In internal emails, Indian Health Services (IHS) officials identified several so-called “buzzwords,” such as “immunizations” and “vaccines,” that require additional approval from IHS public information officers before use in social media posts, pamphlets, and patient presentations.
Throughout October 2025, IHS also made significantly fewer Facebook posts promoting vaccine clinics than in October 2024. The messaging in those posts shifted from emphasizing the benefits of immunization to framing vaccines as a “personal choice” and advising patients to consult providers about their “options regarding vaccines.”
Current and former IHS clinicians believe these changes threaten vaccine uptake in Native American communities. One physician stated the restrictions were a factor in her decision to leave the agency, saying, “I can’t keep people safe… I don’t have any of the words anymore to say anything I need to say.”
A Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) spokesperson said the redrafting of public messaging was designed to encourage “shared decision-making” between patients and providers, insisting the IHS “continues to provide accurate, evidence-based information.” The shift aligns with broader policy changes that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a known vaccine critic, has taken, such as launching a probe into scientifically debunked links between vaccines and autism and canceling contracts for mRNA vaccines.