Rob England receives National Impact Award from the National Indian Health Board

United Indian Health Services (UIHS) has been recognized by the National Indian Health Board for three Outstanding Service Awards.

This year’s Youth Leadership Award went to Ki-shan Daniels from the Yurok Tribe with descendancy from the Trinidad Rancheria. Ms. Daniels was nominated for the impact her short digital story created with Two Feathers Native American Family Services, which generated over 38,000 views.

Rob England is "humbled" to have received a National Impact Award from the National Indian Health Board.

England, the Health Promotion and Education Manager for UIHS, received the Heroes in Health Award for his work in suicide prevention.

"I'm incredibly honored to be recognized for my efforts in suicide prevention" said England. "Suicide continues to happen in Indian Country, and I’m fortunate to have a suicide prevention project team supported by SAMHSA to address this very important issue.”

England manages several prevention projects which includes opioids, tobacco, domestic violence and a planning grant to address mental health access. Still, his work on suicide prevention is special and important to him.

"I have lost family and friends to suicide, and our service area of Humboldt and Del Norte counties has a rate of suicide more than double the rest of the state. It's crucial that we let our communities know they are not alone."

To that end, England encourages others to reach out if they feel depressed or need someone to talk to.

"There are resources available. I encourage people to get an appointment with our Behavioral Health Department at (707) 825-5060,” said England. He also suggested two other 24-hour a day resources. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at (800) 273-8255, and the Crisis Text line, at 741-741.

"Sometimes people may not want to talk, but they want to reach out. The text line is great for that, and if you text 'NATIVE' they will connect you with someone who understands the unique challenges our people face."

Finally, UIHS was recognized with a Local Impact Award for work on the North Coast Testing Partnership (NCTP). During the COVID-19 pandemic, Humboldt County, Del Norte County and UIHS formed the NCTP. The Partnership's purpose was to meet the COVID-19 testing needs for the region. The focus of NCTP is to give our historically underserved communities equitable access to COVID-19 testing.

With local control of the testing process the turnaround time is quicker and we can begin case investigations faster. Since July, UIHS has contracted solely with the State to continue testing in our communities. Since the first sample was run, the staff has worked diligently and made the ultimate impact by protecting our communities