feds over unpaid healthcare costs
The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium in a 2021 lawsuit contended it was owed about $640 million.
Knuckle hop and two-foot high kick: the Olympics for Alaska Natives breathe new life into ancient games
The annual World Eskimo Indian Olympics draw hundreds of Indigenous athletes to partake in traditional games and celebrate their heritage
As cancer death rates plunge, clear disparities remain, new report says
Black and American Indian/Alaska Native communities have the highest cancer rates of any racial or ethnic group in the U.S.
Opinion: Being Alaska Native is not a political label
Voters must look beyond identity and question those who exploit it.
SBA moves to revise 8(a) rules while preserving tribal, ANC eligibility
Details By Brian Edwards Native Contracting June 13, 2026 The U.S. Small Business Administration has proposed changes to its 8(a) Business Development Program that would eliminate race-based presumptions of social disadvantage for individually owned businesses while leaving eligibility standards unchanged for tribally owned enterprises, Alaska Native corporations and other Native entity-owned participants. In both the title and summary of the proposed rule published in the Federal Register, SBA emphasized that the changes only apply to individually owned firms and “do not impact entity-owned firms,” including tribes, Alaska Native corporation, Native Hawaiian organizations and community development corporations. The proposed rule, announced June 11, would require all individual applicants seeking admission to the 8(a) program to submit evidence demonstrating social disadvantage. Membership in a racial or ethnic group alone would no longer establish eligibility, according to the SBA. For Indian Country, the agency said eligibility standards for businesses owned by federally recognized tribes, Alaska Native corporations, Native Hawaiian organizations and community development corporations would remain unchanged. The proposal comes after the Department of Defense reaffirmed that participation by tribes and Alaska Native corporations in the 8(a) program is based on their political status under federal law rather than diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. In a May 28 letter to Alaska's Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael P. Duffey wrote that participation by federally recognized tribes and Alaska Native corporations in federal programs is “grounded in their political status as Native Americans, not DEI initiatives.” The SBA proposal follows a 2023 federal court ruling that found unconstitutional the program's rebuttable presumption that members of certain racial and ethnic groups were socially disadvantaged. SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said the proposed rule would establish a single standard for individually owned applicants by requiring evidence of social disadvantage. The 8(a) Business Development Program provides participating firms with business development assistance and access to federal set-aside and sole-source contracting opportunities. The program remains a major source of federal contracting revenue for tribal enterprises and Alaska Native corporations. Native-owned firms received $16.1 billion of the program's approximately $26 billion in federal contract awards during fiscal 2024, according to data previously reported by Tribal Business News. The proposal also arrives amid ongoing concerns from Native contractors about SBA administration of the program. In May, the Native American Contractors Association and 53 Native-owned businesses urged SBA to address delays in processing 8(a) applications, saying some reviews had stretched beyond regulatory deadlines and appeared to have stalled since August 2025. The proposed rule is open for public comment through July 13. The Federal Register notice does not reference tribal consultation or indicate whether SBA determined consultation was unnecessary because tribal eligibility standards are unchanged. The SBA has not announced when the proposed rule would take effect. The agency is expected to accept public comments before issuing a final rule.About The AuthorAuthor: Brian EdwardsBrian Edwards is associate publisher and associate editor of Tribal Business News and Native News Online. He is a longtime publisher, editor, business reporter and serial entrepreneur. Subscribe Today!Other Articles by this authorDefense Department reaffirms tribal, ANC eligibility in SBA 8(a) programTribal heritage projects eligible for up to $100K in federal funding through NPS programIHS launches tribal long-term care construction initiative with three projectsIḷisaġvik College acquires site for long-planned Utqiaġvik campus This article is available to paid digital subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
Mental Health Conditions Are the Dominant Underlying Cause of Maternal Death for American Indians and Alaska Natives
Read Mental Health Conditions Are the Dominant Underlying Cause of Maternal Death for American Indians and Alaska Natives from Child Trends.
Oregon has the worst racial health disparities in the West
American Indian and Alaska Native communities face the poorest health outcomes in the state.
Indian Health Service to phase out use of dental fillings containing mercury by 2027
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The federal agency that provides health care to Native Americans and Alaska Natives has announced it will phase out the use of dental fillings containing mercury.
Pentagon to take ‘sledgehammer’ to contracting program central to many Alaska Native corporations
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s remarks over the weekend are latest in the Trump administration’s criticisms of the 8(a) program.
Health and Health Care for American Indian or Alaska Native People: Key Issues
Due to a combination of lower coverage rates, additional access barriers, and historical and ongoing discrimination, AIAN people continue to face significant disparities in health and health care.