Siletz news /, May 01, 2010, Page 4, Image 4

Not Good-bye... Just See You Around
To all my family, friends and Tribal
members whom 1 had the pleasure of
serving at one time or another:
I'm letting you all know that I’ve
come to a decision to take an early retire­
ment. My retirement day as the Portland
Area Office secretary after 21 years and
seven months was April 9, 2010, but my
A real friend is hard to find
last day in the office was March 31.
difficult to leave,
ond infosribte to f onxt
This decision has been a hard one
for me because I have loved my job and
working for “my Tribe." I can’t seem to find the right words to express what my heart
feels about the years of helping my people and what it has meant to me. I have so
many wonderful memories.
1 love all of you and pray that whatever path your life takes, you will find joy, peace
and God’s blessings to guide you through the tough times as well as the good.
You will see a “new” (familiar to some) face from now on at the front desk, so
please make her feel welcome.
Thank you for all the years of support, friendship and love you have shown me.
May God bless each one of you.
Connie James
Courtesy photo by Anna Renville
Rebecca Williams and Sherry Addis present a “Siletz" Pendleton blanket to Connie
James at her retirement gathering.
James Retires After 21 Years with Tribe May 9-15 is Women’s Health Week
On March 31, 2010, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and community
This year, Women’s Health Week
members gathered at the Portland Area Office to honor Connie James for her 21+ years
starts off on Mother’s Day. The theme is
of service to her Tribe and commemorate her retirement.
“It’s Your Time” and the week-long ob­
In appreciation of the hard work, love and support she gave to all who came to
servance is sponsored by the Department
of Health and Human Services, Office on
our office, Connie was presented with a “Siletz” Pendleton blanket.
Women's Health.
In her comments, Connie said that over the years, she had many opportunities to
This national initiative encourages
transfer to other positions, but she turned them all down because being the reception­
women to take simple steps toward a hap­
ist was not just a job - it was a calling. It’s clear from the many people who called to I
pier, longer, healthier life. Five areas of
wish her well and attended her retirement party that she will be missed.
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women’s health will be the focus:
Indian Health Care Improvement Act Made Permanent
The Indian Health Care Improve­
ment Act (IHCIA), the cornerstone legal
authority for the provision of health care
to American Indians and Alaska Natives,
was made permanent when President
Obama signed the bill on March 23 as
part of the Patient Protection and Afford­
able Care Act.
The authorization of appropriations
for IHCIA had expired in 2000 and while
various versions of the bill have been
considered by Congress since then, the
act now has no expiration date.
“We are grateful to President Obama
for his unwavering and longstanding sup­
port for the enactment of the Indian Health
Care Improvement Act, which is critical
to modernizing and improving the health
care we provide to American Indians and
Alaska Natives,” said Kathleen Sebelius,
secretary of Health and Human Services.
“This administration is intent on honoring
the obligations of our government-to-
govemment relationship with American
Indian Tribes, including the promise of
adequate health care.”
“Since 2000, Tribes and Tribal orga­
nizations have been strongly advocating
for the updating and re-enacting of the IH­
CIA,” said Dr. Yvette Roubideaux, director
of the Indian Health Service (IHS). “The
provision of health care services to Ameri­
can Indians and Alaska Natives is a key
component of the federal government’s
trust responsibility and the updating and
permanent authorization of the IHCIA
helps to fulfill this responsibility.”
The version of the IHCIA signed into
law in March differs in several respects
from the original version passed by Con­
gress in 1976. It includes many major
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Siletz News
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May 2010
changes and improvements to facilitate the
delivery of health care services, such as:
Enhancement of the authorities of the
IHS director, including the responsi­
bility to facilitate advocacy and pro­
mote consultation on matters relating
to Indian health within the Department
of Health and Human Services.
•
Provides authorization for hospice,
assisted living, long-term, and home-
and community-based care.
Extends the ability to recover costs
from third parties to Tribally operated
facilities.
Updates current law regarding collec­
tion of reimbursements from Medi­
care, Medicaid and CHIP (Children’s
Health Insurance Program) by Indian
health facilities.
Allows Tribes and Tribal organiza­
tions to purchase health benefits
coverage for IHS beneficiaries.
Authorizes IHS to enter into ar­
rangements with the Departments of
Veterans Affairs and Defense to share
medical facilities and services.
Allows a Tribe or Tribal organiza­
tion carrying out a program under
the Indian Self-Determination and
Education Assistance Act and an ur­
ban Indian organization carrying out
a program under Title V of IHCIA to
purchase coverage for its employees
from the Federal Employees Health
Benefits Program.
Authorizes the establishment of a
community health representative pro­
gram for urban Indian organizations
to train and employ Indians to provide
health care services.
•
Directs the IHS to establish compre­
hensive behavioral health, prevention
and treatment programs for Indians.
•
The IHS provides a comprehensive
health service delivery system for ap­
proximately 1.9 million of the nation’s
estimated 3.3 million American Indians
and Alaska Natives.
Statement by the President on the
Reauthorization of the IHCIA
“Earlier today, I signed into law the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act, the health insurance reform bill passed
by Congress. In addition to reducing our
deficit, making health care affordable for
tens of millions of Americans and enacting
some of the toughest insurance reforms in
history, this bill also permanently reautho­
rizes the Indian Health Care Improvement
Act, which was first approved by Congress
in 1976. As a senator, I co-sponsored
this act back in 2007 because I believe
it is unacceptable that Native American
communities still face gaping health care
disparities. Our responsibility to provide
health services to American Indians and
Alaska Natives derives from the nation-to-
nation relationship between the federal and
Tribal governments. And today, with this
bill, we have taken a critical step in fulfill­
ing that responsibility by modernizing the
Indian health care system and improving
access to health care for American Indians
and Alaska Natives.”
This statement is available at
www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/
statement-president-reauthorization-
indianhealth-care-improvement-act.
Exercise: Getting at least 2 hours
and 30 minutes of moderate physical
activity, 1 hour and 15 minutes of
vigorous physical activity or a com­
bination of both each week
2. Eating a nutritious diet
3. Visiting a health care professional to
receive regular checkups and preven­
tive screenings
4. Avoiding risky behaviors, such as
smoking and not wearing a seatbelt
5. Paying attentio-' to mental health,
including getting enough sleep and
managing stress
1.
Women often are caretakers of oth­
ers and tend to neglect their own health.
Research has shown that when women
take care of their own health, the health
of their families actually improves.
During National Women’s Health
Week, it’s important to educate our wives,
mothers, grandmothers, daughters, sisters,
aunts and girlfriends about the steps they
can take to improve their health and pre­
vent disease.
May 10 is Women’s National Check­
up Day, so if you have been putting off
your annual doctor’s appointment, now is
the time to get it scheduled. Call the Siletz
Clinic at 541-444-1030 or 800-648-0449
to schedule your yearly physical and any
needed testing, such as EKGs, labs, pap
smears and mammograms.
The Siletz Health Fair will be held
May 12 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and will
have many screening opportunities such as
cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes and
osteoporosis for those interested.
CTSI Jobs
Tribal employment information Is
available at www.ctsi.nsn.us.
Note: “Open Until Filled” va­
cancies may close at any time. The
Tribe’s Indian Preference policy will
apply. Tribal government will not dis­
criminate in selection because of race,
creed, age, sex, color, national origin,
physical handicap, marital status, poli­
tics, membership or non-membership
in an employee organization.
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