HHS Reallocates Public Health Service Officers to Indian Health Service Centers
Published October 20, 2025
By AACOM Government Relations
Advocacy Federal Policy Healthcare Workforce OME Advocate Rural Medicine
- On September 22, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that more than 70 Public Health Service Officers from the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps would be transferred from their current posts to serve 120-day assignments at Indian Health Service (IHS) centers.
- HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. cited workforce shortages and healthcare delivery gaps in tribal communities as reasons for the mobilization of officers, and IHS clinics are welcoming the assistance.