Alaska Native tribes receive health services through the Interior Department, which is one of the areas of the Federal Government that is shut down. Local Native health services are continuing, even if workers are not being paid.
The Tanana Chiefs Conference has the responsibility to provide health services to the 37 federally-recognized tribes in Alaska’s Interior, as well as anyone who qualifies through the Indian Health Service, or IHS.
Right now, the doors are staying open at the IHS clinic across the road from Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. Chief Andrew Isaac Health Center is the medical hub for Native health in the Interior, and the Tanana Chiefs Conference pays the bills.
“We are lucky right now that we have enough funding where we can keep thing operational and help our tribes in the Interior. But if this goes on as long as some are saying, I don’t know what that means.”
TCC Chairman Victor Joseph says the organization can withstand a little bit of cash drought… for the present, at least.
Most of the federal Department of Health and Human Services is funded during the partial government shut-down. But not so the Interior Department, through which all the money for the Indian Health Service flows. Joseph is frustrated that the huge amount of daily communication between tribes and federal agencies has come to a standstill.
He’s also concerned about disrupting patients seeking medical care.
“Our ability to coordinate care with IHS is problematic, and the ability for the federal government to meet their trust responsibilities also cannot be done if the federal government is closed.”
In the meantime, there are 18 federal workers providing health services at TCC who are not getting paid. And… they are required to keep working. They are Commissioned Corps officers, who wear military-style uniforms and work for the Public Health Service under the Surgeon General. Joseph says TCC is trying to figure out a way to pay them, even though there is no federal money coming in.
“We have some Commission Corps Officers that may have not gotten their checks, and we just made some agreements on how we might be able to help them get their paychecks. We are still in the process of that.”
Joseph says TCC administration is also contacting tribes around the Interior to monitor and assess how the federal government shutdown is affecting them. Right now, most tribes are able to conduct business as usual, but that will change soon.