Daryl Hostler Fund

4400 Auburn Blvd., 2nd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95841
(916) 929-9761

Last Modified: January 30, 2008

History | CRIHB Legislation | Donate Now

Darrell Hostler

The California Rural Indian Health Board according to its mission statement has the duty to provide Legislation and Advocacy to The Indian of California. The Darrell Hostler Fund sole purpose is to provide those abilities. The California Rural Indian Health Board is funded through 638 contracting and receives funding from the federal government, we cannot use their funds for the legislative and advocacy purposes. Such activities as lobbying, travel to Washington D.C., and attending events specifically for advocacy are funding through our Darrell Hostler Fund Account. This fund is controlled by the CRIHB Board of Directors and under our current budget crunch, we are seeking your help to keep this fund active.

Darrell Hostler Fund History

The California Rural Indian Health Board, according to its Mission Statement, has the duty to provide Legislation and Advocacy to the Indians of California. The sole purpose of the Darrell Hostler Fund is to provide the resources. The California Rural Indian Health Board is funded through 638 contracting and receives funding from the Federal Government, we can not use federal funds for the Legislative and Advocacy activities. Such activities as lobbying, travel to Washington, D.C. and attending events specifically for advocacy are funded through our Darrell Hostler Fund Account. This fund is controlled by the CRIHB Board of Directors and under our current budget crunch, we are seeking your help to keep this fund active.

The list of CRIHB accomplishments through Darrell Hostler funded activities is quite impressive and reflects the strength and collective focus of the Organization.

The first major accomplishment was the codification of “California Indian” eligibility language. This was accomplished after seven years of continuous activity through enactment of Section 709 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. This accomplishment came at a time when the IHS and Congress were actively considering ways to stop all federal IHS-funded health services to Indians who were not members of federally recognized tribes. Today, over 20,000 California Indians, nearly one-third of the Active Indian User population are protected by this Darrell Hostler Fund accomplishment.

Other Accomplishments supported by the Darrell Hostler Fund:

Extension of the Federal Torts Claims Acts to Tribal Contractors. This change freed all Tribal Health Programs from the necessity of buying Medical Malpractice Insurance which ranged from $40,000 to $60,000 a year in premiums. Today, extension of the FTCA provides coverage at no cost for medical malpractice as well as automobile liability coverage. A success that more than pays for itself each year.
The Amendments of 1988 to the language in Section 207 established the rights of Tribal Health Contractors to keep their third party collections. This was in an era in which the IHS Direct Care System routinely aggregated third party collections at the Area level and distributed them in grant-like fashion back out to the Service Units. This same section was specifically worded to assure the legality of using those collections for advocacy programs such as the Darrell Hostler Fund.
CRIHB with the help of Assembly Member Dan Hauser has sponsored AB 2785 to increase funding to the State Indian Health Program by $1,000,000. These funds would be used to bring on non-funded programs or to expand awards to existing grantees. The bill set aside $200,000 to purchase Training and Technical assistance and authorized sole source contracting with “Indian controlled non-profit corporations” to provide these services.
The Darrell Hostler Fund also focuses on Tribes and Tribal Health Programs. The publication of the CRIHB Legislative Guide which is distributed to all Tribes and Tribal Health Programs in the State for free is a cost to the Darrell Hostler Fund. Just as is the Annual CRIHB “March On Washington” and, portions of the salary, rent, communications costs and supply costs associated with the position of the Executive Director of CRIHB. This segregation of costs is necessary to maintain the legality of the activity and helps to assure that only non-federal funds are used to support “advocacy”.
At the initial joint meeting between CRIHB and the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, it was agreed among the Boards that both areas needed more CHS funds because neither had hospitals and were “dependent on CHS funding” for inpatient care. NPAIHB and CRIHB representatives were placed on a National CHS Taskforce by the Director of the Indian Health Service. In that forum we advocated for equity for those areas that were CHS dependent. This resulted in the addition of a cofactor for CHS dependency to the National CHS distribution formula which has help raise our Area CHS funds from less than $1,000,000 to over $6,000,000 per year.

The goals for the Darrell Hostler Fund activity and management of the Fund itself are established by the CRIHB Board of Directors. The planning cycle begins just before the Annual Meeting in October when the Legislative Committee reviews the success for the year and reviews the environment for new problems. Then, at the Saturday General Session of the Annual Meeting, all in attendance voice their concerns and prioritize a list of identified problems. At the January Quarterly Board Meeting, a report is made to the full Board which is the basis of the CRIHB Legislative Plan. Although the CRIHB Advocacy Program and the Darrell Hostler Fund can never achieve all of its goals, it continues to be an important tool for improving the environment in which California Tribal Health Programs operate.

We thank you for any contribution you are able to make to help us continue this important work. If you would like to have additional information, please contact the Executive Director of CRIHB, Mr. James Allen Crouch, MPH, at (916) 929-9761 or (800) 274-4288.

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Darrell Hostler Fund Donation

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Comments: You can send a message to Marilyn Pollard (click on her name to email her) regarding your donation.

CRIHB · 4400 Auburn Blvd., 2nd Floor · Sacramento · CA 95841 · (916) 929-9761