The Office of Health Disparities works with Tribal Nations, community members, local health departments, schools, health care organizations, state agencies, and other partners to identify priorities, strengthen relationships, improve access to services, and reduce health disparities across Nebraska.
OHD's community engagement activities include formal Tribal consultation, regional partnership development, listening sessions, facilitated planning, technical assistance, and coordination among community, public health, health care, education, and government partners.
Tribal Consultation and Native Community Engagement
OHD supports communication, coordination, and follow-up between Nebraska DHHS and Tribal Nations. This work recognizes each Tribal Nation's sovereignty and the importance of developing separate government-to-government consultation processes based on the priorities identified by each Nation.
Formal Tribal consultation is different from general community engagement. Consultation establishes a government-to-government process through which Tribal leaders, Tribal agencies, and DHHS representatives can identify priorities, discuss barriers, coordinate resources, and establish actions for continued collaboration.
Tribal Consultation Approach
Nebraska DHHS works with Tribal leaders and agencies to jointly plan consultations that:
- Honor Tribal sovereignty and cultural practices
- Strengthen intergovernmental relationships
- Increase understanding of Tribal programs, priorities, and community conditions
- Connect Tribal agencies with the appropriate DHHS divisions and programs
- Identify available support through funding, training, technical assistance, networking, and advocacy
- Develop action plans with responsible partners, timelines, and follow-up activities
Consultations may include Tribal history and context, culturally grounded facilitation, discussions organized by program area, identification of Tribal priorities, and joint action planning. The goal is to move beyond a single meeting and establish an ongoing process for communication, accountability, and coordinated support.
Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska Consultation
The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and Nebraska DHHS held a two-day Respecting Tribal Sovereignty Consultation May 28–29, 2025, in South Sioux City, Nebraska.
The consultation brought together Tribal leadership, Winnebago programs, DHHS divisions, and other partners to build shared understanding, identify priorities, and develop an action plan.
Priority areas included:
- Public health data access and data-sharing processes
- Coordination between Winnebago and DHHS programs
- Alignment of Tribal community health priorities with available state support
- Medicaid enrollment and reimbursement
- Behavioral health prevention, workforce development, and culturally grounded services
- Children and family services
- Economic assistance and community outreach
- Services for elders and people with disabilities
- Home and Community-Based Services
- Workforce development and emergency preparedness
Follow-up meetings are used to review progress, identify additional support needs, confirm responsible partners, and establish achievable next steps. OHD continues to assist with cross-division coordination and communication related to the consultation action plan.
Santee Sioux Nation Consultation
The Santee Sioux Nation and Nebraska DHHS held a two-day Tribal Health Consultation September 11–12, 2025, in Niobrara, Nebraska.
The consultation was designed to strengthen the relationship between Santee Tribal agencies and DHHS divisions while increasing understanding of community conditions, Tribal priorities, and opportunities for coordinated support.
The process incorporated Dakota cultural values, Tribal history, relationship building, facilitated discussion, and action planning. Santee agencies led discussions about current priorities, available data, community needs, and their vision for future services. Participants then identified how funding, training, technical assistance, networking, and advocacy could support those priorities.
Priority areas included:
- Tribal data sovereignty and data-sharing access
- Water quality and coordination with state and academic partners
- WIC access and transportation
- The inclusion of culture and traditional practices in wellness programming
- Behavioral health engagement, workforce development, and provider relationships
- Support for elders and the Santee Senior Center
- Services for children and adults with disabilities
- Home and Community-Based Services
- Medicaid and long-term care education
- Children and family services
- Economic assistance and connections to available programs
Participants developed work plans and identified responsible partners to move priorities forward. OHD continues to assist with coordination among the Santee Sioux Nation, DHHS divisions, and other participating partners.
DHHS Tribal Liaison Group
The DHHS Tribal Liaison Group brings together representatives from DHHS divisions and program areas to strengthen communication, share information, and coordinate support for Nebraska's Tribal Nations.
The group helps:
- Connect Tribal leaders and agencies with appropriate DHHS contacts
- Coordinate activities across DHHS divisions
- Share program information, funding opportunities, and available support
- Identify training and technical assistance needs
- Support follow-up on Tribal consultation action plans
- Reduce gaps and duplication in communication
- Elevate issues requiring cross-division or leadership attention
- Strengthen understanding of Tribal sovereignty and respectful engagement
The Tribal Liaison Group supports continued coordination but does not replace direct government-to-government communication with Tribal leadership.
