Lower Brule Health Center, Street, Lower Brule, SD 57548, US

Indian Health Center in Fort Thompson, S.D., is part of the Indian Health Service, which provides health care services in over 600 IHS and tribal health care facilities scattered throughout 35 states, mostly in rural and isolated areas. Additionally, to support health care services in remote locations, the IHS operates more than 2,000 smaller units. For most Indian people, IHS-supported programs are the only source of health care, with no alternative source of medical care available. IHS is an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services and operates a comprehensive health service delivery system for approximately 1.9 million of the nation s estimated 3.3 million American Indians and Alaska Natives. There are 561 federally recognized Tribes in the U.S., with members living mainly on reservations and in rural communities in the West and Alaska. IHS services are provided directly and through tribally contracted and operated health programs. Health services also include health care purchased from private providers. The IHS clinical staff consists of approximately 2,600 nurses, 900 physicians, 400 engineers, 500 pharmacists, 300 dentists, and 170 sanitarians. The IHS also employs various allied health professionals, such as nutritionists, health administrators, and medical records administrators. Through P.L. 93-638 Self-Determination contracts, American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native corporations administer 15 hospitals, 229 health centers, 116 health stations, and 162 Alaska village clinics.