The Phoenix IHS area covers the Cocopah reservation, but it also covers most of Arizona, Utah and Nevada. IHS got the vaccine first, and he said he doesn't regret the choice to go with the IHS facility - Fort Yuma Health Care Center - which provides health care to the Cocopah and Quechan Indian tribes. When in doubt, Fila prepared for both possibilities. 'We weren't sure who was going to get the vaccine to the tribe first,' said Mike Fila, the emergency preparedness manager for the Cocopah Indian Tribe. Some tribes have decided to get the vaccines through IHS, others are using state-supplied vaccines provided through their local counties. Most Arizonans are getting their vaccines through their counties, but federally-recognized tribes also have access to vaccines through Indian Health Services - the federal agency responsible for the health care of tribal members. Officials familiar with the COVID-19 vaccine rollout for the Cocopah Indian Tribe in Yuma County say it has gone smoothly and a local health facility has been able use all of the vaccine doses allotted to them, but there are questions if the general public will want to be vaccinated.
