By
Osage News
The Pawhuska IHS Clinic has a new name: WahZhaZhi Health Center.
Osage officials and the Osage Nation Health Authority Board recently selected the name. The IHS compact, which was signed on July 16 by Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear, is allowing for increased staff and services.
The Nation will take control of the clinic on Oct.1 and also host a ribbon cutting of the new facility that morning. More details will follow as they are announced.
“We selected the name because it is easy to remember and [Osage people] know it,” said Dr. Pat Tinker, ONHAB Vice Chairman in a prepared release.
In 1992 approximately 14 tribes participated in self-governance of their IHS clinics. In 2015 approximately 350 tribes participated, which is 62 percent of tribes in the United States.
In 2014, outpatient visits for Pawhuska Clinic numbered 28,814 and Primary Care visits were 9,750. The Pawnee Service Unit, including Pawhuska and all other facilities, had a total active user/patient population of 16,656 in 2013. Osage active patients numbered 2,450 in the 2013 IHS User Population Report, and comprise the largest resident Tribe within the IHS Pawnee Service Unit.
The 2015 fiscal year budget reported by IHS was approximately $3.2 million, this includes only the federal IHS appropriation and does not include third party resources such as Medicare and Medicaid, she said.
The 2016 fiscal year budget for the WahZhaZhi Health Center, according to the Chief’s Office is:
Federal Funding: $4,468,876
Contract support with program revenue: $1,723,579
Other Revenue, equipment: $153,272
Tribal Money: $0
Total WahZhaZhi Health Center Budget: $6,345,727
Original Publish Date: 2015-08-24 00:00:00
