
National Council of Urban Indian Health
1 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Suite 800-D
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202.544.0344
Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs), were created in 1972 following the Termination Era by Congress to fulfill the federal government’s healthcare-related trust responsibility for Indians who live off the reservations, and they are managed by an Executive Director and a Board of Directors. UIOs are represented by the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH), which is the only national 501(c)(3), membership-based organization devoted to the development of quality, accessible, and culturally sensitive health care programs for AI/AN living in urban communities.
Direct Clients: NCUIHs direct clients are all of the Urban Indian Health Programs constituting its Membership. Members provide an array of medical services to the urban Indian and metropolitan communities (in some cases, even to the larger community) in which they are located.
Some Urban Indian Health Programs are full primary medical providers (including behavioral and mental health as well as traditional American Indian healing) while others serve as referral centers. All of them, however, provide essential outreach and therefore a culturally relevant lifeline to their local urban Indian community. The 41 Urban Indian Health Programs are located in areas of the country to which the urban Indian population has migrated. These locations are:
It is important to mention that NCUIH and its membership provide services to all urban Indian people regardless of tribal origin. Through its work, NCUIH represents the health needs of all the 5.2 million American Indian/ Alaska Natives who live in urban settings. Native American tribes share some culture and traditions, their cultural and legal differences are what is most generally acknowledge and accepted. UIOs serve AI/AN patients regardless of their tribal affiliation and promote cultural activities, which are based on shared experiences, traditions and cultural values.