Tucson: Arizona Lawmakers Demand IHS Halt Closure of Tribal Health Office Serving 28,000 Patients

Arizona Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly, along with Rep. Adelita Grijalva, sent a letter Tuesday to the Indian Health Service demanding an immediate halt to plans that would eliminate the agency's Tucson Area Office and merge its operations into Phoenix.

The lawmakers warned the consolidation would disrupt healthcare for nearly 28,000 Native American patients in Southern Arizona.

The only IHS office slated for closure

The IHS Realignment plan calls for merging the Tucson Area Office with the Phoenix Area Office. According to the lawmakers' letter, Tucson is the only IHS area office targeted for elimination under the broader restructuring. The agency's other 10 area offices would remain open.

"It remains unclear how the Tucson Area Office, the only office that would be consolidated through this initiative, was selected for consolidation and whether the repercussions of this decision have fully considered," the lawmakers wrote.

The Tucson Area Office serves as the primary healthcare coordinator for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and the Tohono O'odham Nation. Under the proposed plan, patients and staff could face travel times of up to two hours to reach the nearest IHS office in Phoenix.

Tribes and lawmakers demand consultation

The congressional delegation asked IHS to respond in writing by June 15 to four questions. Those questions cover the criteria used to select Tucson for closure, the extent of tribal consultation conducted, and plans to prevent disruptions in healthcare services.

"We ask that you immediately suspend implementation of the merger until you have clarified any impact this consolidation will have on the tribal nations in Southern Arizona and have completed meaningful, formal tribal consultation," Gallego, Kelly, and Grijalva wrote in the letter addressed to IHS Chief of Staff Clayton Fulton.

The lawmakers also pressed the agency to explain how it plans to uphold its trust obligations to Southern Arizona tribes and support tribal self-governance.

Tribal leaders sound the alarm

Carla Johnson of the Tohono O'odham Nation issued a statement opposing the closure.

"Eliminating the Tucson Area Office will result in five million (losing healthcare) service for Tohono O'odham and Pascua Yaqui. The proposed closure of the Tucson Area Office will not achieve the goals of IHS realignment. It will not improve or streamline healthcare services and will not support Tribal self-governance," Johnson said.

The Tohono O'odham Nation previously raised objections in a February 2026 tribal consultation response. The lawmakers' letter echoed those earlier concerns.

Specialized services at risk

According to the lawmakers, the Tucson office supports specialized programs including dedicated diabetes care services. They warned those programs could be jeopardized by the merger.

The IHS has not publicly responded to the letter or to requests for comment from KTAR News, according to reporting on the story.

The dispute highlights growing tensions between federal health agencies and tribal nations over major program changes advanced without sufficient consultation. Federal law requires the government to consult with Native nations on policies that affect their health and welfare.