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Aberdeen Area
The Aberdeen Area is a rolling prairie divided in the western portion of the Dakotas by awe-inspiring mountains including the Badlands, the Black
Hills, and Mt. Rushmore National Memorial. Residents of this unspoiled region enjoy numerous opportunities to hunt, fish, ice skate, ski, and hike.
Agriculture provides a steady economic base, and hydroelectric developments on the Missouri River have spurred growth. Through its Service Units, the
Aberdeen Area provides health care to American Indians on reservations located in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa. The two largest
reservations, Pine Ridge and Rosebud, are in southwestern South Dakota. Aberdeen Area facilities include hospitals, health centers, health stations
and satellite clinics. The area features a comprehensive health care delivery system, including inpatient and outpatient care, preventive clinics,
research, and community-based projects.
Alaska Area
Alaska's practice locations provide easy access to the natural wonders of this vast, unspoiled state, from tiny Annette Island at the southern tip of
the panhandle to Urban Fairbanks to rural Kotzebue, 260 miles north of the Arctic Circle. The Alaska Area Native Health Service provides comprehensive
health services to Alaska Native people, Eskimos, Aleuts, Indians, and non-natives in remote locales through fee-for-service care. Health
professionals working in Alaska experience first-hand the various cultures and traditions of Native Alaskans. Members of several Tribes have
historically lived in well-defined regions with little mixing of ethnic groups. As a result, each group retains many of its original customs and
beliefs. The Alaska Area Service Units include hospitals, ambulatory health care centers, and community health aide clinics.
Albuquerque Area
The terrain of the Albuquerque Area ranges from high altitude mountain ranges to sprawling deserts to spectacular canyons. The opportunities for
outdoor sports and recreation are as varied as they are abundant. The Albuquerque Area provides health services to American Indians in numerous Tribal
groups on reservations in New Mexico and Colorado. Each Tribe has its own history, language and culture. In addition, IHS facilities serve numerous
Indians who live, work, or attend school in the Urban centers of the Albuquerque Area. The Albuquerque Area is divided into service units that provide
an array of in-patient and out-patient services through hospitals, health care centers, field clinics and health stations. These health care
facilities offer a broad range of curative, preventive, environmental and educational services to the Tribes in the area.
Bemidji Area
This northern IHS lake area covers the lush, fertile states of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, all named and celebrated for their predominant life
giving resource: water. The abundance of lakes and unspoiled acres of land provide many opportunities for recreation. The Bemidji Area administers
several Service Units which provide care through IHS practitioners. It also administers federally recognized Tribal and Urban programs which deliver
services through health care providers hired directly by the Tribes. Many Tribal members are geographically isolated from the Urban facilities and
community health centers and must rely on a team approach of IHS, Tribal, and contract providers for their health care needs. Facilities range from
community health stations and walk-in first-aid centers to fully staffed hospitals and clinics. Preventive education and health screening are stressed
in an effort to control some of the Area's chronic health problems.
Billings Area
The Billings Area embodies the scenic open space and big sky country of Montana and Wyoming. It serves members of Plains Tribes on reservations and in
surrounding communities. Many of the Tribes' traditional activities and language remain intact. This area is famous for their fresh air and outdoor
activities. Montana and Wyoming contain more than 17 million acres of national forest, over 3 million acres of wilderness, and many national and state
parks. The Billings Area provides comprehensive health care services to Indian people through service units which include hospitals and clinics,
preventive health and outreach services, alcohol treatment centers, dental and eye care facilities, and air and ground emergency transportation.
Outdoor activities and fresh air complement the health promotion and disease prevention activities which have been initiated through reservation-based
community fitness centers.
California Area
While Indian Tribes in most parts of the country are still gradually acquiring authority from the IHS to operate health facilities, California Tribes
already exercise responsibility for the development and operation of health care facilities. Many of the facilities are operated by Tribal consortiums
which provide comprehensive health care services to members and are supported by State and Federal funding, as well as private and public grants. All
California Indian health facilities are managed by the Indian people themselves. Thus, IHS provides no staffing to support the California clinics,
even though they serve the largest population of Native Americans of all the reservation states. Employment is arranged directly through each facility
and requires that the health care provider hold a California license. The area has both rural Tribal health programs and Urban Indian health programs
serving American Indian patients.
