HHS mobilizes Public Health Service officers to Indian Health Service facilities

According to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services press release, HHS is dispatching more than 70 Public Health Service officers from the USPHS Commissioned Corps to Indian Health Service facilities across the country. Officers from leadership and frontline ranks will be detailed to IHS sites with the most urgent staffing shortages.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the mobilization “takes bold action to close gaps and deliver timely, quality care to Native families.” Acting IHS Director Benjamin Smith said the officers will help expand preventive care, improve chronic disease management and advance wellness across Indian Country. The IHS serves about 2.7 million American Indians and Alaska Natives across 574 federally recognized tribes.