Additional Native Community Engagement
In addition to formal consultation, OHD works with Tribal health programs, Native-serving organizations, schools, colleges, public health departments, and community partners to support:
- Culturally grounded health and wellness activities
- Native youth mental health and leadership
- Cultural connectedness
- Public health and prevention programming
- Workforce development
- Native American Public Health Act activities
- The Nebraska Native Youth Gathering
- Training related to Tribal sovereignty and respectful engagement
Previous Statewide Tribal Engagement
In April 2023, OHD and its partners held broader Tribal engagement sessions in South Sioux City, Nebraska. Tribal representatives, Native-serving organizations, public health partners, educational institutions, and DHHS programs identified shared priorities and recommended actions.
- Tribal Session Outcomes 2023
- DHHS Tribal Liaisons
The 2023 sessions provided a foundation for moving toward individualized Tribal consultation, action planning, and continued engagement with Nebraska's Tribal Nations.
Hispanic and Latino Community Engagement
OHD works with Hispanic and Latino community members, local health departments, health care organizations, community-based organizations, schools, service providers, and other partners to identify regional priorities and strengthen coordination.
Current work includes Puentes de Salud, a regional partnership initiative supporting engagement and collaborative planning in:
- Lincoln and Lancaster County
- Fremont and the surrounding area
- The Tri-Cities area of Grand Island, Hastings, and Kearney
Puentes de Salud is centered on three shared priorities.
Access to Care
Partners work to identify and address barriers related to:
- Health care and behavioral health services
- Insurance and enrollment
- Transportation
- Language access
- Health navigation
- Referrals and follow-up
- Awareness of available community services
Multidirectional Communication
The initiative works to improve communication between Hispanic and Latino communities and the organizations serving them.
This includes creating ways for information to move in both directions so that community members receive timely and understandable information while organizations hear directly about community experiences, concerns, strengths, and priorities.
Advocacy and Systems Change
Partners identify opportunities to improve organizational practices, coordination, policies, and service-delivery systems that affect Hispanic and Latino communities.
Regional groups use local data, community health assessments, health improvement plans, organizational knowledge, and direct community input to develop priorities and locally appropriate actions.
Previous Hispanic and Latino Engagement
In August 2023, OHD and its partners held Hispanic and Latino engagement sessions in Kearney, Nebraska. Participants identified strategies related to access to services, communication, community engagement, and improvements within organizations and systems.
- Hispanic/Latino Strategies
The 2023 sessions helped establish a foundation for continued regional engagement and the development of Puentes de Salud.
Native Youth and Youth Partnership Initiatives
OHD works with Tribal Nations, Native-serving organizations, school districts, state agencies, behavioral health partners, workforce-development organizations, and community members to support Native youth health, well-being, leadership, and cultural connectedness.
Nebraska Native Youth Gathering
OHD is coordinating with schools and community partners to support the continued development of the Nebraska Native Youth Gathering.
The Gathering provides opportunities for Native youth to:
- Build connections with other Native students
- Strengthen cultural identity and belonging
- Learn about mental health and available supports
- Explore education and career pathways
- Develop leadership skills
- Share their experiences and priorities
- Connect with Tribal, school, state, and community resources
District and Community-Based Youth Activities
OHD is working with school districts and stakeholders to develop a district-led, Native youth-focused initiative that combines statewide coordination with locally designed programming.
The proposed approach includes:
- A statewide Native youth leadership cohort
- Centrally coordinated training and support
- Resources for participating schools and partners
- Locally designed youth mental health and workforce-development activities
- Opportunities for youth to help shape programming
- Small participation awards for eligible districts
- Preparation for the Nebraska Native Youth Gathering in April 2027
Local activities may be adapted to reflect each community's students, culture, available partners, and identified needs.
Youth Voice and Leadership
Youth participation is an important part of planning and implementation. OHD encourages partners to involve Native youth in identifying priorities, designing activities, reviewing progress, and determining how statewide and local initiatives can better support them.
Statewide and Regional Engagement
OHD also convenes and participates in partnerships addressing disparities experienced by racial and ethnic minority populations, rural communities, refugees and immigrants, veterans, older adults, people with disabilities, and other populations experiencing barriers to health care and supportive services.
Engagement activities may include:
- Community listening sessions
- Regional partnership meetings
- Facilitated planning sessions
- Stakeholder assessments
- Review of local and statewide data
- Identification of shared priorities
- Development of measurable goals and action steps
- Coordination of programs and referral pathways
- Training and technical assistance
- Opportunities for community members to inform public health planning
OHD works to ensure that communities are meaningfully involved in identifying concerns, recognizing strengths, developing solutions, and reviewing progress.
Participate in OHD Engagement Activities
Community members, Tribal Nations, schools, organizations, and other partners interested in participating in an OHD consultation follow-up activity, regional partnership, youth initiative, listening session, or facilitated planning process may contact the Office of Health Disparities for additional information.