Navajo Nation presses HHS on vaccine access and IHS reform

According to Native News Online, Navajo Nation Delegate Eugenia Charles-Newton met with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials Sept. 10 to raise concerns about systemic health barriers and declining COVID-19 vaccine allocations to Indian Health Service facilities. Charles-Newton, chair of the Law and Order Committee, said communities cannot afford to be left behind as infections rise.

During the consultation, Mark Cruz, senior counselor to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., pledged to follow up on vaccine distribution and supply issues. Cruz also announced an upcoming funding opportunity through the Rural Health Transformation Program and outlined ongoing Indian Health Service reform initiatives, including regional realignment and departmental reorganization. Leaders from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Walker River Paiute Tribe, Blackfeet Nation, Crow Creek Sioux Tribe and Oglala Sioux Tribe echoed concerns over health access, mental health crises and nutrition programs.