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2017 Letters

December 29, 2017

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to provide an update on the progress of the Indian Health Service Strategic Planning Workgroup activities and updated timeline on the IHS draft Strategic Plan 2018-2022. [PDF - 95 KB]

November 28, 2017

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to share progress to date on the Indian Health Service draft Strategic Plan 2018-2022. [PDF - 94 KB]

October 13, 2017

The Acting Director writes to Urban Indian Organization Leaders to inform them of the Indian Health Service’s (IHS) progress in formally transferring internal administration of the former National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse programs (former-NIAAA programs) from the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program to the IHS Office of Urban Indian Health Programs. [PDF - 199 KB]

September 22, 2017

The Acting Director writes to Tribal and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to provide information on ways to submit written and in-person comments and provide updates on the formation and role of the IHS Strategic Planning Workgroup. [PDF - 138 KB]

September 15, 2017

The Acting Director writes to Tribal and Urban Indian Organization leaders to initiate a Tribal Consultation and Urban Confer on the Indian Health Service Strategic Plan. [PDF - 94 KB]

September 5, 2017

The Acting Director informs Urban Indian Organization Leaders that the Indian Health Service has released the Office of Urban Indian Health Programs Strategic Plan-2017-2021. [PDF - 98 KB]

August 24, 2017

The Acting Director informs Urban Indian Organization Leaders of the decisions on the distribution of fiscal year 2017 Urban Indian health budget increases for Urban Indian Organizations authorized by Title V of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. [PDF - 93 KB]

July 26, 2017

The Acting Director invites Urban Indian Organization Leaders to a meeting to confer on the distribution of the fiscal year 2017 Urban Indian health budget increase. [PDF - 186 KB]
The Acting Director notifies Tribal and Urban Indian Organization Leaders that two listening sessions have been added to seek further input and recommendations on how best to modernize and improve our Resource and Patient Management System Electronic Health Record. [PDF - 149 KB]

July 21, 2017

The Acting Director provides Great Plains Area Tribal and Urban Indian Organization Leaders with a report on the 2016 Indian Health Service Tribal Consultation and Urban Confer related to the Organization and Structure of the Great Plains Area IHS. [PDF - 118 KB]

June 28, 2017

The Acting Director writes to Tribal and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to initiate a 45-day Tribal Consultation and Urban Confer on a draft Indian Health Service Headquarters Information Technology Service Catalog. [PDF - 166 KB]

June 26, 2017

The Acting Director writes to Tribal and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to announce two listening sessions related to the Resource and Patient Management System Electronic Health Record. [PDF - 946 KB]

June 23, 2017

The Acting Director writes to invite Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to attend the upcoming Indian Health Service Listening Session on Behavioral Health, being held during the 2017 American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) National Behavioral Health Conference. The Listening Session is scheduled for the morning of Tuesday, August 15. [PDF - 245 KB]

May 10, 2017

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to provide updates on several important Indian Health Service behavioral health initiatives. [PDF - 142 KB]

May 2, 2017

The Acting Director updates Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders on efforts by the Indian Health Service to combat the opioid epidemic facing American Indian and Alaska Native communities. [PDF - 118 KB]

March 28, 2017

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to address the perception that the IHS is returning a significant amount of unused money to the United States Treasury each year. [PDF - 842 KB]

March 8, 2017

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to provide an update on systems enhancements related to the use of electronic prescriptions for controlled substances. [PDF - 106 KB]

February 10, 2017

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to share an update on the status of the exemption of certain Indian Health Service positions from the Federal civilian hiring freeze as provided by the Office of Management [PDF - 100 KB]