President Bush has proposed zeroing out Urban Indian Health Programs from the FY 07 budget of the Indian Health Service. The National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH), a Washington DC based urban Indian controlled organization, has issued a statement on behalf of the 34 Urban Indian Health Programs asking Congress to restore funding in the amount of $34,054,000. This amount represents a 4% increase over the FY 06 Urban Indian Health budget. At this writing, the FY 07 Appropriations Bill is scheduled to go to the House floor on May 18, 2006 for a vote. In the Senate, the Indian Affairs Committee has recommended restoration of funding for Urban Indian Health Programs.

At the 34 Urban Indian Health Programs, many of the service providers at the programs are American Indian/Alaskan Native, thereby, breaking down the utilization barriers of insensitivity to Native cultures and distrust of mainstream health care providers.

Urban Indian patients seek treatment and follow through with service plans at a rate far exceeding those Indian patients who access treatment from non-Indian providers.

The 2000 US census data shows that 61% of the American Indian/Alaskan Native population reside in urban centers. The 1970 US census showed 38% of American Indians/Alaskan Natives living in cities. The federal government has a Trust Responsibility through treaty obligations and federal statutes to provide health care to Tribal citizens whether they are living on a reservation or elsewhere (i.e. living in an urban area). Congress enshrined its commitment to urban Indians in P.L. 94-437, the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.

That it is the policy of this Nation, in fulfillment of its special responsibility and legal obligations to the American Indian people, to meet the national goal of providing the highest possible health status to Indians and urban Indians and to provide all resources necessary to effect that policy. 25 U.S.C. section 1602(a)