Three Affiliated Tribes among IHS grant recipients for health care expansion

The Three Affiliated Tribes will receive $3.5 million to construct a replacement facility in Parshall, improving health care infrastructure for tribal members. The Omaha Tribe of Nebraska secured multiple grants, including $3.5 million for a new behavioral health facility and over $2.9 million for specialty clinic renovations. Other recipients include the Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas, Eastern Shoshone Tribe of Wyoming, and Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation in Alaska.

Since the Small Ambulatory Program’s launch in 2001, IHS has allocated more than $203 million to 91 projects. In a press release announcing the new awards, IHS Acting Director Benjamin Smith highlighted the program’s role in strengthening tribal health infrastructure through strategic investments.

Tribal ambulatory care facilities primarily focus on outpatient services, including preventive care for chronic conditions like diabetes. Ninety-five percent of tribally operated health care facilities emphasize ambulatory services, making investments in infrastructure critical to expanding culturally relevant and quality health care in Native communities.

The IHS Office of Environmental Health and Engineering oversees these infrastructure projects, providing financial and technical support to ensure functional, well-maintained health care facilities and services. IHS, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, serves approximately 2.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives across 574 federally recognized tribes.