Indian Health Service Awards $2.3 Million to Support National Expansion of the Community Health Aide Program

The Indian Health Service has awarded grants totaling $2.3 million over three years to four Tribes and Tribal organizations to support the expansion of the Community Health Aide Program (CHAP) to the contiguous 48 states. CHAP expands access to high-quality, community-based care through a multidisciplinary workforce of mid-level behavioral, community, and dental health professionals working alongside licensed providers in Tribal communities.

“The movement to Make America Healthy Again starts in our communities,” said IHS Director Mark Cruz. “Our Tribal communities know our needs, and we know the people who can help meet them. CHAP allows us to invest in our local leaders, create new pathways into the health professions, and give Tribes the flexibility to build programs around our own cultures and priorities. That means more opportunity for Tribal members and better access to care close to home.”

The four Tribes and Tribal organizations will receive Trump Administration funding for the CHAP Tribal Planning and Implementation Grant Program to support planning and implementation to begin operating a CHAP. The funding also supports the regional flexibility needed to tailor CHAP to the needs of their individual communities in the fields of primary, behavioral, and oral health. 

Access to care, particularly dental care, can be challenging in remote areas of Indian Country. The intent of the national CHAP in the lower 48 states is to strengthen health care delivery for the IHS by augmenting the existing workforce with mid-level paraprofessionals, utilizing culturally competent providers, and providing workforce development opportunities for locally developed staff.

The IHS began consulting with Tribes on expanding CHAP in 2016 and formed the CHAP Tribal Advisory Group (TAG) to advise the IHS director. The National CHAP Board, a federal board that serves under the authority of the IHS director, was established in 2024, sunsetting CHAP TAG and moving to CHAP implementation in the lower 48 states.

The CHAP policy may be accessed through the Indian Health Manual under Circular 24-16. For more background on the CHAP expansion, visit ihs.gov/chap.

The Indian Health Service, an agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides a comprehensive health service delivery system for approximately 2.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives who belong to 575 federally recognized tribes in 37 states. Follow the agency via social media on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.