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Newly confirmed Indian Health Services Director, Charles Grim, a Cherokee Nation citizen.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Charles W. Grim, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, has been unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be the new director of the Indian Health Service.

As the IHS director, Dr. Grim will administer a nationwide multi-billion dollar health care delivery program composed of 12 administrative Are (regional) Offices, which oversee local hospitals and clinics, and a workforce of more than 15,000 employees. The IHS is responsible for providing preventive, curative, and Alaskan Natives through a nationwide network of 49 hospitals, 269 health centers, 176 Alaska village clinics, and 133 health stations.

"The unanimous confirmation of President Bush's nomination of Charles Grim, D.D.S., as the Director of the Indian Health Service is a vote of confidence that the health issues of American Indians and Alaska Natives will receive the attention they deserve", said Tommy Thompson, United States Secretary of Health and Human Services. "Dr. Grim's emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention, and his support of treatment programs, reflects a vision that will ensure a healthier future for generations to come."

"Because of Dr. Grim we have seen a remarkable advancement in attention and interest in Indian issues at the departmental level by a closer working relationship with Secretary Thompson and Deputy Secretary Claude Allen", said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. "Those close relationships mean that Indian health will be at the table when decisions are made."

Smith pointed to Allen’s recent visit to Oklahoma’s Indian tribes as a measure of Grim’s influence in Washington.

Dr. Grim graduated from the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry in 1983 and began his career with the IHS in 1983 at the Indian health center in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. Prior to serving as the Interim IHS Director, Dr. Grim served as the Oklahoma City Area Director, managing a comprehensive program that provides health services to the largest IHS user population, more than 280,000 American Indians compromising 37 tribes.

"As a member of the Cherokee Nation, I have seen first hand the opportunities that exist to expand the quality of services and strengthen partnerships to improve Indian Health", said Charles Grim, D.D.S., Director of the Indian Health Service. "Through my career with the Indian Health Service I have also seen these same opportunities in the states where I have served and how seizing the opportunities can have a positive impact on the health status of families and communities."

"Having been confirmed as the seventh director of the IHS I look forward to taking every opportunity at the national level to work with Congress and Administration, Secretary Thompson, tribal and urban Indian leaders, and the dedicated workforce of IHS employees to make a difference in the lives of Indian people", Grim said.

The IHS is the principal federal health care provider and health advocate for American Indian and Alaskan Native people.

Related contact information:

Mike Miller, Cherokee Nation Director of Communications Phone: 918-456-0671 (ext.2210) Fax: 918-458-5580 E-mail: Communications@cherokee.org Larry Daugherty, Advertising Manager Cherokee Nation - Public Affairs Phone 918-456-0671 (Ex.2324) E-mail: ldaugherty@cherokee.org

Steven Swogger, Agriculture Liaison Natural Resources Department Phone: 918-456-0671 (ext.2546) FAX: 918-458-7673 E-mail: sswogger@cherokee.org Bradley D. Peak, Cherokee Nation Natural Resources Specialist Phone: 918-456-0671 (ex.2843) E-mail: bpeak@cherokee.org