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IHS deputy director frames 70 years of Indian health as progress with unfinished work
Summary
At the 70th‑anniversary summit, IHS Deputy Director Ben Smith highlighted past milestones—Transfer Act, sanitation and self‑determination laws—and called for stronger tribal self‑governance, modernization of facilities and workforce development while noting persistent disparities.
Ben Smith, deputy director of the Indian Health Service, opened the agency's 70th‑anniversary summit by tracing the agency's evolution from a 1955 transfer of functions into the Public Health Service to a modern system increasingly administered by tribes.
"When I read those early reports, what stands out is not just the hardships, but it's also the resilience," Smith said, citing early challenges such as tuberculosis and inadequate sanitation that the IHS confronted. He noted…
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