The focus of the Indian Health Service (IHS) during the past few years has been to change and improve the organization so it can better meet its mission. IHS focuses on direct delivery of healthcare services for approximately 2 million American Indians and Alaska Natives in 35 states through a network of more than 600 hospitals, clinics and health stations managed by IHS, tribal or urban Indian health programs

WASHINGTON — The VA and IHS need to better coordinate services for American Indian and Alaska Native veterans, federal officials acknowledged at a recent Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing.

WASHINGTON — Members of a House subcommittee questioned recently whether the Obama administration’s proposed budget for the Indian Health Service is sufficient to cover critical health needs, especially the lack of adequate sanitation facilities in the majority of homes.

By Yvette Roubideaux, MD, MPH
Indian Health Service Director
The IHS mission, in partnership with American Indian and Alaska Native people, is to raise their physical, mental, social and spiritual health to the highest level.

WASHINGTON—The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs released an investigative report last year that found that an increasingly high number of Equal Employment Opportunity complaints (EEO) had been filed in the Aberdeen Area, which is made up of IHS and tribally-managed units that serve about 100,000 Indians in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa.

WASHINGTON, DC—One of the biggest challenges for Lt. Cdr Heather Huentelman, USPHS, Pharm D, is not providing treatment to HIV patients but making sure the patients actually adhere to the sometimes complex drug regimen.

WASHINGTON, DC—Risks for dementia are on the rise among American Indian and Alaska Natives (AI/AN), but cultural traditions sometimes have led to delayed diagnosis and, therefore, inadequate help for family caregivers, according to Indian Health Service (IHS) experts.

WASHINGTON, DC—IHS, SAMHSA, and the Department of the Interior’s Indian Affairs have been holding tribal listening sessions across Indian country to seek input on how the agencies can most effectively work within American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities to prevent suicide.

Yvette Roubideaux, MD, MPH
Director, Indian Health Service
Over a year ago, I was honored to be asked to assume the role of director of the Indian Health Service (IHS). Immediately, it was clear that tribes, our staff, and the patients we serve wanted to see IHS change and improve.

WASHINGTON, DC—The development of a new strategy is in the works to support Native Americans who find themselves in the hospital emergency department for alcohol related injuries.