8 August 13, 1998
Mendoza sets new
Springs pediatric
by Anthony Brunoe
Trips to the dentist have always
been difficult, especially for chil
dren. To make matters worse for
local residents, children have had to
be taken out of town to see a pediat
ric dentist that is until now.
Dr. Frank Mendoza, formerly a
pediatric dentist on the Navajo In
dian Reservation, has made a move
to the local Warm Springs Health
and Wellness Clinic. His 16-year
career with the Indian Health Ser
vice (IHS) has brought him here, to
Warm Springs where
he joins Dr. Mark Sheper, Dr.
Robin Sheper, Dr. Richard Vaughn,
Louise Hayre, Juanita Simpson, Sam
Heath, Natalia Sam, Kristi Burk,
Korina Brunoe, Darlene Nez,
G.Micco Wamego, Ava Smith, and
Lehua Antone as part of the Warm
Springs dental staff.
Dr. Mendoza first attended den
tal school on the east coast in North
Carolina. After school, he went to
work for the IHS. He was a general
dentist for 10 years before going
back to school, this time into pediat
ric dental training from 1991 to 1993
at the University of Minnesota. Af
ter completing school, Mendoza then
worked four years on the Navajo
Reservation.
"This is my first time out here,"
says Mendoza. "I've been with IHS,
and during the 16 years, I've had
chances to go to different areas."
Mendoza was offered five other jobs
in different locations, each, he was
able to visit. "Everything seemed
ideal here."
Early childhood dental care has
been important in many Native
Tuition break Continued from page 1
required to document tribal enroll
ment. Those procedures are now be
ing developed at Eastern Oregon
University, Western Oregon Univer
sity, Southern Oregon University,
Oregon State University, Portland
State University, the University of
Oregon, and the Oregon Institute of
Technology.
The federally recognized Oregon
tribes under the policy include: Burns
Paiute Tribe; Confederated Tribes of
Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw;
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
Community of Oregon; Confeder
ated Tribes of the Siletz Indians of
Oregon; Confederated Tribes of the
Umiatilla Indian Reservation; Con
federated Tribes of the Warm Springs
Police make felony stop on kids with water pistols
. - nlus decree weathi
bv Bob Medina
On August 3, 1998 at about 2:30
p.m. while sitting at my office at
Spilyay Tymoo, I heard my son's
name (Thomas Medina) mentioned
on the police scanner. The reporting
officer (Mark Coffee) reported to the
dispatcher Mariam Tias that my son
was in a maroon vehicle with three
other subjects, brandishing a gun.
Coffee requested that another officer
make the stop on the maroon vehicle
because he was unable to respond as
he was on another assignment at the
time.
Hearing my son's name on the
police radio, I immediately phoned
the police dispatcher, gathered infor
mation and responded to the scene at
the Forestry complex.
By what I observed and by inter
viewing the responding police offic
ers (Floyd Calica, Bob Sprinegel and
James Cole) and the three youth
workers (Jonas Miller, Garrette
Greene and my son) and their super
visor Gorky Mitchell, at the scene,
this is the information I gathered.
The maroon BIA vehicle was seen
by Coffee, crossing the intersection
of Highway 26, headed north from
the campus area with four individu
als. The three summer youth workers
and their supervisor were returning
to Forestry from their day's work.
The windows were rolled down in
the rig since the tempterature reached
well over 100 degrees that afternoon.
The three youths were trying to keep
cool by innocently squirting each
other with water pistols.
At the intersection of Highway 26
and campus, the kids continued
squirting each other with water guns.
One of the youths noticed a police
vehicle approaching from the oppo
site direction and recognized the of
ficer driving. The youth worker
loudly yelled out "Oh Sh , it's Cof
fee"'. My son, at the same instant, was
holding a water gun in his hand,
squirting one of his work partners
when Coffee and his cadet met and
passed their rig. The officer saw the
water gun held by Thomas. The wa
ter gun looked like a real hand gun to
Coffee and the boys realized that
Coffee had a concerned look on his
face.
