Great Plains tribes call for closure of Indian Health Service office

Monday, June 13, 2016  

Tribal leaders in the Great Plains are calling for the closure of the Indian Health Service that serves their communities.

The Great Plains Tribal Chairmen's Health Board voted in favor of a proposal to defund the Great Plains Area office in Aberdeen, South Dakota, The Sioux Falls Argus Leader reported. The tribes want to redirect the money to their own health systems on their respective reservations.

"What is it doing for us?" Chairman Harold Frazier of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe told the paper. "Right now, the things that we're faced with locally could be easily rectified if the decision making was done at the local level."

The proposal comes as the IHS seeks tribal input about changes at the office in Aberdeen. The office is far from nearly every reservation in a region that covers Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

"Specific topics will include geographic location of the Great Plains Area Office, centralization or further decentralization of area office services, staffing, budget, local involvement, transparency and oversight, partnerships, accountability, and monitoring," a notice that was published in the Federal Register on June 3 stated.

It also comes as lawmakers are seeking to reform the agency in light of long-standing problems in the Great Plains and throughout Indian Country. The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is holding a town hall and hearing in Rapid City, South Dakota, this week to focus on S.2953, the Indian Health Service Accountability Act, and other IHS issues.

In the House, Rep. Kristi Noem (R-South Dakota) introduced H.R.5406, the Helping Ensure Accountability, Leadership, and Trust in Tribal Healthcare Act (HEALTTH Act), and H.R.5437, a bill that requires the IHS to implement a random drug testing program for employees.

Get the Story:
Tribal leaders move to cut out IHS middleman (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 6/10)
Call to cut IHS middleman was years in the making (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 6/11)

Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Notices:
Town Hall Meeting "Discussing S. 2953: Improving the Indian Health Service." (June 16, 2016)
Oversight/Legislative FIELD Hearing on "Improving Accountability and Quality of Care at the Indian Health Service though S. 2953." (June 17, 2016)

Federal Register Notice:
Notice of Tribal Consultation and Urban Confer Sessions on the State of the Great Plains Area Indian Health Service (June 3, 2016)

Government Accountability Office Report:
INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE: Actions Needed to Improve Oversight of Patient Wait Times (April 29, 2016)

Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Report:
In Critical Condition: The urgent need to reform the Indian Health Service’s Aberdeen Area (December 2010)

Kristi Noem: Indian Health Service fails to uphold responsibilities (6/13)
Bill seeks random drug tests for Indian Health Service employees (6/10)
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs set for South Dakota hearing (6/10)
Indian Health Service cites progress at hospital in South Dakota (6/9)
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hosts town hall in South Dakota (06/07)
Lakota Country Times: Pine Ridge Hospital sees shakeup in staff (6/7)
North Dakota tribes share frustrations with Indian Health Service (6/3)
Spirit Lake Nation eyes better care at Indian Health Service clinic (6/3)
Indian Health Service considers changes in troubled Great Plains (6/2)
Indian Health Service asks tribes about community health aides (6/1)
Field hearing in South Dakota on Indian Health Service reform bill (5/31)
Indian Health Service reaches first tribal compact in Great Plains (5/31)
Native Sun News: Longtime Indian Health Service staff reassigned (5/31)
Indian Health Service reform efforts gaining steam on Capitol Hill (5/25)
Indian Health Service announces more hires at troubled hospital (5/25)
Indian Health Service facility cited for treatment of 6-month-old (5/24)
Another Indian Health Service facility in Great Plains threatened (5/23)
Roger Birdbear: Obamacare can help address shortfalls at IHS (5/23)
Indian Health Service hires contractor to run emergency rooms (05/18)
Indian Health Service questioned over efforts in troubled region (5/16)
Sen. Rounds seeking support for audit into Indian Health Service (5/12)
Mike Myers: Indian Health Service carries out cultural colonization (05/09)
Lakota Country Times: Rosebud Sioux Tribe sues IHS over shutdown (05/06)
Sen. Rounds to seek system-wide review of Indian Health Service (05/05)
Indian Health Service reaches agreements for troubled facilities (05/02)
Indian Health Service faulted for lengthy waits in patient care (04/29)
Rosebud Sioux Tribe sues Indian Health Service over 'crisis' in care (04/28)
John Thune: Tribal citizens suffer at hands of Indian Health Service (04/27)
Rosebud Sioux Tribe kept in dark about IHS emergency room contract (04/25)
Bill aims to restore some 'RESPECT' in dealings with Native people (04/20)
Indian Health Service seeks new contracts for emergency rooms (04/20)
Lakota Country Times: Oglala leader demands closure of IHS office (04/18)
President of Oglala Sioux Tribe welcomes scrutiny of IHS hospital (04/12)
Indian Health Service sued for patient death in Great Plains Area (04/11)
Mike Rounds: Indian Health Service creates crisis in Great Plains (04/11)
Indian Health Service failing to make progress in troubled region (04/11)
New leader of Indian Health Service promises fixes in Great Plains (04/07)
Indian Health Service recommended hospital executive for DC job (04/07)
New leader of Indian Health Service plans big trip to Great Plains (03/23)
Rosebud Sioux Tribe left 'high and dry' by IHS hospital executive (03/21)
Indian Health Service extends comment period on emergency fund (03/11)
Indian Health Service aims to save certification for troubled facility (03/09)
Mary Smith: Bringing more accountability to Indian Health Service (03/09)
New leader of Indian Health Service to testify about budget request (03/08)
IHS facility on Rosebud Sioux Reservation loses key certification (03/03)
Cherokee Nation citizen Mary Smith to helm Indian Health Service (03/01)
Editorial: Quality of Indian Health Service is a scandal in Montana (02/29)
Mike Myers: Exposing problems at the Indian Homicide Service (02/25)
Rosebud Sioux Tribe frustrated by treatment from HHS agencies (02/17)
Another IHS hospital threatened with loss of Medicare funding (02/16)
Brandon Ecoffey: Treaties guaranteed health care for our people (02/11)
Six of 12 Indian Health Service area directors in 'acting' capacity (02/10)
President Obama seeks another increase for Indian Health Service budget (02/10)
Kristi Noem: Indian Health Service remains in a state of emergency (02/10)
Tribal leaders question management changes at IHS in Great Plains (02/04)
IHS chief medical officer apologizes for comments about newborns (02/04)
Indian Health Service makes changes ahead of big Senate hearing (02/03)
Witness list for Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing into IHS (02/01)
Inspections of IHS facilities in Great Plains turn up big problems (1/28)
Senate committee reschedules IHS hearing and listening session (01/25)
Senate Indian Affairs Committee expands look at substandard IHS (1/22)
Senate Indian Affairs Committee to look at 'substandard' care at IHS in Great Plains (01/12)
Mary Annette Pember: Native women affected by cutbacks at IHS (12/29)
Lakota Country Times: IHS restricts care at Rosebud hospital (12/24)
Nebraska tribes recognized for efforts to hold IHS accountable (09/24)
Tribes in Nebraska demand resignations of senior IHS officials (08/12)
Winnebago Tribe upset with IHS over loss of funds at hospital (8/6)
Winnebago Tribe looking to address deficiencies at IHS hospital (08/05)
Winnebago Tribe hopes to prevent Medicare cutoff at hospital (5/28)