General Council Meeting .
Nov. 3,2012 • 1 p.m.
Siletz Tribal Community Center
Siletz, Oregon
Call to Order
Invocation
Flag Salute
Roll Call
Approval of Agenda
Approval of Minutes
Programs:
Update on Clamming Issues
Violence Against Women Program - *
Kelley Ellis
f
Tribal Council Candidacy Declaration t
Tribal Members’ Concerns ’
Photo by Diane Rodriquez
Morgan Crawford
Chairman’s Report
Public Information
Announcements
Adjourn
Windy Hill
Katerie Whitehead
Records Management
Programs 1
Hill and Whitehead pose for a picture at the Siletz Rec Center, where they spent
the day helping out with a Hands on Food activity. “Being a TYEE worker taught me
the importance of being at work on time,” said Hill.
STBC sets RV park pricing, Tribal
member discounts now available
Logan Road RV Park
Washburn, con’t from page 1
Previously, he served as general
counsel for the National Indian Gaming
Commission from 2000 to 2002 and as an
assistant U.S. attorney in Albuquerque,
N.M., from 1997 to 2000.
Washbum was a trial attorney in the
Indian Resources Section of the U.S.
Department of Justice from 1994 to 1997.
He earned a B. A. from the University of
Oklahoma and a J.D. from Yale Law School.
Daily:
Back-in $32 + tax
Pull-thru $38 + tax
Weekly:
Back-in $199 + tax
Pull-thru $229 + tax
Monthly: Back-in $600 + tax
(summer rate)
Pull-thru $600 + tax
(summer rate)
Hee Hee lllahee RV Resort
Daily:
Back-in $32 + tax
Pull-thru $34 + tax
Weekly:
Back-in $ 170 + tax
Pull-thru $180 + tax
Monthly: Back-in $430 + tax
Pull-thru $440 + tax
Members of the Siletz Tribe receive a 15 percent discount on their stays, includ
ing monthly stays. Utilities, cable TV and Wi-Fi included. Rates subject to change.
Tooth Talk: What does insurance have to do with it? A lot, as it turns out
By Mary Ellen Volansky, EPDH, MS
That doesn’t quite have the same ring
to it as Tina Turner’s song, What's Love
Got To Do With It, does it? In this case,
insurance does have something to do with
it, “it” being the services provided by the
Siletz Community Health Clinic/Dental
Clinic program.
Are not the services at the Siletz Den
tal Clinic free? It’s a Tribal dental clinic,
right? Doesn’t the federal government
through the Indian Health Service (IHS)
support this clinic? What benefit could
my having insurance bring to this clinic?
All good questions, so read on.
Insurance companies vary as to what
they will cover. Orthodontics may not be
covered or only partly covered. Sealants
are covered, but usually only for children.
Possible services covered by insur
ance include fillings (silver or tooth
colored), cleanings, X-rays, examina
tions, root canals, crowns and bridges,
dentures, fluoride, sealant, scaling and
root planing, and home care instructions.
For Siletz Tribal members, all ser
vices in the Siletz Dental Clinic are free,
including prescriptions. There is one
exception - with items such as crowns,
bridges, dentures and some night guards,
if an item needs to be replaced within five
years, you are required to pay the labora
tory fee for it to be remade.
Being referred to a dental specialist
is sometimes covered by Gatekeepers and
sometimes not. Dental specialists include
but are not limited to periodontists, ortho
dontists, oral surgeons, pediatric dentists
and endodontists.
People who are members of a Tribe
other than Siletz receive free service if
the dental work can be done in this clinic.
You are not covered at this clinic for work
provided by an outside dental specialist
or for prescriptions. Work sent to a lab
will have a fee.
For example, a tooth that needs a
crown is prepared in this clinic (i.e.,
examination, X-rays, diagnosis, local
anesthesia, drilling to remove decay,
impressions and measurements). The
information obtained by the dentist is
sent to the lab technician, who uses this
information to make the crown.
Back to funding - Doesn’t IHS pay
for all these services to Tribal members?
Simply put, no.
IHS did not pay for the beautiful and
up-to-date clinic on Gwee-Shut Road.
Judy Muschamp, health director, did
obtain a good portion of the money for the
building by applying for a grant. Where
does the rest of the money come from?
First, there is a difference between an
IHS clinic and a Tribal clinic. Some of you
know the difference based on your expe
riences with health care over the years.
Locally, Chemawa and Warm Springs are
IHS clinics, and Siletz and Grand Ronde
are Tribal health clinics.
It’s complicated and for the purpose
of this article, IHS clinics are funded by
IHS and staff generally practices within
federal government guidelines. Tribal
health clinics obtain much of their money
from IHS but are run by the Tribal Council
and the director of the clinic. The Tribe
gets to make its decisions about how to
run the clinic.
And - this is a big “and” - Tribal
clinics can bill insurance for the services
they provide if they become an AAAHC
(Accreditation Association for Ambulatory
Health Care) member public health clinic.
The Siletz Community Health Clinic/
Dental Clinic is an AAAHC member.
Membership is earned by running a clinic
at the high standards of AAAHC rules and
having inspectors from AAAHC inspect
the clinic. The inspectors walk through the
clinic to see if you are actually following
those rules.
This past June, the Siletz Community
Health Clinic/Dental Clinic had such an
inspection. We have been a member for
nine years and are awaiting the outcome
of our fourth inspection for full mem
bership in the AAAHC community of
public health clinics. We are proud to
have earned this accreditation and we are
confidently awaiting confirmation that we
have maintained our standards.
The Siletz Dental Clinic can and
wants to bill insurance companies: ODS,
Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Samaritan,
Oregon Health Plan, etc. We can bill for
all dental services covered by your spe
cific plan.
To bill your insurance company,
we need a copy of your insurance card,
which has information about your specific
insurance plan. If you or your children
are eligible for the Oregon Health Plan,
request an “open card.”
An open card allows you to obtain
services from any qualified provider of
your choice who accepts Oregon Health
Plan. The Siletz Community Health
Clinic/Dental Clinic accepts the Oregon
Health Plan and we want to be your choice
for oral health care.
The money collected from insurance
companies for the services we provide to
you will go to the clinic. This income will
allow us to continue and expand services
to you.
Please help us to help you. Help us
provide the best services with the best
equipment and the best staff to provide
quality care.
That’s what insurance has to do with it.
September 2012
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Siletz News
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