Public Health Indian Country Capacity Scan (PHICCS) Project

What is PHICCS?

The Public Health in Indian Country Capacity Scan (PHICCS) is a national scan, to be conducted every three years by the National Indian Health Board. The purpose of PHICCS is to assess the capacity of Tribal health and Tribal public health organizations for delivering public health services. This important effort helps Tribes, Tribal organizations, partners and policy makers better understand Tribal public health infrastructure and plan for future improvements.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

PHICCS II

PHICCS is not possible without the input and collaboration of NIHB’s member organizations and Tribal partners. NIHB is thankful to Tribal Health/Public Health Directors and Tribal Administrators for completing the PHICCS II survey. The Phase 3 of PHICCS II has begun and is now initiating data analysis and development of a report.

NIHB is following 13 recommendations for PHICCS II. These recommendations are built from reflection, external process evaluation, and feedback from our Member Organizations and Tribal partners. Read more about the 13 Recommendations for PHICCS II.

Phase 1 - Planning and Instrument Development - March 2021- Spring 2022 (1 year)

Phase 2 - Data Collection - Fall 2022 - PHICCS II

Phase 3 - Data Analysis and Report Production - Winter 2023 - Spring 2023 (6 months)

Phase 4 - Distribution and Utility - Summer 2023

If you have any follow-up questions of your survey submission, please contact Danelle Springer at [email protected] or by phone at (202) 507-4088.

PHICCS Background

Tribal nations have a vested interest and sovereign right to provide valuable public health services to the communities they serve. Although the definition of public health in Indian Country includes a diverse set of activities and services that vary by Tribe and region, public health is ultimately the work that is done to improve and maintain the overall health and well-being within Tribal communities as a whole. It is important to understand the capacity or the range of public health activities, workforce characteristics, governance structures and systems improvement activities across the nation. This knowledge informs the allocation of resources, policy development and advocacy needs to ultimately improve population health among American Indians and Alaska Natives.

The first capacity assessment was conducted in 2009 and resulted in the 2010 Tribal Public Health Profile: Exploring Public Health Capacity in Indian Country. See the 2010 Report here. The second iteration, called the Public Health in Indian Country Capacity Scan (PHICCS I), was conducted from November 2018 - August 2019 and resulted in the 2019 PHICCS report, described below.

2019 Public Health in Indian Country Capacity Scan Report

See the full 2019 PHICCS report

Please note that any versions downloaded or received by hard copy prior to November 17, 2020 may contain errors. For questions, please contact Jill Jim, [email protected].

This project is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department Health and Human Services [HHS] as part of a financial assistance award totaling $1,425,000 with 100% percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS) or the U.S. Government.

Updated March 2023