Navajo Nation Public Health Nursing Contract and Native Staffing

The Navajo Nation’s new three-year public health nursing agreement puts clinicians back in rural communities, and we hope the next award will put certified Navajo-owned firms in that same role.

What the Navajo Nation Signed in August 2026

On August 17, 2026, President Buu Nygren authorized a 36-month services agreement with ColoVAX, LLC to staff the Navajo Department of Health’s Public Health Nursing Program, reported by the Office of the President and Vice President. Sherylene M. Yazzie, Executive Director of the Navajo Department of Health, called the contract “the driving catalyst to get the Public Health Nursing Program off the ground with the much-needed support that should have been there.” A retirement left the program short, and contracted nurses now carry the caseload while the Nation recruits permanent staff.

Public health nurses reach elders at home, run immunization clinics, and follow chronic disease cases across long distances. Every month a position sits open, Our Relatives absorb the cost, so we are happy things are progressing.

Recommendation: The Next Round Should Reach Navajo-Owned Staffing Firms

Navajo law already points the way. The Navajo Nation Procurement Act requires invitations for bids to reference the preference for Navajo and Indian-owned businesses under the Navajo Business Opportunity Act, 5 N.N.C. Section 201 et seq., and priority certification gives certified businesses preference on bids and proposals.

We are glad this capacity is being addressed, and we hope the next round draws from Navajo-owned staffing firms already working inside these facilities. Ellsworth places clinicians at IHS and Tribal 638 sites in Chinle and Shiprock, so we know the credentialing, housing, and travel realities that decide a placement.

Native-owned small businesses hire locally and return revenue to the communities they serve. Tribal health leaders planning the next solicitation should call Ellsworth before the scope is written!