As the Director of the Indian Health Service (IHS), neither I nor any other member of IHS leadership will tolerate Whistleblower reprisal in the IHS.  The Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 provides the right to every employee to make whistleblowing disclosures and ensures protection from reprisal.  It is my commitment that each employee's rights be safeguarded through this process.  Therefore, any IHS employee who has reason to believe there has been misconduct, fraud, or abuse is encouraged to report these matters.

Each of us has an important role to play in promoting an environment in which employees feel free to come forward with their legitimate concerns without fear of reprisal.  The following information is provided in accordance with 5 United States Code 2302(c).  Whistleblowing is defined as the disclosure of information that an employee reasonably believes is evidence of a violation of any law, rule, or regulation, gross mismanagement, gross waste of funds, abuse of authority, or a substantial danger to public health or safety.  Although each employee is encouraged to bring such matters to the attention of his/her management official, other sources are available to receive such disclosures.  An employee can confidentially report these matters to the Program Integrity and Ethics Staff (PIES), Office of Management Services, IHS; the Office of Inspector General (OIG), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); the Office of Special Counsel (OSC); or other sources, depending on the circumstances.

The PIES office may be contacted at (301) 443-4137 or through the PIES Web address.  The HHS OIG may be contacted at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477) or through the following Web addressExit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov .

The attached fact sheets, "Your Rights as a Federal Employee," "Whisleblowing," and "Prohibited Personnel Practices,"e; are provided for your information.  These sheets contain valuable information, including the Web address and telephone numbers for the OSC.

I encourage all of you to read these fact sheets carefully and become familiar with their contents.

3 Attachments:

Tab A - Your Rights as a Federal EmployeeExit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov 
Tab B - WhistleblowingExit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov 
Tab C -Prohibited Personnel PracticesExit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov