U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Indian Health Service: The Federal Health Program for American Indians and Alaska Natives
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U.S. Public Health Service 1798
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Indian Health Service (IHS) Commissioned Corps  
Services
   
 

PHS Commissioned Corps Awards

Purpose

The purpose of the Commissioned Officer's recognition program is to:

  • Recognize officers for achievements or service
  • Encourage maximum performance and,
  • Improve espirit de corps among officers

Types of Awards

Officers may be awarded six types of individual honor awards, listed in precedence:

  1. Distinguished Service Medal (DSM)
  2. Meritorious Service Medal (MSM)
  3. Outstanding Service Medal (OSM)
  4. Commendation Medal (CM)
  5. Achievement Medal (AM)
  6. PHS Citation (CIT)

There are two honor awards which are meant for groups of individuals, in order of precedence:

  1. Outstanding Unit Citation (OUC)
  2. Unit Commendation (UC)

There are seven service awards that may be awarded to an officer upon successfully completing a specific type of assignment which has inherent hardships. These awards are:

  1. Isolated Hardship Award (ISOHAR)
  2. Hazardous Duty Award (HAD)
  3. Foreign Duty Award (FDA)
  4. Special Assignment Award (SAA)
  5. Crisis Response Award (CRA)
  6. National Emergency Preparedness Award (NEPA)
  7. Smallpox Eradication Campaign Ribbon (SECR)