The new director of the Indian Health Service acknowledges the "unmet needs" in Indian Country.

The Obama administration is providing $500 million in stimulus funds and has added $454 million to the IHS budget for fiscal year 2010. But Yvette Roubideaux, the first woman to lead the agency, knows it's not enough.

“We know we have tremendous unmet needs in Indian Country, and these funds won't solve all of our problems, but they will move us in the right direction,” Roubideaux, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, said on a conference call last Friday.

The biggest boost to the budget comes to contract health support costs. Currently, the IHS runs out of money for outside providers in 4.8 months.

Get the Story:
Local tribe to receive chunk of stimulus cash (The Palm Springs Desert Sun 5/19)

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:
H.R.1 | S.1

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