As the vehicles passed by each
other, the four waved and smiled at
Coffee indicating and assuring him
that they were just messing around
trying to keep cool squirting each
other with the water guns. The four
continued to their destination, anx
ious to put an end to a very hot
afternoon. The day was far beyond
being over.
While parked outside the Forestry
building, the boys were waiting for
goals for Warm
dentistry
Dr. Frank Mendoza
American communities, and Dr.
Mendoza has goals for the health of
the children here in Warm Springs.
While he is here, Mendoza plans to
work with treating tooth decay, but
also working with preventive efforts.
With the community working hard,
he believes this will easily be accom
plished. "I think it would be a very
good accomplishment for a commu
nity to be able to do that, and I think
we can do that here, by working to
gether." By the age of ten, 60 percent of
children have no tooth or mouth de
cay in the U.S. This is a goal Dr.
Mendoza hopes for, and will push to
reach for the children of Warm
Springs. "If we work together, we can
accomplish anything we want, and
that's what I hope we'll be able to
do."
Indian Reservation; Coquille Indian
Tribe; Cow Creek Band ot umpqua
Indians; and Klamath Tribes.
First day of
school is
September 1
Three summer youth workers were
rheir supervisor who had cone inside
' ... ...
to report in. The youth workers, still
hot, continued to play around, squirt
ing one another. They noticed that a
police vehicle had arrived and had
parked behind them. They noticed
another police car arrive. The boys
did not hide the water guns or at
tempt to run because they never imag
ined they could be in trouble.
The next thing the three boys in
the vehicle remember, was seeing
officer Floyd Calica with his gun
drawn and yelling, "Thomas Medina,
you pointed a gun at a police officer.
Get out of the f g vehicle with
your hands on your head."
I arrived at the scene while Calica
was placing my son into the patrol
vehicle. Even after Calica learned
that the weapon was just a w ater
pistol, he continued the felony stop
in a very nervous and shaky manner.
Calica w as not alone; he had backup
at the scene. The backup of ficer (Bob
Spricngel) held a shotgun at the
youths while they knelt down on the
hot pavement
One-by-one, Calica held his hand
gun to the back of each kid's head
while trying to hand cuff them. Calica
V '
!k . V y -
N .
Warm Springs, Oregon
Earaches in children can be painful, causing
.. . i
What are the symptoms of ear
infections?
Most common: ear pain; fever;
May be: irritable or listless; have
trouble hearing; not feel like eating.
If you child is too young to tell
you what hurts, he or she may cry and
full. The ear pain may appear to be
worse when your child lay s his or her
head down on the side of the affected
ear.
If the eardrum bursts, there may
be pus or blood coming from the ear.
A child with fluid in the ear may
not have such obvious symptoms,
making it easy to miss.
Will earaches hurt my child's
hearing?
Hearing loss caused by earaches
can cause trouble with speech and
language development if the hearing
loss lasts long enough.
What is the treatment for ear
aches? If infection is suspected, antibiot
ics are prescribed. These medicines
kill the bacteria that cause many in
fections. It's very important to fol
low the directions for taking these
medicines, and to finish all of the
Headstart program has openings
The Warm Springs Headstart pro- ' ask for Versa Smith, Reona Trimble
gram currently has slots available for
hnth nart-dav and full-dav attendance
for 3 and 4 year old children. A 12
month full-day program is now in
session and will operate through June
30, 1999. The 10-month full-day pro
gram will start September 1, 1998
and will operate through June 4, 1 999.
the full-day rooms are open 7:30
a.m. through 5:30 p.m. Monday
through Friday. Fees for full-day slots
are $90 a month.
The part-day program will start
September 1, 1998 and operate
through June 5, 1999. the part-day
rooms operate 7:30 a.m. through
12:30 p.m. No fees are charged for
the part-day program.
