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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 1979)
JANUARY Newest Peel Net Fer Swimming 8, 1979 PAGE 7 In its third week. Tribal vehicle pool proves to be economical addition to Tribal operation. by Donna Behrend The Tribe’s newest enter prise has three fuel pumps, three employees and plenty of room to grow. The newly finished vehicle pool is now open and ready for H business but the services offered || are only for vehicles owned by S the Tribes. Delford Johnson is the || manager of the pool and is a H veteran mechanic with ten years IB of work on domestic cars and ■ diesel engines to his credit. Lubeman Bob Quinn worked Hg for the Tribal Garage for two and P a half years until he made the || move to the vehicle pool in mid-December. He does most minor service work, brakes and wheel packs. Bob is in hopes that his boss will soon be training him H to do some of the tuneups that H come into the shop. Vehicle pool secretary Delo- ■ res Kersey has been with the U Tribes for a year. She keeps careful tab of the mileage and gas consumption of all tribally owned vehicles and issues the monthly bill to the Purchasing department. The vehicle pool idea was conceived to help management better control the seventy-plus cars, trucks and vans in the tribal fleet. And because each pool vehicle gets fuel at the new facility, Johnson can concentrate on preventative maintenance and help forestall any major mechanical problems. The garage area is cozy, clean and well-lighted. The shop, Johnson feels, is crowded al ready, but is well equipped to do all minor work. Johnson has the right to seek competitively priced services for any major repairs such as overhauls and body work. Gas is supplied to the fleet via three “gas boys” which pump regular, unleaded and diesel fuel. Each vehicle has its own lock on the pumps and the number of gallons of gas is electrically tallied, then read and recorded. The keys to the individual locks enable drivers to pump their own gas at any time of the day or night. If a key is lost or stolen the loss is reported immediately to Johnson who in turn replaces the lock with another, leaving the original key worthless. Adjoining the garage is a well-supplied stock room which ■has everything from air filters to whitewall tires. There is also covered parking for vehicles that require longterm space. Enterprise manager Ed Manion hopes the vehicle pool idea will “reduce the cost of maintenance” for the tribal fleet. “Also, I’m very happy with Delford’s work and enthusiasm.” Manion stated. “He’s the right man for the job.” PUMP YOUR OWN - A Kah-Nee-Ta shuttle bus driver gassed up while vehicle pool head Delford Johnson recorded gallon totals. Operators of tribal vehicles can fill their own tanks and are billed monthly. Spilyay Tymoo Photos by CDS Tank Develops Break Over 3,000 gallons of fuel was lost at the new Vehicle Pool when a 6,000 gallon tank containing regular gas developed a break sometime last week. Pool employees discovered the break last week when alerted by a Standard Oil Company driver. He reported that when he filled the tank every other day Health Needs, coat'd and what isn’t being provided by the existing health and social services, plans will begin to wards bridging the gap. In bridg ing the gap, priorities will be established on what the people feel is the right way to provide good services to the community. “It’s a community plan, not Sal Sahme’s, or Tribal Council, or management, but the com munity,” Sahme said. “If our community feels that alcoholism is our biggest health problem, then we need to put this at the top of our list, and this being the most important, then in I turn, that tells our branch and I department management, super- I visors, and workers, that this is I where most of our dollars, re sources, and emphasis will be I placed,” explained Sahme. “I want as many people to be aware (of the needs assess ment),” said Sal, “people begin to get misconceptions when not , informed.” Senior Lunch Set Health Planner Sal Sahme | announced this week that a | luncheon will be held to inform [ the Sr. Citizens of the upcoming | health needs assessment survey. The luncheon win be held at I the Agency Longhouse on Janu- ary 10, starting at 11:00 a.m. the gauge would fluctuate very little. In his opinion, the gas was either being stolen or there was a leak somewhere. The cause of the break will not be determined until late this week when the tank is dug up. The tank is still under warranty and all work that has to be done to repair-replace it, will be done free of charge. OPEN FOR BUSINESS - Mechanic Bob Quinn opened the door of the vehicle pool to take a tribal pick-up for a test drive - Routine maintenance is done in the two available bays. Eligibility for I.H.S. Health Services Explained Individuals of Indian descent who are members of a Federally recognized Indian tribe and who are not excluded from service by other provisions of law may be served by the contract health service program in the Portland Area when resources permit if they meet the following condi tions of eligibility: (1) Reside within the States of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, on a reservation within a contract health service delivery area. (2) Do not reside on a reser vation but reside within a con tract health service delivery area and (a) are members of that tribe or tribes for which the reservation was established, or (b) maintain close economic and social ties with that tribe or tribes for which the reservation was established. The close social and economic ties must be certi fied in writing by the certifying official of the tribe for which the reservation was established. An Indian tribal employee is con sidered to have established eco nomic ties. (3) If all other conditions for contract health service eligi bility are met, the non-Indian wives and non-Indian dependent children, under 18 years of age or totally disabled, of eligible In dian males will be eligible if living in the same household and are dependent on that household for subsistence. Non-Indian de pendent full-time students will be treated as Indian students. STUDENTS Full-time students (vocation al, technical, or academic) if eligible under (1), (2), or (3) above will be eligible for con tract health services while at tending school away from the reservation, if they were eligible for contract health services im mediately prior to leaving for school. Eligibility will continue for 180 days after completion of the course of study. FOSTER CARE Indian children who are placed in foster care outside of the contract health service de livery area by either an order of a court of competent jurisdiction or by a signed consent for placement (recognized in that particular State) will be eligible for contract health services. MEDICAL PRIORITIES When funds are insufficient to provide the volume of contract health services indicated as needed by the population resid ing within the contract health services delivery area, priorities for service shall be determined on the basis of relative medical need. The medical priorities shall be determined by the Area TRANSIENTS Chief Medical Officer. Persons who are temporarily ALTERNATE RESOURCES employed away from their ser Contract health services will vice area, such as seasonal or not be authorized by Indian migratory workers, shall be cov Health Service when, and to the ered for contract health services extent that, alternate resources as long as their temporary for the provision of necessary employment requires absence medical services are available from their service area. and accessible. Refusal to apply and complete the application 180 DAY RULE Persons determined eligible process does not mean the re per preceding paragraphs (1), sources are not accessible or (2), or (3) will continue their available. eligibility for 180 days from the PRIVATE INSURANCE When an individual is enroll date they leave the contract ed in a private insurance plan, health service delivery area. the Indian Health Service will pay the deductible balance of covered services when such ser vices are within existing priori ties. AUTHORIZATION FOR CONTRACT HEALTH SERVICES Prior approval for nonemer gency medical care must be received by the provider before treatment begins. Exceptions may be made if the treatment is performed on week-ends or holi days. Otherwise payment will be denied. Exceptions to prior ap proval may be made by the Service Unit Director, (1) if prior approval was impracticable, or (2) other good cause exists but no exceptions may be made for notices received more than 72- hours after treatment is initiat ed. Once an exception is made and the provider is notified of the policy, no further exceptions will be made for that individual and-or provider. In emergency cases, author ization will be given provided notification is received within 72-hours after the beginning of treatment. The 72-hour period may be extended if the ordering official determines that notifica- ( Continued on Page 12)
