July 6, 2022

Dear USET/USET SPF Family,

On July 1, 2022, the Indian Health Service (IHS) released a Dear Tribal Leader Letter (DTLL) in which the Division of Health Professions Support requests your assistance in identifying priority health professions for inclusion into categories eligible for the IHS Scholarship Program (SP) in academic year 2023-2024 and the IHS Loan Repayment Program (LRP) in fiscal year (FY) 2023. Each year, the IHS seeks feedback on a list of “Priority Categories” for inclusion in the IHS SP and the IHS LRP. For academic year 2023-2024, and FY 2023, the IHS SP and the IHS LRP, respectively, will be funding physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and optometrists. IHS will also be asking Areas to provide their feedback on health professions funding priorities.

Please use the links to access surveys for identifying priority health professions for inclusion in the IHS Scholarship Program and the IHS Loan Repayment Program. IHS is asking that respondents submissions to health professions priorities for which you currently have full-time vacancies, or are anticipating full-time vacancies within the next year.  E-mail your priorities by August 1, 2022, to Ms. Tara Johnston at Tara.Johnston@ihs.gov.

For more information, please contact Liz Malerba, USET SPF Director of Policy and Legislation, at lmalerba@usetinc.org.

Established in 2014, the USET Sovereignty Protection Fund (USET SPF) is a non-profit, inter-Tribal organization advocating on behalf of thirty-three (33) federally recognized Tribal Nations from the Northeastern Woodlands to the Everglades and across the Gulf of Mexico. USET SPF is dedicated to promoting, protecting, and advancing the inherent sovereign rights and authorities of Tribal Nations and in assisting its membership in dealing effectively with public policy issues.