From left: Senator John Barrasso, M.D. (R-WYO), Senator John Thune (R-SD), Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Congresswoman Kristi Noem (R-SD) during the Oversight/Legislative Meeting titled, “Improving Accountability and Quality of Care at the Indian Health Service" in Rapid City, South Dakota, on June 17, 2016. Photo by Ernestine Chasing Hawk
Congressional leaders call for IHS transparency and accountability
By Ernestine Chasing Hawk
Native Sun News Editor
www.nsweekly.com RAPID CITY –– What started out as a meeting to improve accountability and the quality of healthcare to Great Plains Indians serviced by the Indian Health Service, quickly turned to focus on IHS transparency and the awarding of the emergency room contracts to AB Staffing Solutions for the Rosebud, Pine Ridge and Winnebago IHS facilities. South Dakota’s U.S. congressional delegates along with members of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, including Chairman U.S. Senator John Barrasso, M.D. (R-Wyo.) were in Rapid City June 17 for an Oversight/Legislative Meeting titled, “Improving Accountability and Quality of Care at the Indian Health Service.” The meeting, before a packed audience at Central High Schools Auditorium is part of an ongoing effort to gather information from Indian constituents on how to improve Senate Bill S.2953, which Barrasso along with U.S. Senator John Thune (R-SD) introduced titled, “The Indian Health Service Accountability Act of 2016.”
Indianz.Com SoundCloud: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Field Hearing in Rapid City, South Dakota, June 17, 2016
Barrasso, who referred to care provided by IHS as “malpractice,” stated, “I stand by those words. As a physician for more than 20 years, I know this can only be rectified with significant improvements in delivery of medicine, accountability, transparency, and compassion for the patient.” The Chairman of Senate Committee on Indian Affairs emphasized that all provisions in the IHS Accountability Act are tied directly to feedback the committee received from tribes during several listening sessions. Former S.D. Governor, U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD), a co-sponsor of the bill, in his opening remarks cited the disparities in healthcare of Great Plains area Indians, “The Great Plains Area IHS – which covers South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa – has the second-highest mortality rate among all IHS regions. We also have the highest diabetes death rate, almost double the average among IHS facilities. Our life expectancy rate is the lowest of all IHS regions, at 68.1 years. Compare this to the U.S. average of 77.7 years.” …
Read the rest of the story on the all new Native Sun News website: Congressional leaders call for IHS transparency and accountability (Contact Ernestine Chasing Hawk at editor@nsweekly.com) 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) Copyright permission Native Sun News
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