2024 Letters
December 26, 2024
The IHS Director will proceed with the competitive grant funding distribution method for the Community Opioid Intervention and Prevention Program (COIPP). [PDF - 190 KB]December 26, 2024
The IHS Director, along with the Assistant Secretary for Health ADM Rachael M. Levine, MD, write to share information about the joint efforts being made by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health and the Indian Health Service to address the escalating cases of syphilis and congenital syphilis in our Tribal communities. [PDF - 142 KB]December 12, 2024
The IHS Director writes today to reaffirm the commitment of the Indian Health Service to protecting our patients and improving the Purchased/Referred Care program. The letter includes information about IHS's work in collaboration with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to protect eligible PRC patients receiving IHS-approved medical services from being subjected to improper bills from medical providers and collection activities from debt collectors as prohibited under the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. [PDF - 172 KB]December 5, 2024
The IHS Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to announce the release of the Indian Health Service Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years (FYs) 2025-2029. [PDF - 180 KB]- Enclosure: IHS Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2025-2029 [PDF - 313 KB]
October 10, 2024
The IHS Director writes to initiate Tribal Consultation and Urban Confer to seek your comments and recommendations on the proposed reorganization of the Indian Health Service Headquarters Office of the Director, specifically the structure of offices under the Deputy Director for Intergovernmental Affairs. [PDF - 242 KB]October 4, 2024
The IHS Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to share the Director's Year 2 Accomplishments Report--2024, which details the progress and shared achievements over the past year. [PDF - 197 KB]- Enclosure: Director's Year 2 Accomplishments Report 2024 [PDF - 6.5 MB]
October 1, 2024
The IHS Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to share information regarding the current status of fiscal year 2025 appropriations for the Indian Health Service. [PDF - 850 KB]August 12, 2024
The IHS Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to share information to help support your efforts to address climate change, assess associated health risks, and develop strategies to advance environmental justice. [PDF - 197 KB]July 29, 2024
The IHS Director invites Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to join us at the Health Information Technology Modernization Summit, which will be held on Friday, August 16, 2024, at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. This half-day, in-person event will be held in conjunction with the 2024 IHS Partnership Conference. We anticipate a robust and meaningful dialogue with you on important Health Information Technology modernization issues. We will also convene a caucus to enable Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to exchange viewpoints and share information. [PDF - 172 KB]July 1, 2024
The IHS Deputy Director for Management Operations writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to seek your recommendations on health professions priorities eligible for the IHS Scholarship Program in academic year 2024-2025 and the IHS Loan Repayment Program in fiscal year 2025. [PDF - 193 KB]- Enclosure: 2025 Priority Chart - Scholarship Program Survey [PDF - 122 KB]
- Enclosure: 2025 Priority Chart - Loan Repayment Program Survey [PDF - 105 KB]
June 5, 2024
The IHS Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to announce Agency funding decisions on the Alzheimer's Grant Program to Address Dementia in Tribal and Urban Indian Communities for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. [PDF - 152 KB]May 21, 2024
The IHS Director writes to initiate Tribal Consultation and Urban Confer to seek your guidance and recommendations on funding methodologies for seven Indian Health Service behavioral health initiatives, focusing on funds currently distributed through grants. [PDF - 231 KB]May 8, 2024
The IHS Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to shareIHS Harm Reduction strategy updates. [PDF - 243 KB]
May 2, 2024
The IHS Director writes to Urban Indian Organization Leaders to initiate Urban Confer on the Draft IHS Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2024-2028. Please make plans to join us on May 30, 2024. [PDF - 212 KB]- Enclosure: Draft IHS Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2024-2028 [PDF - 1.52 MB]
March 27, 2024
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and the Indian Health Service (IHS) are writing to initiate Tribal Consultation and Urban Confer on the Draft Annual Operational Plan for FY 2024 and share our updatedFY 2023 VHA-IHS Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Operational Plan. Please make plans to join us at a joint, in-person VHA/IHS Tribal Consultation and Urban Confer session that will be held on
Monday, April 15, 2024, during the Tribal Self-Governance Conference at the Gila River Indian Community's Wildhorse Pass Resort in Chandler, Arizona. [PDF - 233 KB]
- DRAFT VHA-IHS Memorandum of Understanding Operational Plan [PDF - 982 KB]
March 20, 2024
The IHS Director writes to share a change to the Agency's publishing policy for Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) announcements, to include continuing to post to Grants.gov and the IHS Division of Grants Management website, and ceasing to publish to the Federal Register. [PDF - 174 KB]March 5, 2024
The IHS Director writes to Urban Indian Organization Leaders to provide the fiscal year 2024 allocation, eligibility requirements, and procedures to access the Urban Emergency Fund (UEF). [PDF - 155 KB]February 15, 2024
The IHS Chief Medical Officer writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to share an update on efforts by the Agency to address the syphilis epidemic in Indian Country. [PDF - 172 KB]January 31, 2024
The IHS Director writes to communicate key leadership changes within the Indian Health Service, which include multiple reassignments, the departure of a long-tenured staff member, and a noteworthy retirement. [PDF - 205 KB]January 22, 2024
The IHS Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to share Agency accomplishments during the first quarter of fiscal year 2024. [PDF - 180 KB]- Enclosure: IHS FY 2024 First Quarter Performance Report [PDF - 556 KB]
The IHS Director writes to Urban Indian Organization Leaders to announce the IHS Fiscal Year 2023 Budget to Support Urban Indian Organizations. [PDF - 172 KB]
January 18, 2024
The IHS Director writes to invite you to join a series of four Tribal Consultation and Urban Confer sessions in calendar year 2024 on Health IT Modernization. [PDF - 374 KB]January 16, 2024
The IHS Director writes to announce the appointment of the new IHS Deputy Director for Quality Healthcare and Enterprise Risk Management. [PDF - 180 KB]January 12, 2024
The IHS Director writes to initiate Urban Confer on the proposed supplemental funding request to support fentanyl and opioid programs. [PDF - 212 KB]