The Great Plains Area Office in Aberdeen, South Dakota, works in conjunction with its 19 Indian Health Service Units and Tribal managed Service Units to provide health care to approximately 130,000 Native Americans located in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa. The Area Office's service units include seven hospitals, eight health centers, and several smaller health stations and satellite clinics.

Each facility incorporates a comprehensive health care delivery system. The hospitals, health centers, and satellite clinics provide inpatient and outpatient care and conduct preventive and curative clinics. The Great Plains Area also operates an active research effort through its Area Epidemiology Program. Research projects deal with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and the application of health risk appraisals in all communities.

Tribal involvement is a major objective of the program, and several tribes have assumed management for their own health care programs through contractual arrangements with the Indian Health Service.

Peter W. Eaton, DO, FAAFP
Captain, Medical Corps, USN (ret.)
Deputy Chief Medical Officer
605 226 7768