Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act

This bill helps Tribal communities prevent diseases that spread between animals and people. It lets the Indian Health Service fund on-the-ground veterinary public health work—like spay/neuter clinics, vaccinations, and disease tracking—to cut the risk of rabies and other infections in people and animals . Federal veterinary public health officers can be sent to Tribal areas, and efforts can be coordinated with the CDC and the Department of Agriculture. The bill also adds the Indian Health Service to the national “One Health” planning framework so people, animals, and the environment are considered together in public health work.

The Department of Agriculture must study how to deliver oral rabies vaccines to wildlife in Arctic regions that can spread rabies to Tribal members, and share ways to make delivery work better. This study must be done within one year of the bill becoming law. The Indian Health Service must also give Congress a report every two years on how funds are used, where officers are deployed, and what the data show about disease risks and services provided .

• Who is affected: Tribal communities and people living in Indian Health Service areas, especially in Arctic regions where rabies is a risk.
• What changes: Funding and staff support for veterinary public health services; better coordination across federal health and agriculture agencies; inclusion of the Indian Health Service in national “One Health” planning; and a study to improve rabies vaccine delivery to wildlife .
• When: The rabies vaccine delivery study must be completed within one year after the bill becomes law, and federal progress reports are due every two years .