The Whiteriver Service Unit (WRSU), in the Phoenix Area Indian Health Service (IHS), is improving access to health care to better serve approximately 14,000 White Mountain Apache tribal members and other American Indians living in the surrounding communities.

"I am very proud of the efforts of dedicated IHS staff who are willing to ensure that our health care system reaches out to all American Indians and Alaska Natives," said Michael H. Trujillo, M.D., M.P.H., M.S., Director, IHS. "The services required for better health care and disease prevention are provided in partnership with other federal agencies, outside educational entities, and private foundations. All are working together toward the same goal of raising the level of health status for Indian people by improving access to health care," he said.

On September 18, 1998, the WRSU opened a state-of-the-art ambulatory surgery room renovated from an obstetrical delivery room. The renovation was made possible with $300,000 in Medicare and Medicaid collections. The unit will enable the IHS to meet a large need for outpatient surgery procedures. In the past, the hospital referred patients to the Phoenix Indian Medical Center or contract-care hospitals which required patients to drive four hours. Only medical emergencies are transported by ground or air.

The WRSU was awarded over $140,000 in advanced telemedicine hardware and software through a grant project under the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) rural telemedicine program. The WRSU was awarded the grant through combined funding from the USDA and the University of Arizona, College of Medicine. The system is expected to be in full service in early 1999. Telemedicine will link Whiteriver Hospital with University of Arizona (UofA) sub-specialty medical staff for patient consultation. The project will allow the doctors at the University to examine patients via video link and offer consultation to the local providers. The service unit already has a teleradiology link with the UofA, with equipment acquired from the Department of Defense.

Access to immediate health care has also been greatly improved with the opening of a 4,800-foot gravel airstrip in early September. The airstrip was constructed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. It will enable the 1,200-person community of Cibecue, Ariz., located on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, to have immediate access to emergency care facilities in the Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas. In a unique and creative contractual partnership with Native American Air Ambulance, the IHS health center in Cibecue can now transport emergency trauma, medical, and obstetrical patients to health facilities in Phoenix and Tucson in approximately thirty minutes.

The WRSU, a 49-bed facility, provides general medical, pediatrics, and obstetric services. The hospital is also the base for major research projects that include gastroenteritis and haemophilus influenzae disease. The facility is a JCAHO-accredited hospital staffed by eighteen physicians, two physician's assistants, a nurse practitioner, three dentists, an optometrist, and about 90 nursing staff members. There are currently seven professional positions vacant including one Public Health Nutritionist, one Clinical Dietitian, one Dental Officer, and the remaining in nursing services .

NOTICE TO EDITORS: To schedule an interview with an IHS employee to discuss this release, contact the IHS Public Affairs at 301-443-3593. Additional information about the IHS is available on the IHS website at http://www.ihs.gov.