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)

Announcing the 2nd PHICCS Report

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB), in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is excited to announce the release of the 2nd Public Health in Indian Country Capacity Scan (PHICCS II). This national scan evaluates the capacity of Tribal public health systems and organizations to deliver essential public health services. Building on the foundational 2019 PHICCS report, PHICCS II provides a comprehensive overview of how Tribal public health is governed, as well as the services and activities shaping the health and well-being of Tribal communities. Key highlights include insights on workforce development, immunization, and prevention/education, along with newly integrated findings on COVID-19 screening, education, and preparedness.

A Collaborative Effort

The PHICCS II report represents years of partnership with Tribes, Area Indian Health Boards, Tribal Epidemiology Centers, and subject matter experts. NIHB is deeply grateful for this collaboration, which has made this resource possible. The findings not only guide NIHB’s programming but also offer critical insights to organizations and agencies working to support Tribal public health.

Empowering Tribal Public Health

PHICCS II is designed as a valuable tool to:

• Enhance Tribal access to and use of their own data to strengthen public health systems.
• Identify key priorities and areas of success.
• Inform strategies for improving health outcomes in Tribal communities.

By continuing to refine and expand PHICCS, NIHB aims to establish it as a premier source of data for supporting Tribal health needs and fostering meaningful partnerships.

Learn More

Additional resources for using PHICCS data will be available in early 2025.

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 Jessica Dean at jdean@nihb.org.

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 Jessica Dean, jdean@nihb.org.

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