An Interview with AAIP President Dr. Jim Thompson

TC: Has AAIP already played a role in helping to shape Indian health policy at the national level?

JT: Yes. We keep constant contact with the Indian Health Service, the Office of Minority Health, the National Institutes of Health and the Health Services Resource Administration, to educate the policy makers on health matters important in Indian Country. We are always ready to testify in Congress before committees on appropriations for Indian health care. It's not as much as we would like to do – again, it's a resource issue. But we feel we've been able to influence some things positively through educating policy makers. It's a real growth area for us.

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