IHS Awards $7.6 Million for the 4-in-1 Grant Opportunity for Urban Indian Programs

Thousands of Urban Indian patients will benefit from increased funding and services in four health program areas

The Indian Health Service, Office of Urban Indian Health Programs, awarded 29 grants totaling up to $7.6 million over three years to make healthcare services more accessible to American Indians and Alaska Natives residing in urban areas and to support operations at urban health facilities.

“We are pleased to be able to fund these urban health programs, especially with important services related to mental health and substance abuse prevention and treatment,” said IHS Principal Deputy Director Mary Smith. “These programs are integral components of the IHS improvement in patient care initiative and the strategic objectives focused on improving safety, quality, affordability and accessibility of health care.”

A list of the 4-in-1 program awardees is available at https://www.ihs.gov/Urban/. Programs are located in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.

Additionally, funding will be used to track and report results for the Government Performance and Results Act and the Government Performance and Results Modernization Act; Native veterans will benefit from collaborative activities with the Veterans Health Administration; and four health program areas that allow more Native patients access to quality health care include:

• Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services
• Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Services
• Immunizations
• Mental Health Prevention and Treatment Services

The IHS Urban Indian Health Program supports contracts and grants to 34 urban health programs funded under Title V of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. Approximately 100,000 American Indians use 23 Title V Urban Indian health programs because they reside outside of IHS and tribal service areas and they are not able to access hospitals, health clinics, or Purchased/Referred Care (PRC) administered by IHS and tribal health programs. Another 49,000 American Indians and Alaska Natives use 11 Title V programs in cities that are located in IHS or tribal service delivery areas. The majority of American Indians and Alaska Natives do not reside on reservations but in urban communities across the country including Chicago, Denver and San Francisco.

IHS, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides a comprehensive health service delivery system for approximately 2.2 million American Indians and Alaska Natives.

For additional information about the Office of Urban Indian Health Programs, visit https://www.ihs.gov/Urban/.