If you have a 3 or 4 year-old child,
call us to register at 553-3241 and
Dear ParentGuardian:
Providing child care and early childhood programs at rates that parents
can afford is a growing challenge and requires our taking advantage "6T all
available funding resources. One of these resources is the cash reimburse
ment from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for meals served in the
program. This benefits you because it helps us to keep the charge for child
care at a lower rate. ,,'
So that we can keep our fee schedule low and provide excellent food
service for children, we need the information requested on the Income
Statement. Please complete, sign and return the Income Statement as soon
as possible. This information will be, kept strictly confidential. Your coop
eration is appreciated. :-,.A ; (
subjected to a felony stop August 3
a li It 1 1 I .
tnen wai Kea oac Kwaras a snun ways,
gun still in hand and on the teenag
ers' heads. Viewing all of this, I felt
this type of police work was very
unprofessional. After knowing that
the "weapon" was just a toy water
gun, Calica should have taken con
trol of the situation in a much differ
ent manner.
But instead, Calica proceeded to
continue to endanger the teenagers,
other officers, the cadets and the spec
tators on what he later called "police
procedures." One-by-one, except for
the supervisor who was out of the
vehicle already, the youths were
placed in the back of a patrol unit.
Without saying a word, Calica got
inside his police vehicle and was
getting ready to leave with them.
Until detective James Cole arrived at
the scene, that is.
Right then and there, I learned
that Calica had heard the call wrong!
He was under the impression that a
gun had been pointed at an officer.
At that time. Cole corrected Calica
and advised him that brandishing a
weapon was not a crime. Brandish
ing a weapon could not be found in
the Warm Springs Law and Order
ttirini
Pain relievers like acetaminophen
(Tylenol) can held your child feel
better and reduce fever. Don't give
your child aspirin.
A warm, not hot, heating pad held
over the ear can also help relieve
pain.
If the eardrum has burst, your
doctor may prescribe antibiotic drops.
What can be done to prevent
ear infections from returning?
Some children seem to get one ear
infection after. If your child has had
three car infections in six months or
four in one year, your doctor may
suggest that your child take a low
dose of antibiotics every day, usu
ally in the winter, when these infec
tions arc most common. Your doctor
may want to see your child again
when he or she is taking the antibiot
ics to make sure another ear infection
hasn't developed. It's also a good
idea to keep your child away from
cigarette smoke.
What about fluid that stays in
the middle ear?
Usually the fluid goes away in
two or three months, and hearing
nr Nancv Sevier. Complete registra
tion packets must be on file before
children can start school. This in
cludes a physical exam and updated
immunization record. Some parents
started their child's registration in
April or May . If you are one of these
parents, call us to complete your
child's registration packet and sign
up for a parent orientation. Two par
ent orientation sessions are sched
uled daily at 12 noon and again at 3
p.m., August 17 through 21, at ECE
Conference room 2E.
Children must live on or near the
Warm Springs Indian Reservation
and meet income guidelines. Fami
lies living in Madras who are em
ployed on the Warm Springs Indian
Reservation are eligible to apply.
at the Warm Springs Forestry
Code. The youth workers had to be
released.
I proceeded to ask the officers and
the detective what had occurred be
fore the traffic stop. Calica replied
by stating that the call he heard was
that my son had pointed a gun at an
officer. Detective Cole advised Offi
cer Calica again, that the call he heard
was brandishing a gun. I told Calica,
that I, too, had heard the same radio
message as the detective had de
scribed it. I told Calica that I had
gone beyond that and had made con
tact with the dispatcher and that she,
too, remembered the call as, "Tho
mas Medina, in a maroon ranger ve
hicle, brandishing a gun."
It's sad, but true. Calica misun
derstood the call and acted on what
he thought he had heard; that a gun
had been pointed at an officer. The
three boys agreed that it was a stupid
idea to have the water guns in their
possession. But the boys also feel
they did nothing wrong. After seeing
the water gun I agree that it looked
like a real 44 pistol.
The boy's intentions were not to
get into trouble with the water guns,
but only to try to stay cool in the 1 00-
returns In normal.
But if the fluid stays for more than
a few months, your doctor may want
to check your child's hearing.
Your doctor may recommend ear
tubes (tympanostomy tubes) to drain
the fluid if your child's hearing is
decreased a lot.
Ear tubes may also decrease the
number of repeat infections that oc-
CUWhat are tympanostomy tubes?
