Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC) hosted Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Aug. 30 at the Nat’uh Service Center. Sebelius; Sen. Begich; Dr. Yvette Roubideaux, director of the Indian Health Service; Lillian Sparks, commissioner of the Administration for Native Americans; Paul T. Dioguardi, HHS director of intergovernmental external affairs; Susan Johnson, HHS regional director and Stacey Ecoffey, principal advisor for HHS tribal affairs toured the Nat’uh facility and heard from program leaders and participants about CITC’s programs, services and positive outcomes for the greater community.
“Our mission at CITC is based on the single, unshakeable belief that every person possesses gifts and capabilities waiting to be unlocked,” said CITC President and CEO Gloria O’Neill. “We believe that strengths, not weaknesses, are the proper starting point for designing our programs that achieve population-level impact while connecting people to their potential.”
O’Neill stressed the importance of public-private, multi-faceted partnerships that provide innovative approaches to community needs. CITC provides social, educational and employment services for Alaska Native and American Indian people and partners with a variety of organizations to achieve its goals, including schools, universities, health care providers, governmental entities, corporations, nonprofit organizations and foundations.
CITC serves more than 12,000 people annually with diverse programs including family and parenting strengthening, youth after-school and summer programs, individual and family crisis assistance, in-school support programs, adult and youth worker training, education and certification programs, career and job search assistance, entrepreneurial skills development and drug and alcohol treatment. Learn more about CITC at www.citci.org.
