The Indian Health Service budget only meets about half the need, a program management officer from Montana said.

The inadequate budget forces the agency to reduce services. At the Crow Service Unit, on the Crow Reservation, contract health service has been cut, limiting who can receive care outside of the IHS network.

"The Indian Health Service is currently funded at a little over half the need," Charlene Johnson told The Billings Gazette.

Contract health service funds run out about 4.8 months into the fiscal year, an outside provider from South Dakota said.

Get the Story:
Crow Agency hospital feels budget pinch (The Billings Gazette 7/22)

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