The Indian Health Service (IHS) has announced it is initiating consultation on President Biden’s domestic supplemental funding request, which would provide $250 million to the IHS to address the ongoing opioid and fentanyl crises. The funding request has not been taken up by Congress yet, but the IHS is holding consultation in order to efficiently allocate the funds if they are enacted. USET SPF stated our support for these supplemental funds in our testimony for the record for the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs’ (SCIA) hearing on fentanyl in Tribal communities.

IHS will hold the consultation on February 1, 2024 from 4:30 – 6:30 pm EST. Interested participants may join using this link. The IHS will accept written comments on this topic until March 4, 2024. Additional information can be found in the Dear Tribal Leader Letter.