PLEASE OPPOSE THE PRESIDENT’S FY 2007 BUDGET REQUEST
TO ELIMINATE THE URBAN INDIAN HEALTH PROGRAM

The President’s proposed elimination of the Urban Indian Health Program within the Indian Health Service would have a severe impact on the agency itself, but most importantly would cause perilous harm to our patients.

Lack of accessibility and affordability to quality primary care providers would almost assuredly be the results our patients would suffer, if South Dakota Urban Indian Health clinics and services were eliminated. Many would seek their routine care through emergency rooms (most inappropriate and costly) or may not seek care elsewhere at all, which would result in an increase in the health care disparity of urban Indians.

South Dakota Urban Indian Health Clinics provide unique and non-duplicable assistance to Urban Indians who face extraordinary barriers to accessing mainstream health care. SDUIH is an agency of medical and cultural knowledge addressing the unique cultural and medical needs of the urban Indian population. SDUIH is a key player in many local, county and state programs/committees/boards and has a significant impact on the delivery and quality of health care provided to urban Indian patients in the State of South Dakota.

South Dakota Urban Indian Health is better able to address the fact that movement back and forth from reservations has an impact on health care. SDUIH understands this issue and has a direct relationship with the tribes/IHS and accounts for it in our work with patients transitioning between reservation and urban life. Rather than the President’s proposal, please urge Congress to support a $12 million increase for Urban Indian programs in the FY 2007 budget.

South Dakota Urban Indian Health, Inc. (SDUIH)
• Incorporated in South Dakota, October 6, 1977 as a 501(c)(3) Non-profit Agency
  • Operates 3 full-time primary health care clinics - all certified Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC); State Medicaid Managed Care Providers
    • Aberdeen
    • Pierre
    • Sioux Falls
  • Employs 27 individuals either through direct employment or through contract
• Provided direct health care services to over 2,500 unduplicated tribal members, with the majority being from South Dakota tribes.
  Services to unduplicated SD tribal members:
  • Rosebud, 474
  • Cheyenne River, 460
  • Flandreau, 243
  • Crow Creek, 230
  • Standing Rock, 208
  • Pine Ridge, 190
  • Yankton, 167
  • Lower Brule, 115
  • Sisseton, 98
• Loss of revenue would exceed $1 million for South Dakota Urban Indian Health
• Immediate loss of hard-dollar IHS money would be: $714,930
• Subsequent loss of soft-money connected to IHS fund base would be: $349,500
• Services Provided
  • Primary medical care
    • Women’s wellness
    • Men’s wellness
    • Children’s wellness
    • Immunizations
    • Physicals
    • STD HIV/AIDS Testing/counseling
  • Diabetes Care
    • Case management
    • Education
    • Nutrition/Diet
    • Exercise
  • Community Health Representative (CHR)
    • Transportation
    • Home Foot Care
    • Home Fire Safety
    • Medication Pick-up
  • Behavioral Health (Tiospaye) – State Accredited Alcohol Program
    • Substance Abuse Counseling
    • Mental Health Counseling
  • Laboratory (lipid panels, blood glucose testing, urine pregnancy testing, rapid strep test, CBC etc.)
  • Pharmacy (formulary list - $8.00 per prescription – contracted with local pharmacy)
  • Dental (exam, bite-wings and cleaning for children and Diabetes patients; fluoride varnishing )
  • Optical (frame/lens contract w/ThunderCloud)