As you may have heard, President Bush has proposed eliminating the entire urban Indian health program as part of his budget strategy. This would be a cut of $33 million for the 34 urban Indian health programs that are located throughout the United States. Some of these programs have no other source of funding and would have to close. Others would have to reduce services significantly.

This happened before, in the 1980's, when Reagan did the same thing. We waged a large and widespread grass-roots campaign to fight it and won. We will need to do the same this time around and we need your help. I think we can win again but we will need a response from as many people as possible.

Also, if you know anyone who can help us in this fight, please contact them and let them know what's going on.

Attached are 2 documents that the National Council of Urban Indian Health programs (NCUIH) has prepared for this fight. The first is a statement from individuals about why the urban Indian health program is important to them; the second is a letter to the members of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.

Please have people put in their name and home address and sign each one, and then fax or send them to NCUIH's attorney, Greg A. Smith (info below). In addition, distribute these attached documents to anyone you know anywhere in the country. The more we can show nationwide support, the better. Anything you can do to help get these in would be greatly appreciated!

PLEASE FAX/MAIL THE COMPLETED LETTERS TO:

Greg Smith, The Smith Law Firm
2099 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 850
Washington, DC 20006

Tel: 202-265-1551
Fax: 202-265-4901

Email: gsmith@johnstondc.com

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

President Bush has proposed the elimination of the Urban Indian Health Program within the Indian Health Service. Urban Indian health programs report that such a cut would result in bankruptcies, lease defaults, elimination of services to tens of thousands of Indians who may not seek care elsewhere, an increase in the health care disparity for American Indians and Alaska Natives and the near annihilation of a body of medical and cultural knowledge addressing the unique cultural and medical needs of the urban Indian population held almost exclusively by these programs. According to the 2000 Census, nearly 70% of Americans identifying themselves as of American Indian or Alaska Native heritage live in urban areas. Notably, the Urban Indian Health Program receives only 1% of IHS funding, stretching those dollars to achieve extraordinary results.

Urban Indian Health Clinics provide unique and non-duplicable assistance to Urban Indians who face extraordinary barriers to accessing mainstream health care. What Urban Indian health programs offer cannot be effectively replaced by the HRSA’s Health Centers program.
• Urban Indian Health Programs Overcome Cultural Barriers.
• Urban Indian Health Programs Save Costs and Improve Medical Care by Getting Urban Indians to Seek Medical Attention Earlier.
• Urban Indian Health Programs Are Better Positioned to Identify Health Issues Particular to the Native Community.
• Urban Indian Programs Are Better Able To Address The Fact That Movement Back And Forth From Reservations Has An Impact On Health Care.
• Urban Indian Programs Are a Key Provider of Care to the Large Population of Uninsured Urban Indians Who Might Not Go Elsewhere.
• Urban Indian Programs Reduce Costs to Other Parts of the Indian Health Service System by Reducing Their Patient Load.

Rather than the President’s proposal, please urge Congress to support a $12 million increase for Urban Indian programs in the FY 2007 budget.

Here is what the Urban Indian Health Program has meant to me: ____________________

Name:_________________________________________________________________

Address:________________________________________________________________


CC: National Council of Urban Indian Health


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February 10, 2006

Chairman John McCain
Ranking Member Byron Dorgan
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
Washington, DC

By Fax (202-228-2589)

Dear Chairman McCain, Senator Dorgan and Members of the Committee:

President Bush has proposed the elimination of the entire Urban Indian Health Program (UIHP) from the Indian Health Service FY07 budget in the Department of Health and Human Services. This would be a cut of $33 million for the 34 urban Indian health programs that are located throughout the United States. Some of these programs have no other source of funding and would have to close. Others would have to reduce medical services significantly. I urge you to not only restore full funding to this vital program, but actually increase funding! According to the 2000 Census, nearly 70% of Americans identifying themselves as of American Indian or Alaska Native heritage live in urban areas. Notably, the Urban Indian Health Program receives only 1% of IHS funding, stretching those dollars to achieve extraordinary results. Overall, the President has proposed to increase funding for the Indian Health Service by 4.1%; it is nonsensical to eliminate this critical program.

The Urban Indian Health Program was created in 1976 to address the enormous health needs of American Indians who had been relocated from the reservations during the 1950s through the 1970s. All American Indians, urban and reservation, have vast health disparities compared to other racial/ethic groups (i.e., diabetes is three times higher in the American Indian population than in whites). While the federal government has other community health clinic programs in the Department of Health and Human Services, only urban Indian health programs provide culturally proficient health care that is crucial to decrease these health disparities. Moreover, these programs save money by providing quicker and better care and lightening the patient load at regular Indian Health Service facilities, where many urban Indians would go if they did not have access to an urban Indian health program.

The federal government has a trust responsibility through treaty obligations and federal statutes to provide heath care to American Indians whether they are living on a reservation or elsewhere (i.e., living in an urban area) as Congress found in the legislation that was passed in 1976 creating the Urban Indian Health Program. Full funding for both the tribal and urban Indian health programs must continue.

Please help keep these vital health services for our Indian people!

Sincerely,


cc: National Council of Urban Indian Health