Welcome to the Alaska Area of the Indian Health Service

The Alaska Area of the Indian Health Service (IHS) works in conjunction with Alaska Native Tribes and Tribal Organizations (T/TO) to provide comprehensive health services to nearly 150,000 Alaska Natives (Eskimos, Aleuts and Indians). The Alaska Tribal Health Compact is a comprehensive system of health care that serves all 228 federally recognized Tribes in Alaska. IHS-funded, Tribally managed hospitals are located in Anchorage, Barrow, Bethel, Dillingham, Kotzebue, Nome and Sitka. There are 44 Tribal health centers, 160 Tribal community health aide clinics and five residential substance abuse treatment centers. The Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage is the statewide referral center and gatekeeper for specialty care. Other health promotion/disease prevention programs that are statewide in scope are operated by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC), which is managed by representatives of all Alaska Tribes. 

There are 36 residual, transitional residual and buy-back positions in the Alaska Area IHS, performing inherently federal functions that cannot be contracted to T/TOs. The Alaska Area supports US Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps officers and civil service employees to T/TOs to aid them in the provision of health services. Other federal agencies such as the Arctic Investigations Laboratory of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) work closely with the Alaska Area IHS and the Tribes to improve the health status of Alaska Natives. 

The Indian Health Service still holds title to six Tribally operated hospitals and three Tribally operated health centers in Alaska and is responsible for their maintenance.