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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2000)
__________________ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR To the editor: To the Tribal Council: Due to my attending the alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD) prevention conference in Eugene, I am unable to present my case before you. Several elders have already signed their names agreeing to have an assisted living home for the tribal elders who need 24-hour help at their disposal. The residents will do as much forthemselves as possible. If needed, an assistant will help them through the course of the day. We do not need or want a country club facility with all fanciness of grandeur. Not a facility that will cost millions of dollars. We want a place and home that is practical, utilitarian, and comfortable with knowledgeable medical personnel. We will function in an orderly, structured, loving environment. We need to have this project started as soon as possible and not wait for tomorrows. We need to have the elderly taken care of now and not wait until they are debilitated and near death; others have already left us and gone to heaven. I implore you to please seriously start working on this worthwhile project now. Time is an essence. Must the tribal elders beg and plead to have their needs attended to? We are wise and knowledgeable, so please listen to us and do for us. I see there is a house for sale across from the clinic. This would be an appropriate place for the assisted living facility. The residents would be close to the clinic if they needed their help and assistance. I ask again of the Tribal Council, please pay heed to our wants and needs. I do thank you for listening. Legislators Visit Siletz Clinic On Oct. 18, a party of eight Oregon state legislators, members of the Joint Committee on Health and Human Services, and staff visited our Siletz Clinic. Judy Muschamp, director of the clinic, discussed the types of health care provided not only to our tribal members, but also to other rural residents and specifically how the Oregon Health Plan is being used to carry out services. The legislators said to let them know if the tribe needs further assistance that the state might be able to provide. All tribal offices will be closed on Dec. 20 for an all-staff meeting and on Dec. 25 for the Christmas holiday. With a great deal of hope, Maria Westervelt Another major concern of mine is the drug scene here on the reservation. We want this place to be a safe, sound, and wholesome environment. We want this place to be a rich, drug-free, and beautiful reservation. Beautiful and wholesome so our children will grow up to be sound, decent, and worthwhile citizens. We all have a stake in this. We must try our very best to eradicate this problem. We must all try to work together on our different ventures. We must be positive and constructive and not destructive. Then and only then will we accomplish our goals. I thank you again, Maria Westervelt Chairman, con’t from page 3 Forums were held in Siletz primarily to provide answers to residents’ questions and concerns about how the new structure will impact them. Offices Closed Two Days in December While in Siletz, I gave the group a tour of the administration building and described some of the programs operated by the Siletz Tribe. It was an opportunity for us to show these state officials that our tribe operates a multitude of outstanding programs and services, not just a gaming facility in Lincoln City. Search Continues for Chinook Winds GM Interviews of candidates for the position of general manager of Chinook Winds are ongoing. It’s essential that a highly qualified person of impeccable credentials be selected for this important post. We hope to make a final selection very soon. While the search is going on, the facility is being operated efficiently by Interim GM Chris Steinbach and Assistant Jim Lorson. Siletz Tribe Hosts National Indian Gaming Regulators On Nov. 9-10, the Siletz Tribe hosted a national meeting of Indian gaming regulators at Chinook Winds. This included a Seminar Institute for tribal regulators sponsored by the National Indian Gaming Association. In addition to such items as staffing and budgeting requirements of gaming commissions, the agenda included a discussion of NIGC’s proposed rule on health, safety, and environmental standards, a subject that I addressed in my testimony before the NIGC. The NIGA seminar included “advanced due process training” and “mediation as a means of resolving conflicts.” Franklin Ducheneaux, who was invited by NIGA to speak to the regulators, addressed the issue of “maintaining the intent of IGRA.” We are proud of the fact that Chinook Winds Casino and Convention Center has now been the setting of several national conferences. 5
