Two of the stakeholders in IHS are the people who are of American Indian and Alaska Native descent, since they are the ones who are bound to be benefited by the efforts of IHS. Since the IHS is built upon the mission of raising the “physical, mental, social, and spiritual health” of these people to the highest level, they are duty-bound to assist eligible tribes in the development of their health programs (USA. gov, 2006). Such development may be achieved through the holding of activities like human resource development, provision of technical assistance, and the conduct of health management training.
Moreover, the IHS helps in the coordination of health planning and the use of available resources, with the help of various health programs at the local, state, and federal levels. The IHS also helps American Indians and Alaska Natives by operating comprehensive health programs and providing healthcare services (USA. gov, 2006). The IHS also provides vital healthcare services, which include preventive services and hospital and ambulatory medical care (Cunningham & Altman, 1993). It likewise helps in the development of community sanitation facilities.
Finally, the IHS not only provides healthcare services, it also advocates to the Indian people that there is a need to ensure their health through availment of comprehensive health services (USA. gov, 2006). Another group of stakeholders are the healthcare professionals interested in providing services to the American Indians and Alaska Natives. These professionals would be concerned about achieving their goals while simultaneously having all necessary equipment and facilities at hand.
It is notable that the IHS boasts of complete and comprehensive facilities and programs. Physically, the IHS has “33 hospitals, 59 health centers, and 50 health stations,” all available to assist in the delivery of healthcare services to eligible people (USA. gov, 2006). This group of stakeholders would also serve better if they are not understaffed. Thus, the IHS has a clinical staff consisting of about “2,700 nurses, 900 physicians, 400 engineers, 500 pharmacists, 300 dentists, and 150 sanitarians (USA. gov, 2006).
” Moreover, IHS is staffed by people coming from different health fields, such as health administration and nutrition. This comprehensive roster of healthcare professionals would serve the interest of all stakeholders, namely, the covered population, the healthcare professionals themselves, and the federal government that is primarily interested in providing health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives (USA. gov, 2006). The IHS addresses its needs in providing services through delegation of work and division of labor.
Thus, one office under the IHS that provides great help to the concerned population is the Office of Emergency Services, which serves as the central source of information on the efforts of IHS on the aspect of emergency services (Indian Health Service, 2007). In order to improve the quality of health services delivered to the covered population, the IHS chose to use Apple Xserve in managing the healthcare data of its covered members. This organizational move affects all stakeholders.
The federal government is affected through the budget it provides, healthcare professionals feel better about the superior technology provided to them, and the eligible population would feel security in the knowledge that their healthcare data are managed and protected by superior degree of technology (Apple Inc. , 2008). In sum, there are various challenges faced by the IHS, particularly with respect to the proper approach when aspiring to reach its goals. It is noteworthy to observe that the IHS had persistently exerted efforts at dealing with these different challenges.
References Apple Inc. (2008). The Indian Health Service. Retrieved January 28, 2008, from http://www. apple. com/itpro/profiles/ihs/ Bergman, A. B. , Grossman, D. C. Erdrich, A. M. , Todd, J. G. & Forquera, R. (1999). A Political History of the Indian Health Service. The Milbank Quarterly 77(4), 571- 604 Cunningham, P. J. & Altman, B. M. (1993). The Use of Ambulatory Health Care Services by American Indians with Disabilities. Medical Care 31(7), 600-616 Indian Health Service. (2007). IHS Emergency Services..
Retrieved January 28, 2008, from http://www.emergency. ihs. gov/ Indian Health Service. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Federal Health Program for American Indian and Alaska Natives. Retrieved January 28, 2008, from http://www. ihs. gov/ National Library of Medicine. (1998). Indian Health Service Today. Retrieved January 28, 2008, from http://www. nlm. nih. gov/exhibition/if_you_knew/if_you_knew_09. html USA. gov. (2006). Indian Health Service Fact Sheet. Retrieved January 28, 2008, from http://www. ihs. gov/PublicInfo/PublicAffairs/Welcome_Info/ThisFacts. asp.