MISSION & HISTORY
What We Do
Urban Inter-Tribal Center of Texas Mission Statement
To Enhance the Health and Socio-Economic Status of American Indians Living in the DFW Metroplex
Who We Are
The Urban Inter-Tribal Center of Texas is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a successful 46-year history of providing culturally-sensitive, community-based services to meet the diverse needs of over 76,000 American Indians/Alaska Natives living in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.
UITCT offers the following services: Primary Care Clinic, Dental Clinic, Pharmacy, Behavioral Health Counseling, Employment and Training Program. With a governing board of 9 and a full-time staff of 39, the majority of UITCT’s funding is for the Primary Care Clinic, which is part of the Urban Indian Health Program. Funding sources include Indian Health Service contracts and grants, State of Texas Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Services Program, U.S. Department of Labor grant, Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs grant, and Federal grants.
The Urban Inter-Tribal Center of Texas serves American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) who are members of federally-recognized tribes. The state of Texas is home to 267,204 AI/AN’s, comprising 1% of the state’s population, 76,392 of them residing within UITCT’s 11-county service area.
How We Started
1956 – 1970
The organization opened it’s doors in 1971 to meet the needs of the North Texas Native American Community. At that time, many tribal members were living in the Dallas/Fort Worth area primarily due to the Indian Relocation Act of 1956 (also known as Public Law 959 or the Adult Vocational Training Program). The Relocation Act was a United States law intended to encourage Native Americans in the United States to leave Indian reservations, acquire vocational skills, and assimilate into the general population. As a result of the enforcement of the Relocation Act, more than 20,000 Native Americans representing 90 different tribes were moved from reservations across the country to the Dallas-Fort Worth area by 1970.
1971
A grass-roots movement formed, including the Dallas Indian United Methodist Church and Singleton Baptist Church, to establish a center that would provide health care for the marginalized Native Americans. Approximately twenty volunteers staffed the center, then known as the Dallas Inter-Tribal Center or “D.I.C”, offering medical services twice a week from the Dallas Indian United Methodist Church building.
2012
In August 2012, Urban Inter-Tribal Center of Texas’ previous facility on Jefferson Boulevard suffered a weather related roof collapse affecting 50% of the building. The organization continued to be operational in the remaining 50% of the building, but realized a change was in order.
2013
After careful consideration of the needs of the entire community, UITCT decided to relocate to a more centralized location in the Dallas Medical District. In May 2013, UITCT opened our new, bigger, and better-equipped primary care and dental clinic at 1261 Record Crossing Road. Administrative and Employment and Training departments being housed in suite 1283 Record Crossing Road.
2014
In March 2014, within one year of moving to the new location, the Urban Inter-Tribal Center of Texas was able to achieve their goal of purchasing the entire Record Crossing office building. With ownership of the 4.1 acre lot and 58,816 square foot building, UITCT also assumed landlord responsibilities under the name RCPM – Record Crossing Property Management for the twelve other suites.
2017
In May 2017, expansion of services and growth in the Employment and Training Department required they have more space to function, so they moved into their own suite at 1307 Record Crossing Road. The UITCT Primary Care Medical Clinic now includes specialized services with a focus on breast cancer awareness, blood pressure management, and health coverage navigation.
Efforts are being made to build partnerships with local organizations to expand services. Learn more about the UITCT partnerships on the Resources page. Creating better access for area tribal members is the goal of the Inter-Tribal Outreach Center, building partnerships between UITCT and tribal governments.