Health Care Financing Administration 7500 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD. 21244-1850

99 -- COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGIES TO MEET THE CULTURAL NEEDS OF AMERICAN INDIANS/ALASKA NATIVES POC Susan E. Crizer (410) 786-5167 The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) intends to award on a sole source basis, under Simplified Acquisition Procedures (Simplified Acquisition Procedures has a dollar threshold of $100,000 per order) a government purchase order to National Indian Council on Aging Inc. (NICOA), 10501 Montgomery Blvd., NE, Suite 210, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87111 for the following services: the contractor will provide culturally-appropriate electronic and printed materials to educate American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) elders about Medicare and Medicare+Choice benefits. The completed product will serve as a framework for formulating and implementing a more comprehensive national benefits outreach for AI/AN elders. The NICOA was formed in 1975 by a group of Tribal Chairmen to bring about comprehensive services to AI/AN elders. NICOA is directed by a Board composed of thirteen Indian elders representing each of the twelve Bureau of Indian Affairs regions. the thirteenth Board member is the Chairperson of the National Association of Title VI Grantees. The contractor is the only organization to have both the entire HCFA Medicare database and the IHS RPMS database which they use in conjunction with the gis mapping system to identify AI/AN Medicare eligible clients. The contractor is responsible for the preparation of the National Indian Aging Agenda for the Future, based on eight hundred recommendations made by AI/AN elders from around the country. This document has subsequently been reviewed and updated, most recently by more than than thirteen hundred attendees at the last national NICOA meeting in August 1998. As a grass roots organization, NICOA is the sole organization to represent and seek input from AI/AN elders on a national level. NICOA meets regularly with Tribal leaders and elder health organizations. AI/AN elders look to NICOA to address and research issues regarding available services and programs. Many of these elders do not speak English and are not familiar with the vernacular used in many governmentpublications. NICOA is unique in that they are familiar with AI/AN cultures, healthcare issues and concerns, they have access to the AI/AN communities, and have earned the trust of AI/AN elders. All others who respond must be prepared to provide clear and convincing evidence that they have achieved the same status within the AI/AN communities and with the AI/AN elders as NICOA. The Government shall make the final determination of wheather the other offerors have the same status equal to that of NICOA. Posted 07/22/99 (I-SN357671). (0203)

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