The Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for providing federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The provision of health services to members of federally-recognized Tribes grew out of the special government-to-government relationship between the United States and Indian Tribes. The IHS is the principal federal health care provider and advocate for Indian people, and its goal is to raise their health status to the highest possible level.