Nashville Area
Although the Nashville Area is the largest of the twelve IHS regions geographically, it does not service the largest populate of Indian people. Many
of the beneficiaries utilize the services of Tribally run clinics. The Nashville Area serves members of Tribes scattered across states mostly east of
the Mississippi River. The Area covers the greatest number of square miles in the IHS in the "Lower-48", extending from Maine to Texas. The Area is
richly endowed with the traditional cultures of many Tribes. The beautiful crafts made by the Tribes are highly prized by collectors. Participants at
celebrations and pow-wows enjoy the chance to sample delightful traditional foods. Health care facilities are located near beautiful settings such as
the Atlantic Ocean, the Great Smoky Mountains, and the Great Lakes. Most professionals in the area's facilities are employed by the Tribes, but may
also belong to one of the government's personnel systems, the civil service or the Commissioned Corps.
Navajo Area
The Navajo Area serves the largest Indian Tribe in the United States, the Navajo Nation. Comprehensive health care is provided to Navajo people
throughout this vast reservation. Inpatient, outpatient, contract and community health programs are centered around the Navajo Area's hospitals,
health centers, health stations, school clinics and Navajo Tribal health programs. The vast range of facilities offers health care professionals a
choice in the scale and style of health care they wish to practice. Health care professionals are also drawn to this area by the special connections
made with the Navajo people and their traditions, by the appreciation of the natural beauty, and by the opportunity to see the results of the
essential health care they provide to American Indians in Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado.
Oklahoma City Area
A clean environment, lakes, small mountain ranges, and prairies characterize this area. Health professionals live and work in rural areas, small
college towns, or large cities in Oklahoma and Kansas. For them, the lifestyle is quiet, unhurried, sociable, inexpensive, and focused upon the
basics: good school systems, outdoor recreation, and cultural events. Service Units of the Oklahoma City Area provide care to the largest IHS service
population in the US with the majority of patients residing in Urban settings. Hospitals and outpatient health centers and clinics provide inpatient
and outpatient care. Many of the facilities are quite large with a diverse staff. State-of-the-art equipment is used in modern facilities staffed by
IHS and Tribally hired professionals and paraprofessionals.
Phoenix Area
Spilling across the state lines of Arizona, Nevada, and Utah, the Phoenix Area serves American Indians from many culturally diverse Tribes. The Area's
terrain and climate vary from desert to mesa country to alpine meadows to rugged national parks. Recreational opportunities include hiking, camping,
backpacking, skiing, and water sports. Outdoor activities are popular among the Phoenix Area staff, whether stationed in desert areas, mountainous
terrain, or along the Colorado River. The area's Service Units include IHS hospitals, clinics, health centers and health stations. The IHS facilities
combine modern technology, western medicine, and traditional healing. Medical Center facilities provide multi-service and specialty care to patients
and conduct research under the auspices of the National Institutes of Health.
Portland Area
The terrain of the Pacific Northwest is a varied as it is beautiful. The Northwest is famous for its varied recreational opportunities, and most
Indian reservations are located among its prime recreational areas. The Portland Area oversees the delivery of health care to Indian people who reside
on reservations in the States of Idaho, Oregon and Washington. The IHS operates both health centers and health stations in this area. An increasing
number of health care facilities throughout the Portland Area are being operated by Tribes. Facility locations vary from remote rural and coastal
reservations to large metropolitan areas. Local practitioners enjoy a great deal of autonomy in their practices, whether in the clinic, lab, or
pharmacy.
Tucson Area
Dramatic scenery characterizes the Tucson Area, where elevations range from 1,400 feet in the Santa Rosa Valley to nearly 8,000 feet on Baboquivari
Mountain. Popular recreational activities include camping and backpacking in nearby desert and national forests and wintertime skiing in the White
Mountains or on Mount Lemmon. The Tucson Area is the smallest in the IHS, serving the Tohono O'odham Nation and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. Health service
for the Tohono O'odham is centered in Sells, Arizona, capital of the Tohono O'odham Reservation and hub of reservation life. Health care in the Sells
Service Unit is a joint effort between IHS and the Tohono O'odham Health Department. The Yaqui Service Unit is jointly managed by IHS and the Pascua
Yaqui Tribe. Services are rendered directly and indirectly through a non-traditional, innovative system of subcontracts.
For more information regarding the IHS areas, please see the IHS Area Offices and Facilities Page.
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