Ketchikan Indian

Ketchikan Indian Community (KIC) is a federally recognized Indian Tribe, incorporated in 1940 under Section 16 of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, as amended for Alaska in 1936. KIC serves a membership of over 5,700 Alaska Native and American Indians through the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Indian Health Service (IHS) programs. Eight-member Tribal Council, elected by the KIC membership, serves as the governing body and sets policy for programs and administration. KIC currently represents the largest Tribal membership in Southeast Alaska. In October 1997 KIC negotiated with the Indian Health Service, under a PL 93-638 Title I Compact of Self-governance, to provide health care services in Ketchikan, Alaska excluding residents of the Organized Village of Saxman. The following year KIC negotiated a Title III Compact to include Saxman residents. Currently the Tribal Health Clinic operates the Tribal Health Clinic under a Title V compact. The Tribal Health Clinic has a nine-member advisory health board, which recommends policy, long-term goals, and program expansion to the governing body. This Board has been in operation since October 1997 and meets on a monthly basis. Membership includes both Ketchikan and Saxman IRA Council representatives, three KIC At-Large members, one Saxman At-Large member, and two medical professionals. Since assuming the health care services the Tribal Health Clinic has seen many positive changes, including growth in number of patient visits, construction of a new health care facility (April 2000), increased funding through grant resources and expanded services, such as diabetes, fetal alcohol diagnostic services, and lab services. The Tribal Health Clinic received a three-year accreditation from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) in November 2002 and again in January 2006.