§1603 Definitions

Summary

Defines the key words used in the chapter so people know what they mean when the rules are applied. Area office — the IHS office that manages services and funds for service units in a specific region; Behavioral health — combined prevention and treatment for substance use and mental health, including joint planning and case management; California Indian — an Indian eligible for services under section 1679; Community college — a tribal college or a junior/community college; Contract health service — care paid for or referred by an Indian health program but given by non-IHS providers; Department — the Department of Health and Human Services; Disease prevention — activities to reduce or avoid disease and its complications, such as diabetes control, immunizations, and water fluoridation; FAE — fetal alcohol effect; FAS — fetal alcohol syndrome with brain problems, specific facial features, and growth delay linked to maternal alcohol use; Health profession — fields like medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, psychology, social work, public health, and similar health jobs; Health promotion — activities to improve health through education, safe water and sanitation, healthy environments, culturally appropriate care, and many programs (for example nutrition, immunizations, injury prevention, substance abuse and tobacco prevention, prenatal care, behavioral health, and more); Indian health program — health programs run by IHS, tribal health programs, or tribes that get IHS funding under section 47; Indians or Indian — a person who is a member of an Indian tribe, with special rules in some sections that also include certain descendants, Alaska Natives, people the Secretary of the Interior recognizes as Indian, or those defined by Secretary rules; Indian tribe — a tribe, band, nation, village, or similar group recognized as eligible for federal Indian programs, including Alaska Native groups and corporations under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act; Junior or community college — as defined in section 1058(e) of title 20; Reservation — a reservation, Pueblo, or colony of a tribe, and this includes former Oklahoma reservations, Indian allotments, and Alaska Native Regions under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act; Secretary — the Secretary of Health and Human Services; Service — the Indian Health Service; Service area — the geographic area served by an area office; Service unit — an IHS or tribal administrative entity that provides services in a defined area; Substance abuse — includes inhalant abuse; Telehealth — as defined in 42 U.S.C. 254c–16(a); Telemedicine — electronic links using approved equipment so health professionals and patients at different sites can exchange health information; Tribal college or university — as defined in section 1059c(b) of title 20; Tribal health program — a tribe or tribal organization that runs health services funded, in whole or in part, by the Service under contracts or compacts through the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act; Tribal organization — as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act; Urban center — a community with enough urban Indians with unmet health needs to get assistance; Urban Indian — a person who lives in an urban center and meets one of the four criteria in subsection (c)(1)–(4); Urban Indian organization — a nonprofit in an urban center run by urban Indians that works with others to provide the services described in section 1653(a).