Washington, D.C. — On October 20, 2014, Dr. Mark LeBeau, Executive Director of the California Rural Indian Health Board (CRIHB), was honored by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Burwell as one of eleven “Champions of Change.” The White House created the Champions of Change program to recognize the work of individuals doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities. These awardees are recognized for their exemplary leadership to ensure that individuals and their communities are able to connect to 21st century opportunities.
Dr. LeBeau was nominated for this honor by the Indian Health Service (IHS) in Rockville, Maryland. “American Indians and Alaska Natives still suffer from more extreme health disparities than any other group in the United States,” said Dr. LeBeau. “Their life expectancies are significantly shorter and they suffer from more chronic health conditions. As someone who has received medical care from tribal clinics my whole life, I understand that this law is crucial in our efforts to eliminate those disparities and to ensure long lives and better health for all native people.”
Dr. LeBeau was recognized specifically for his leadership in developing culturally appropriate education and outreach materials about the Indian-specific provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for national distribution. Upon enactment of the ACA on March 23, 2010, CRIHB partnered with the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, the Oklahoma City Area Inter Tribal Health Board, and United South and Eastern Tribes to form the Tribal Education and Outreach Consortium (TEOC). The TEOC working group produced accurate and timely information about the Indian-specific provisions for individual Indians, health insurance exchanges, and Medicaid expansion. The people involved in this work became highly knowledgeable about the subject matter and formed a training program called TEOC University, which trained trainers to present the information to tribal communities. This was the first tribal work of this type in the U.S. and the TEOC materials have been distributed throughout Indian Country.
Following the success of the TEOC project, in 2012, Dr. LeBeau proposed that the state marketplace, Covered California, fund an outreach project for tribal communities and Indian people throughout the state. CRIHB was ultimately awarded a Tribal Community Mobilization Grant designed to fund presentations to tribal governments, and an Outreach and Education grant, which enabled staff to meet with thousands of tribal community members and provide educational materials about Covered California and the ACA’s Indian-specific provisions. CRIHB continues to provide these services as well as ACA education and outreach funded by the IHS National Indian Health Outreach and Education Initiative.
Dr. LeBeau is a citizen of the Pit River Nation enrolled in the Illmawi Band. He has worked at CRIHB since 1999 in numerous capacities, including as a public health program manager, proposal writer, director of the traditional Indian health program, health education specialist, and health policy analyst. He earned his doctorate at the University of California, Davis, and wrote a dissertation focused on planning and administering tribal health services in California. He has served on the Pit River Election Committee, on the Pit River Health Services Board of Directors, and in Congressman Frank Pallone’s office in Washington, DC, working on American Indian/Alaska Native legislative initiatives to benefit Indian country.
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For information about the California Rural Indian Health Board and its programs, visit www.crihb.org.
To learn more about the White House Champions of Change program, visit www.whitehouse.gov/champions