Meeting the needs of our unique population requires an equally diverse health care delivery system. With direct service health centers operated by a combination of tribal facilities, urban Indian organization, and the I.H.S, we provide and coordinate care to over forty tribes in the Pacific Northwest. Our goal is to assure comprehensive, culturally acceptable personal and public health services are available and accessible to American Indian and Alaska Native people. Each year, specific, measurable clinical objectives are used to assess and improve the quality of care at our facilities. Major health problems include hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and otitis media.
Accidental injuries account for mortality and morbidity several times the national average.
Substance abuse issues are a major concern. With a health care team approach, the PAO endeavors to utilize Indian communities and families as a primary resource to effect ongoing improvement in health status for Native American and Alaska Natives. It represents neither the membership size of a tribe, nor the number of registered patients of any particular facility.