IHS receives an additional $1 billion for the continued COVID-19 response

Today, the IHS is announcing the allocation decisions for $1 billion recently received by the agency in additional COVID-19 funding to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

Of the $1 billion provided in the act, $790 million will support testing, contact tracing, containment, mitigation, and related activities to monitor and suppress COVID-19 in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The bill also provides $210 million for IHS, tribal, and urban Indian health programs to plan and prepare for coronavirus vaccines to ensure broad-based distribution, access, and vaccine coverage.

“The IHS sincerely values the support and the rapid and robust input from tribal and urban Indian organization leaders as we work together on a significantly accelerated timeline,” said Acting IHS Director Elizabeth Fowler. “We will continue to work in partnership with our tribal and urban Indian organization partners to distribute these critical resources for the immediate support of our COVID-19 response.”

The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, Pub. L. No. 116-260, Div. M, Title III (Dec. 27, 2020) (CRRSAA), which includes $1 billion in funding for IHS, tribal, and urban Indian health programs to prepare for, respond to, and recover from COVID-19, is the fifth round of supplemental COVID-19 funding.

The IHS initiated tribal consultation and urban confer on December 29, 2020, to seek rapid input regarding the allocation of funding for resources included in the bill.

The funds transferred to the IHS in the CRRSAA bring the total funding level for support of IHS’s COVID-19 response and recovery efforts to nearly $3 billion. The IHS is grateful for funding that prioritizes resources during this public health emergency for our tribal and urban Indian communities.

The IHS continues to work closely with our tribal and urban Indian organization partners, as well as state and local public health officials, to coordinate a comprehensive public health response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For more on the federal response in Indian Country, visit https://www.ihs.gov/coronavirus/.

The IHS, an agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Exit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov , provides a comprehensive health service delivery system for approximately 2.6 million American Indians and Alaska Natives who belong to 574 federally recognized tribes Exit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov  in 37 states. Follow the agency via social media on Facebook Exit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov , Twitter, and LinkedIn Exit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov .