Welcome to the Bemidji Area of the Indian Health Service

The Bemidji Area Office provides service and support to 34 federally recognized Tribes and four Urban Indian health programs in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Urban Indian programs are located in Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee and Minneapolis. Tribes in the Bemidji Area include Ojibwe (Chippewa), Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Mohican, Oneida, Odawa, Potawatomi and Sioux.

The Bemidji Area operates three federal/direct service programs on behalf of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians and the White Earth Band of Chippewa Indians of Minnesota. These federal/direct service programs (Cass Lake Hospital, Red Lake Hospital and White Earth Health Center) are staffed by approximately 500 civil service employees and US Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps officers in a variety of health profession positions. 

Tribal and Urban Indian programs directly employ a range of health care providers and allied staff, including mental health counselors, substance abuse counselors and community health nurses and representatives. Services not available through the Tribal or federal/direct service programs may be delivered through Contract Health Services (CHS).