May was a big month for Yvette Roubideaux. She was confirmed as director of the Indian Health Service and she announced $500 million in stimulus funds for Indian Country.

But the 46-year-old member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota has another milestone ahead. She's still working out of her office at the University of Arizona College of Medicine so she's planning a move to the Washington, D.C., area soon.

Beyond the move, Roubideaux said her biggest priority is money. “My major concern was the fact that it’s pretty clear that IHS is underresourced—it’s underfunded,” she told Modern Healthcare.

President Barack Obama has proposed about $3.58 billion for the IHS, an increase from current levels. . “I’m really grateful to the president for his recent budget proposal,” Roubideaux said. “It’s really clear that in order for us to improve, we’re going to need a significant increase in resources.”

Roubideaux is the first Native woman to lead the IHS.

Get the Story:
Land of opportunity (Modern Healthcare 6/1)
She seeks to improve health care for Indians (The Arizona Daily Star 5/30)
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