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health14h ago
Mark Cruz (Klamath) Nominated to Head Indian Health Service
- Mark Cruz, a Klamath Tribes citizen, was nominated by the White House to lead the Indian Health Service for a four-year term.
- Cruz serves as Senior Advisor to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a role created to elevate Native health priorities.
- IHS provides health care to American Indians and Alaska Natives across 37 states and serves about 2.8 million people.
- IHS faces funding and staffing challenges, with advocates calling for increased federal investment.
- Much of IHS is operated by tribes under self-determination contracts and self-governance compacts.
- IHS’s mission includes delivering primary care, behavioral health, dental care, and preventive services nationwide.
- Cruz’s nomination follows the IHS director vacancy since the start of the second Trump administration.
- Cruz was sworn into the senior advisor role in June 2025 to strengthen communication between HHS and tribal nations.
- The IHS operates within HHS and aims to fulfill federal trust and treaty obligations to Native nations.
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