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Swearing-in ceremony for IHS head Roubideaux (06/29)
Dr. Yvette Roubideaux, the new director of the Indian Health Service, will be sworn into office at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., today. Roubideaux, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, was confirmed by the Senate on...
Tribes unsure of IHS stake in national reform talks (06/26)
Tribes have spent the last decade advocating for health care reform and now that the rest of the nation is on the same page, they aren't sure where the Indian Health Service stands. But tribes want to make sure they...
Swine flu among Natives worries prime minister (06/26)
Canada's top leader said he's concerned about the number of cases of the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, among First Nations in Manitoba. But Prime Minister Stephen Harper wasn't ready to declare an emergency even though Native leaders...
Editorial: IHS gets some long-overdue attention (06/26)
"Indian Health Services is getting renewed attention. Last week, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the government’s handling of Native American health care was a “historic failure” and she was taking steps to improve care. The next day,...
Oglala woman a cancer survivor after 53 years (06/25)
Shirley Fresquez, a 69-year-old member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, was only 16 when she was told she would die within a year. Fresquez was attending a boarding school near the Pine Ridge Reservation when she discovered...
House Resources Committee hearing on IHCIA (06/25)
The House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing this morning on H.R.2708, the reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. The hearing lasted about 2.5 hours. The witness list, with links to written testimony, follows: Panel 1Dr. Yvette RoubideauxDirector,...
First Nations declare emergency over swine flu (06/25)
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs declared an emergency over H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu. First Nations in the province have been hit hard by the flu. Dozens of residents on reserves have been hospitalized and at least two...
Fallon Paiute Shoshone leader battling disease (06/24)
Rochanne Downs, the vice chairwoman of the Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe of Nevada, was recently diagnosed with Microscopic Polyangiitis, an auto-immune disease. Downs, 36, didn't know she had the disease until she went to the hospital about two weeks...
First Nations denied hand sanitizer despite flu (06/24)
The Canadian government refused to provide alcohol-based hand sanitizers to First Nations even though the use of the product was recommended to prevent the spread of flu. Native communities have been hard hit by the flu and the H1N1 virus,...
Witness list for hearing on IHCIA reauthorization (06/24)
The House Natural Resources Committee holds a hearing tomorrow on H.R.2708, the reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. The hearing takes place at 10am and will be broadcast on the Internet. The witness list follows: Panel 1 Dr....
High school students attend health care camp (06/23)
Twenty-five Indian high school students are attending the Na-ha-shnee Native American Health Science Institute in Spokane, Washington, this week. The program encourages students to complete their education and consider careers in the health field. In the 14 years of the...
Obama signs tobacco regulation bill into law (06/23)
President Barack Obama signed H.R.1256, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, into law on Monday. The bill authorizes the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco. Supporters say the measure will reduce teen smoking and make consumers more...
Union wants tribal help on health care option (06/22)
The Service Employees International Union is recruiting tribes in Montana to press for a public health insurance plan, The Hill newspaper reports. The union is turning to tribes because of their close relationship with Sen. Max Baucus (D-Montana). As chairman...
House Resources Committee hearing on IHCIA (06/22)
The House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing this Thursday on H.R.2708, the reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. The hearing is the first on IHCIA in the 111th Congress. A version of the bill passed the...
Editorial: Get started on Indian health care (06/22)
"Figuring out how to deliver efficient, effective health care throughout Indian Country is one of the most daunting challenges the U.S. government faces. The U.S. is obligated by treaty to provide Native Americans with free health care on reservations, but...
Tribes plan treatment center in Wyoming (06/19)
Tribes in Montana and Wyoming are planning a drug and alcohol treatment center near Sheridan, Wyoming. The Inter-Tribal Wellness Center would provide addiction counseling to adults, families, veterans and eventually adolescents with an emphasis on tribal culture. "We're keeping...
Roubideaux won't call IHS a 'historic failure' (06/18)
Yvette Roubideaux, the new director of the Indian Health Service, won't call the agency a "historic failure" even though her boss, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius used those words to describe it. Roubideaux believes IHS needs to change...
Tribes want action, not words, on health care (06/17)
Tribal leaders in South Dakota say the Obama administration has to make good on its promises to improve Indian health care. Oglala Sioux Tribe President Theresa Two Bulls said tribes have always informed the Indian Health Service of their needs."Every...
