During the last week of August, U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. was in the Phoenix area visiting family and wanted to learn more about healthcare delivery here.

The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community learned on August 29 that Kennedy would like to pay a visit on tribal land. He arrived the next day, on August 30, at the River People Health Center (RPHC).

SRPMIC President Martin Harvier was part of the delegation that greeted Kennedy.

“It is always important for cabinet-level officials to visit Indian Country to learn how tribes are addressing difficult challenges such as healthcare. As I have said in previous Congressional testimony, the SRPMIC, as a self-governance tribe, has prioritized healthcare and is doing so in a way that best fits the Community need,” said Harvier.

“This is evident with the construction of the River People Health Center and taking control of many health programs of the federal Indian Health Service. As such, Secretary Kennedy was able to see the success of the SRPMIC health system and how self-governance policy, along with the appropriate resources, can work to meet the needs of the Community.”

This is the first time in Harvier’s memory that a secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has visited the SRPMIC. Trump’s first Interior secretary, Ryan Zinke, visited the Community and toured the Ske:g Himdag Ki, then called the Way of Life Facility.

Harvier said the Community is proud to showcase what has been done in such a short period of time to develop a comprehensive healthcare system.

He also felt it was important to relay to Kennedy that the RPHC serves not only the members of the SRPMIC, but members of any federally recognized tribe who seek services in the clinic.

“It was a plan that took years to put into place to help alleviate the overcrowded Phoenix Indian Medical Center,” said Harvier, who feels it is always critical for federal leaders, who can impact Indian health policy, to visit tribal communities to see what is being done each day and the amount of investment that is needed to make positive change.

“I am proud of the leadership of the Community Council and the work of the River People Health Center team to set ambitious goals to improve the overall health of the Community,” said Harvier. “Not only does the federal government play an important role in this effort, but the SRPMIC is also investing resources to build a comprehensive health effort. It is important to have a healthy community. I think this was recognized in the Secretary’s statement following his visit.

SRPMIC HHS Director Joe Remitera said that instead of talking policy, Kennedy came to the SRPMIC to learn more about the Community and how the health program is making a difference.

While touring the RPHC, he was provided with information about the Community’s “5 in 5” program, which is designed to raise the average age of mortality by five years within a five-year timeframe. Remitera said that Kennedy called the program “inspiring” on three different occasions.

“The Community left a strong and lasting impression [on Kennedy], [who wrote] positive posts on X, Instagram and LinkedIn. In those he praised SRPMIC’s healthcare program as a model for other tribes and effective use of tribal self-governance,” Remitera said.

Kennedy said on his official X account that the River People Health Center “is a national model for tribal sovereignty.”

On the post, Kennedy also talked about the health of Community members.

“Reliance on ultra-processed foods has given the Arizona Pima the world’s highest diabetes rates (60%) and shortest lifespans. Once among the longest-lived people in North America, the average Pima lifespan is just 52 years compared to 85 years among their Phoenix neighbors.”

Kennedy continued, “By contrast, Mexican Pimas—who still rely on traditional foods—have a diabetes rate of only 7%. The clinic has declared war on diabetes and substance abuse. Last year, they saved many of the lives of 112 overdose victims by putting Narcan in every home in the Community and in vending machines.”

Council member Michael Dallas will work with Kennedy and his broader staff again September 22-23 at the Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee (STAC) meeting. Kennedy uses this meeting to get direct input from tribal leaders to learn and to align and support his priorities to raise the level of health and wellness for tribal members across the United States, according to Remitera.

Dallas traveled to Washington for President Donald Trump’s inauguration earlier this year. “It’s very important as a tribal leader to be at the table to address some of [the Community’s] issues and concerns,” said Dallas in February. At the time, Dallas said that a former SRPMIC president once told him, “If you’re not at the table, then you’re on the menu.”

Dallas posed for a photo with Secretary Kennedy in February, which was posted by the Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs. In the photo, Kennedy can be seen holding a hat that says “SRPMIC ‘5 in 5.’”