About OEHE

Scope

The OEHE is composed of five divisions that provide support for IHS Headquarters, each of the 12 IHS Areas, all IHS service units and many tribal programs in the following areas:

• Health care facilities planning and construction (Division of Facilities Planning and Construction);
• Health care facilities engineering, project management, and construction contracting (Division of Engineering Services—Dallas/Seattle);
• Health care facilities operations, maintenance, clinical engineering and real property, management (Division of Facilities Operations);
• Sanitation facilities construction and environmental engineering (Division of Sanitation Facilities Construction); and
• Environmental health services including injury prevention (Division of Environmental Health Services).

Specific responsibilities of each Division are outlined below:

Facilities Planning and Construction

• Manages the planning, design, and construction of new health care delivery space and major modernization and renovation of existing space;
• Manages implementation and maintenance of the new IHS Health Systems Planning Project;
• Develops and maintains new health care facilities construction priority lists for use by IHS and the Congress;
• Manages the planning, design, and construction of personnel quarters where needed to ensure that adequate housing is available for IHS staff;
• Provides guidance to tribal organizations seeking to construct facilities that will house health care delivery services for American Indians and Alaska Natives;
• Allocates funds appropriated for construction of health care facilities;
• Provides engineering assistance in development of health care facilities master plans;
• Manages renovation and modernization of existing facilities to meet needs of changing health care delivery program;
• Advocates for tribes during the development of policies, regulations, and programs.

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Facilities Operations

• Develops and maintains an inventory of maintenance and space deficiencies in IHS and Indian and Alaska Native health care facilities;
• Maintains data for allocation of funds appropriated for health care facilities management;
• Manages maintenance of existing facilities in a safe, usable condition;
• Maintains IHS Federal facilities energy usage data;
• Coordinates IHS Clinical Engineering Program.
• Maintains an inventory of IHS real property;
• Manages IHS real property; and
• Advocates for tribes during the development of policies, regulations, and programs.

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Sanitation Facilities Construction

• Develops and maintains an inventory of sanitation deficiencies in Indian an Alaska native communities for use by the IHS and the Congress;
• Provides environmental engineering assistance with utility master plans and sanitary surveys;
• Plans and coordinates multi-agency funded sanitation projects and assists with grant applications to leverage IHS funds;
• Allocates funds appropriated for water supply and waste disposal facilities;
• Provides professional engineering design and/or construction services for water supply and waste disposal facilities;
• Provides technical consultation and training to improve the operation and maintenance of tribally owned water supply and waste disposal systems;
• Advocates for tribes during the development of policies, regulations, and programs; and
• Assists tribes during sanitation facilities emergencies.

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Engineering Services

• Provides technical consultation to tribes and Area Offices regarding planning, design and construction of health care facilities;
• Provides professional architectural and engineering services for health care facilities design and construction; and
• Administers and manages design of health care facilities construction projects;
• Administers and manages construction projects to build, renovate, and/or modernize health care facilities and personnel quarters;
• Advocates for tribes during the development of policies, regulations, and programs.

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Environmental Health Services

• Provides program support and guidance to Area and Tribal Environmental Health Services programs;
• Provides program support and guidance to Area Institutional Environmental Health programs and supports the Institutional Environmental Health Postgraduate program;
• Provides program support and guidance to Area Injury Prevention programs and manages the national tribal injury prevention competitive awards program;
• Coordinates inter and intra-agency agreements among various federal and non-federal agencies;
• Allocates funds appropriated for environmental health services activities;
• Coordinates career development opportunities for IHS and Tribal environmental health services staff;
• Advocates for tribes during the development of policies, regulations, and programs; and
• Assists tribes in responding to emergency situations.