Indian Health Service

World Water Week is only days away! Do you know why access to clean water is so important? Families with satisfactory environmental conditions in their homes, which include safe water and sewerage systems, require fewer medical services and place fewer demands on the health care delivery system. One of the most important ways to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases and conditions is frequent hand washing, which is a challenge for communities lacking a reliable water source. #WWWeek #NativeHealth #IndianCountry #WorldWaterWeek

Did you know that the IHS Sanitation Facilities Construction Program currently consists of nearly 500 engineers and engineering support staff stationed across 12 IHS Area Office and headquarters locations? These staff members collaborate with tribes and oversee an annual average of 507 funded projects that provide essential water supply, waste water, and solid waste disposal facilities to tribal homes and communities. Learn more about their work: https://lnkd.in/emhykYgx #WWWeek #NativeHealth #IndianCountry #WorldWaterWeek

As World Water Week approaches, we want to remind everyone why sanitation and infrastructure work matters in Indian Country. Adequate sanitation facilities are lacking in approximately 41,000 American Indian and Alaska Native homes. Of those homes, approximately 5,200 lack access to a safe water supply and/or waste disposal facilities. A common refrain across Indian Country is "Water is life." This is not just a saying – it’s a profound truth that connects our traditional responsibility to care for our natural resources, with our belief that we must also take care of all our people. We know that clean water and robust infrastructure are not merely conveniences—they are an essential matter of public health. #WWWeek #NativeHealth #IndianCountry #WorldWaterWeek

World Water Week is right around the corner! Did you know that the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law appropriates $700 million in each fiscal year from FY 2022 through FY 2026 for the IHS Sanitation Facilities Contraction Program? This investment in our nation’s infrastructure supports crucial sanitation projects that will result in substantial improvements to clean water and sanitation systems in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Currently, over 800 BIL-funded projects are in a state of implementation, ranging from procurement to construction to final report: https://bit.ly/3w7P50m #WWWeek #NativeHealth #IndianCountry #WorldWaterWeek

World Water Week kicks off next week. It highlights the global interconnectivity of communities and nations, and underscores the collaborative effort needed to achieve a sustainable future. Providing essential water supply, waste water disposal, and solid waste disposal facilities to tribal homes and communities is critical to our commitment to raise the health of American Indians and Alaska Natives to the highest level. In anticipation of the week, we thought this was a great time to share more about our longstanding work to bring safe drinking water and sanitation infrastructure into Indian Country and to recognize the efforts and impact of engineers across the Indian health system. Did you know that the IHS Sanitation Facilities Construction Program has been the primary provider of these services since 1959? Since that time, over $9.6 billion has been invested in more than 21,000 projects. We are committed to helping tribal communities get the infrastructure they need and deserve. Learn more about the program at https://www.ihs.gov/dsfc/ and show your support for World Water Week by liking, sharing, or commenting below! #WWWeek #NativeHealth #IndianCountry #WorldWaterWeek

IHS is excited to announce Daniel Frye, MHA, an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, as the new director of the Office of Human Resources. Frye has served as the acting director since February and has been instrumental in standardizing human resource processes and aligning agency priorities under “One HR”, which saw the IHS move to a centralized HR model after decades of utilizing a decentralized model. Read more: https://bit.ly/46QsF1n #NativeHealth #IndianCountry

The Indian Health Service supports expanding harm reduction activities and work to promote low-barrier access to naloxone, a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose. As part of a collaborative pilot project between the IHS National Committee on Heroin Opioids and Pain Efforts (HOPE) and the Division of Behavioral Health, a limited amount of naloxone is available for federal, tribal, and urban sites struggling to meet the demand for naloxone. These doses can augment existing naloxone program forecasting unexpected shortfalls resulting from increased utilization. For more information, including the application process, please email IHSHOPECommitteeLeadership@ihs.gov.

Meet Dr. Raphael Francisco from the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma: With a passion for serving older adults, Dr. Francisco joined our GeriScholars Program. Through the program, he developed a dementia screening process to benefit patients and families. This spring, he became a mentor for an IHS geriatric nurse fellow, continuing his dedication to dementia care. His advice? Always look for ways to improve and remember that small changes can make a big difference. Learn more about the GeriScholars Program: bit.ly/3y76aZa #NativeHealth #IndianCountry

Reminder: The IHS Loan Repayment Program is making awards on a monthly basis now through August 15, 2024. The LRP offers up to $25,000 per year in student loan repayment for full-time clinical health professionals working at Indian health facilities and helps dedicated health professionals to chart a course for a long-lasting and successful health care career. This is in exchange for an initial two-year service commitment to practice in health facilities serving American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Opportunities are based on Indian health program facilities with the greatest staffing needs in specific health profession disciplines. Apply today at: https://lnkd.in/eGdtS8K #NativeHealth #IndianCountry

HHS is celebrating International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples! HHS and Indian Health Service are proud to raise the physical, mental, social, and spiritual health of American Indians and Alaska Natives to the highest level. Learn more at ihs.gov.