Public Health Unit development at the Ft. Berthold Reservation

Local public health agencies in the State of ND are divided into 28 separate Local Public Health Units (PHUs).  The boundaries of the Ft. Berthold Reservation, home of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, overlap with four separate PHUs!  The purpose of this meeting was to strategize regarding the proposed feasibility study of creating a separate PHU within the Ft. Berthold Reservation.  The advantages to doing this would be to clarify jurisdictional responsibilities for various public health functions (food sale licensure, food safety inspections, outreach for immunizations, etc).  The proposal has passed the legislative committee on health, and it is being forwarded to the ND legislature for final approval.