A political history of the Indian health service

One of the few bright spots to emerge from the history. Of relations betwee n American Indians and the federal government is the remarkable record of t he Indian Health Service (IHS). the IHS has raised the health status of Ind ians to approximate that of most other Americans, a striking achievement in the light of the poverty and stark living conditions experienced by this p opulation, The gains occurred in spite of chronically low funding and can b e attributed to the combination of vision, stubbornness, and political savv y of the agency's physician directors and the support of a handful of triba l leaders and powerful allies in the Congress and the White House. Despite the agency's imperfections and the sizeable health problems that still exis t among American Indians and Alaskan Natives, the IHS is an example of one federal program that has worked.