[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 358 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 358
Expressing the sense of the Senate that the Secretary of Health and
Human Services, acting through the Director of Indian Health Service,
should maintain the current operating hours of the Wagner Service Unit
until the Secretary submits to Congress a new report that accurately
describes the current conditions at the Wagner Service Unit.
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IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 30, 2006
Mr. Johnson (for himself and Mr. Thune) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Indian
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RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Senate that the Secretary of Health and
Human Services, acting through the Director of Indian Health Service,
should maintain the current operating hours of the Wagner Service Unit
until the Secretary submits to Congress a new report that accurately
describes the current conditions at the Wagner Service Unit.
Whereas the Senate reaffirms the policy that, as provided in section 3(a) of the
Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1602(a)), ``it is the
policy of this Nation, in fulfillment of its special responsibilities
and legal obligation to the American Indian people, to assure the
highest possible health status for Indians and urban Indians and to
provide all resources necessary to effect that policy.'';
Whereas the Senate reaffirms the finding that, as provided in section 2(a) of
the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1601(a)), ``Federal
health services to maintain and improve the health of the Indians are
consonant with and required by the Federal Government's historical and
unique legal relationship with, and resulting responsibility to, the
American Indian people.'';
Whereas the Senate reaffirms the finding that, as provided in section 2(c) of
the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1601(c)), ``Federal
health services to Indians have resulted in a reduction in the
prevalence and incidence of preventable illnesses among, and unnecessary
and premature deaths of, Indians.'';
Whereas the Senate reaffirms the finding that, as provided in section 2(d) of
the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1601(d)), ``Despite
such services, the unmet health needs of the American Indian people are
severe and the health status of the Indians is far below that of the
general population of the United States.'';
Whereas the Senate reaffirms the policy, as provided in section 301(b)(1) of the
Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1631(b)(1)), that--
``(1) Notwithstanding any provision of law other than this subsection,
no Service hospital or outpatient health care facility of the Service, or
any portion of such a hospital or facility, may be closed if the Secretary
has not submitted to the Congress at least 1 year prior to the date such
hospital or facility (or portion thereof) is proposed to be closed an
evaluation of the impact of such proposed closure which specifies, in
addition to other considerations--
``(A) the accessibility of alternative health care resources
for the population served by such hospital or facility;
``(B) the cost effectiveness of such closure;
``(C) the quality of health care to be provided to the
population served by such hospital or facility after such
closure;
``(D) the availability of contract health care funds to
maintain existing levels of service;
``(E) the views of the Indian tribes served by such hospital
or facility concerning such closure;
``(F) the level of utilization of such hospital or facility
by all eligible Indians; and
``(G) the distance between such hospital or facility and the
nearest operating Service hospital.'';
Whereas the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director
of Indian Health Service, has proposed that the operating hours of the
Wagner Service Unit, which serves the Yankton Sioux Tribe and others,
should be reduced from 24 hours per day to the hours between 7:00 a.m.
and 11:00 p.m.;
Whereas the 1997 proposed closure report, submitted by the Secretary pursuant to
section 301(b)(1) of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C.
1631(b)(1)), is currently out of date and no longer accurately
represents the impact of such closure upon eligible Indians at the
Wagner Service Unit; and
Whereas, during the previous year, the Santee Sioux Tribe of Nebraska requested
health care services formerly provided by the Indian Health Service
under the Indian Self-Determination Act (25 U.S.C. 450 et seq.) from
another provider, thereby removing ``shares'' from the Wagner Service
Unit and creating a budgetary crisis that forced the facility to
announce reductions in the operating hours of the emergency room: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) pursuant to section 301(b)(1) of the Indian Health Care
Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1631(b)(1)), the Secretary of Health
and Human Services, acting through the Director of Indian
Health Services, should submit to Congress a new report that
evaluates the impact of reduction in emergency room services at
the Wagner Service Unit of Indian Health Service; and
(2) the Secretary should maintain the current operating
hours of the Wagner Service Unit until the Secretary submits to
Congress a report described in paragraph (1).
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