HHS Secretary promises Indian health focus (06/16)
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is vowing to improve health care for American Indians and Alaska Natives. Sebelius told the Associated Press that she will develop a multi-year strategy to hire more doctors, nurses and staff and to...
Indian Country still waiting for better health care (06/15)
Despite treaties, agreements and federal laws, most American Indians and Alaska Natives live without adequate health care. The Indian Health Service budget only meets about half of the need and is forced to ration care. The agency has a 18...
House Resources Committee hearing on IHCIA (06/12)
The House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on Thursday, June 25, on H.R.2708, the reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-New Jersey) introduced the bill on June 4. It reauthorizes key health programs,...
Senate passes bill for FDA to regulate tobacco (06/12)
The Senate voted 79-17 on Thursday to pass H.R.1256, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The bill authorizes the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco. Supporters say the measure will reduce teen smoking and make consumers more...
Senate hearing on Indian health care reform (06/11)
This text will be replaced var so = new SWFObject('http://www.senate.gov/fplayers/I2009/player.swf','mpl','320','240','9'); so.addParam('allowscriptaccess','always'); so.addParam('allowfullscreen','true'); so.addParam('flashvars','&duration=7100&file=/vCommFiles/indian061109&type=video&streamer=rtmp://fms.senate.gov/Committee/&autostart=true&start=928&stretching=fill'); so.write('player'); The Senate Indian Affairs Committee held a hearing this afternoon on reforming the Indian health care system. The hearing started at 2:15pm. Links to the...
Oneida Nation welcomes Obama to Wisconsin (06/11)
President Barack Obama is headed to Wisconsin today to talk about health care reform and the Oneida Nation will be there to welcome him. After he holds a town hall at a public school in Green Bay, Obama will meet...
Another swine flu case among Manitoba Natives (06/10)
A boy from the Garden Hill First Nation is the latest cast of the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, among Natives in Manitoba. Chief David Hill said the 1 1/2-year-old boy wasn't receiving sufficient treatment at a nursing...
Witness list for hearing on Indian health reform (06/10)
The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will hold a hearing tomorrow on reforming the Indian health care system. The hearing takes place at 2:15pm in Room 628 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building. The witness list follows: Jefferson Keel Vice President,...
Natives in Manitoba hit by severe flu breakout (06/09)
Natives in Manitoba are dealing with an unusually large number of flu and severe flu cases, health officials said. As of Sunday night, 26 people in the province were in intensive care for flu-related reasons. More than half of the...
Senate Indian Affairs hearing on health care reform (06/05)
The Senate Indian Affairs Committee has scheduled a hearing next Thursday, June 11, to discuss reform of the Indian health care system. The hearing comes amid a national discussion about health care reform. The National Indian Health Board, the National...
First Nation in Manitoba confirms swine flu (06/05)
The remote St. Theresa Point First Nation of Manitoba confirmed two cases of the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu. The two people, along with 19 others with flu-like symptoms, are hospitalized in Winnipeg, about 310 miles from the...
GAO releases second report on IHS property losses (06/04)
The Indian Health Service continues to lose property at an "alarming rate" despite agreeing to tackle the problem, the Government Accountability Office said in a report on Wednesday. IHS promised to implement 10 recommendations when the GAO first looked at...
Judge dismisses suit over Cherokee IHS takeover (06/02)
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit that aimed to stop the Indian Health Service from transferring control of the W.W. Hastings Indian Hospital to the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokees Indians said it wasn't...
South Dakota tribes target suicide among youth (06/01)
Two South Dakota tribes hope recreational activities will address suicide among their youth. The Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe are participating in the Reservation Recreation Project. The tribes are using athletic and recreational equipment to develop...
IHS director Roubideaux plans Washington move (06/01)
May was a big month for Yvette Roubideaux. She was confirmed as director of the Indian Health Service and she announced $500 million in stimulus funds for Indian Country. But the 46-year-old member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South...
Murkowski supports study of Native youth suicide (05/28)
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is calling on the Department of Health and Human Services to fund a study into Alaska Native youth suicide. Murkowski said the $1.2 million study, which was first proposed by the Commissioner Warren Zapol of the...
Alabama report examines Indian health status (05/28)
The Alabama Department of Public Health released the first-ever report into the health status of tribes in the state. "Health Survey of American Indians of Alabama 2008: Keeping the Circle Healthy" found that members of the nine tribes are more...
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