We are Resilient. Our Ways are Resilient.
Tribes hold the sovereign authority to manage the collection, ownership, application and interpretation of their own data even when it is collected by federal, state, or local governments and/or other third parties. This authority includes the right to informed consent on how a Tribe’s data, including protected health information about their community members, are used or shared with third parties.
All jurisdictions, in fulfilling their public health governmental duties, need access to public health data, including data from neighboring jurisdictions. Longtime Tribal public health leader and Councilman for the Upper Skagit Tribe, Marilyn Scott, has urged federal and state jurisdictions to understand that “Tribes having direct access to their own data is critical for Tribal governments to make decisions for the protection of our citizens within our jurisdictions.”
The American Indian Health Commission is the official facilitator of the Governor’s Indian Health Advisory Council (GIHAC) Tribal Data Sovereignty Committee. This group is charged with providing recommendations to GIHAC regarding issues related to Tribal data sovereignty.
The resources below were created by AIHC in partnership with Tribes to address frequently asked questions regarding public health data exchange between Tribal, federal, state, and local jurisdictions and templates and checklists for drafting Tribal data sharing agreements.
Tribal Data Sovereignty Resources
Exchanging Data with Tribal Jurisdictions – A Legal Overview (PDF)
AIHC Model Tribal Data Sharing Agreement (.docx)