Federal Official Pledges Improved Care at Tribal Hospitals

A federal official acknowledged Tuesday that the level of care is "unacceptable" at some government-run hospitals serving Native American patients and assured tribal leaders her agency would work to enact swift and long-lasting reforms.

Mary Smith, principal deputy director of the Indian Health Service, spoke with Great Plains tribal leaders in Sioux Falls during the first in a series of meetings to discuss the hospitals' quality of care, including recent findings of woefully inadequate service at some of the facilities.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/federal-official-pledges-improved-care-tribal-hospitals-38176366