Promoting Health in Tribal Communities: Understanding Data Sovereignty
Respecting and understanding tribal sovereignty is crucial when it comes to promoting health in tribal communities, particularly in relation to healthcare data. Kimberly Blackhorse, tribal health data specialist at the Office of Health Equity, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, emphasized this point at HIMSS25 in Las Vegas.
Tribal Nations and Access to Healthcare Funding
Blackhorse highlighted the importance of tribal nations and federally recognized nations having access to healthcare funding. She emphasized that these communities are their own government entities with unique identifiers and deliverables, and efforts should be made to ensure they can access funds from the federal government.
Data Sovereignty and Tribal Control
Data sovereignty refers to the right of tribes to control their own data – data that is collected by them, for them, and about them. Blackhorse stressed the importance of sharing and transferring this data among various tribes. Her team has focused on working with tribal data sovereignty, making it accessible at the state level, and ensuring that internal programs understand and acknowledge its significance.
When it comes to data sharing agreements, Blackhorse and her team implement tribal data sovereignty principles. These principles include the right of tribal governments to determine how their data is viewed, stored, and accessed. Partnerships with local entities, such as tribal epidemiology centers, are formed to ensure that data sharing respects tribal sovereignty.
Challenges of Data Sovereignty
According to Kiteworks, maintaining data sovereignty has become increasingly challenging due to data being stored, transmitted, and processed across multiple countries and jurisdictions. Data is a valuable asset that can be exploited for various gains, which is why data sovereignty is essential for individuals and organizations to have greater control over their data and its usage.
Empowering Underserved Tribal Nations
Blackhorse emphasized the importance of data sovereignty, particularly for historically underserved tribal nations. She stated, “We need ownership over our data,” highlighting the need for tribal communities to have control over how their data is managed and utilized.
About the Author
Jeff Lagasse is the editor of Healthcare Finance News. You can reach him at jlagasse@himss.org. Healthcare Finance News is a HIMSS Media publication.
