Udall Pushes to Strengthen Indian Health Service Facilities, Improve Care for Tribes in NM and Across Nation

Priorities include substance abuse treatment and prevention, funding Gallup detox center, addressing staffing shortfalls

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall, lead Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, discussed several steps to improve care at Indian Health Service (IHS) facilities in New Mexico and nationwide at a hearing on the agency's fiscal year 2017 budget. Udall focused on efforts to address alcohol and substance abuse.

"Indian Country needs better access to clinical services. This is especially true for preventive care and also for mental health and substance abuse programs," Udall said. "All of these issues affect Tribes in New Mexico. We see it in the lack of funding for substance abuse treatment in Gallup... We see it in the staffing shortages in Crownpoint, which forced the closure of emergency medical services last year. The challenges are very clear."

Udall has urged IHS to work with state, local and Tribal officials to find a sustainable solution to fund the struggling Na'Nizhoozhi Center Inc. (NCI) detox center in Gallup, and again raised the issue: "Twenty-five people have died from alcohol-related exposure incidents between this winter and last winter, with a recent report of another death just two weeks ago. There were five deaths this January alone. According to the Center's director, they have admitted more than 2,500 individuals since October 2015 - which is approximately 10 percent of the population of Gallup. The need is clearly there and the community is desperate to maintain these lifesaving services."

Udall continued: "I am grateful that the Indian Health Service just stepped to the plate to provide some emergency funding to help keep the Center open through June 30th - funding that was particularly critical to keep it open through the coldest winter months when the risk of weather-related deaths is the highest. But that's just the temporary fix, and we must do more. I want to work with all the partners involved with NCI - IHS, the Tribe, the State and the City - to come up with a plan to provide sustainable funding." Udall added that Senator Martin Heinrich and Congressman Ben Ray Luján have been great partners on this issue.

In response, IHS Principal Deputy Director Mary Smith acknowledged that there is a gap in services that needs to be addressed. "I am committed to working with you to find a sustainable solution," she told Udall.

Udall also raised concerns about persistent staffing shortages at IHS facilities, which caused service reductions at the Santa Fe Indian Hospital and forced the IHS medical center in Crownpoint, N.M., to close its emergency room for over a month last summer. Smith told Udall that addressing frequent staff turnover at the New Mexico facilities remains a priority, and she committed to working together on a solution.

IHS's per patient spending lags far behind the national average, and Udall has long pushed for funding to improve Indian health care. In 2015, IHS spent just $3,136 per capita for patient health services, compared to the national average of $8,517 per person, $8,760 per patient in the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system, and $12,179 per Medicare patient in 2014.

Udall and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) have introduced a bipartisan bill that would help IHS better leverage its limited funds and spend a larger proportion of its resources on patient care and staffing issues. IHS currently spends an estimated 30 percent of its Health Professions Account to pay taxes to the federal government, which takes away needed funding from investments in skilled medical professionals. Udall's bill would make the program exempt from a federal income tax requirement (as the National Health Service Corps currently is).

IHS has included a similar proposal in its budget request, and Smith thanked Udall for supporting the plan. If enacted, Smith told Udall the measure would free up $11 million for IHS to use on loan repayments and scholarships. This amount could provide loan repayments for approximately 200 additional qualified, much-needed medical staff.

Udall also discussed construction and maintenance needs at IHS facilities - which he fought to increase funding for in last year's funding bill - as well as funding for desperately needed sanitation improvements. New Mexico has several facilities on the IHS priority list for construction needs, including outpatient facilities in Alamo, Pueblo Pintado and Albuquerque, and the replacement of the IHS hospital in Gallup. These facilities have already waited for years, and at current funding levels, IHS estimates that the Alamo facility, which is up next on the list, won't be reached for approximately two more years. IHS also said that the $20 million increase to the sanitation program that Udall secured in last year's bill is helping install new or improved water and sewer systems in 3,000 homes across Indian Country.