These tiny plastic tubes help bal
ance the pressure in your child's ears
and allow air into the middle ear so
that fluid can drain out down the
Eustachian tube.
They're put into the eardrum dur
ing surgery and stay in place for an
average of six to nine months.
These tubes are usually left in
place until they fall out on their own
or your doctor decides your child no
longer needs them. Sometimes, an
other set of tubes may be needed.
What causes earaches?
Earaches commonly occur when
the Eustachian tube becomes
blocked.
Blockage of the Eustachian tube
Income Eligibility Guidelines
Household size .....Year ............. Monm .............
One 14.893
Two 20,073
Three 25,253
Four 30,433
Five 35,613
Six 40,793
Seven 45,973
Eieht 51,153
For each additional family member 5,180 per year; 432 per month;
100 per week.
Additional requirements
Report changes during the year-household size or income.
If anyone in the household becomes unemployed, the member of your
household enrolled at the center may become eligible for meals during the
period of this unemployment if the loss income causes the household s total
to be within the eligible standards on the enclosed application.
If during the year, there are decreases in your family size or increases in
your income which exceed $50 per month or $600 per year, you MUST
report those changes to the center so that appropriate adjustments can be
made. ,
If you list a food stamp case number, TANF or FDPIR assistance number,
you must advise the center when you longer receive food stamps, TANF or
The Child and Adult Care food Program is available to all eligible
participants regardless of race, color, sex, age, disability, religion or national
origin Any person who believes that he or she has been discriminated
against in any USDA related activity should write immediately to the
Secretary of Agriculture, Washington D.C. 20250.
plus degree weather. The boys also
understand the stress the officers are
going through with all the gun calls
and shootings over the last two
months.
I asked Coffee his side of the
story. I asked him if any of the youths
inside the maroon vehicle pointed a
gun at him or his vehicle? Coffee's
reply was, "No! but I felt threat
ened." I asked him the same question
again to make sure that what I had
heard was correct. Coffee's second
reply was, "I saw a gun. I heard my
name. I felt threatened so I reported
to dispatch."
The incident was apparently not
important enough for the officers to
investigate any further or to gather
information. No statements were
taken from anyone at the scene.
After speaking with Coffee, I
made contact with Chief Of Police
"Stoney" Miller, and advised him of
the police radio transmission I heard
and what I had observed at the scene.
He assured me that he would look
into the matter.
On the following day, August 4,
my son was still too shook up to
report to work. He kept wondering
why police officers have labeled him
a bad kid. "Dad, even though I've
" been in minor trouble before with the
law, I still respect the law and would
never do something as stupid as to
point a water gun at them." Thomas
took the day off.
At about 1 :00 p.m., my son was at
home when his supervisor stopped
by to let him know that a meeting had
been scheduled for that afternoon to
discuss the gun incident. Mitchell
was under the impression that the
meeting was set to fire the boys for
what had occurred.
As a concerned parent and com
munity member and fearing for my
son's job, I chose to attend the meet
ing to protect my son and the other
youth workers and share the infor
mation and facts I had gathered. My
'thoughts were correct. After having
a gun to their heads on Wednesday,
the youth workers were getting ter
minated on Thursday. All because of
A bit of advice...
Parents: Be a part of your children's lives.
Know what they're doing. Know who their
friends are. Let your kids know you care.
Kids: We were lucky this time. Thousands
have been fatally shot because a toy gun
looked like the real thing. Use care when
playing around.
hearing loss
nrevents fluid from draining c
prevents fluid from draining out of
the tube.
Fluid in the middle ear provides a
good place for an infection to start.
Infection with blockage increases
pressure behind the eardrum, which
in turn causes much of the pain.
The Eustachian tubes can become
blocked because of swelling of the
tubes during a cold or other infec
tion. Why are earaches so common
in children?
This may be because their Eusta
chian tubes are shorter and smaller
as well as angles differently than
those of adults.
Things that may put children at
higher risk or ear infections: Being
around people who smoke; Having
had ear infections before, particu
larly if before the child's first birth
day; Having a family history of ear
infections; Being bottle-fed instead
of breast-fed; Staying in day care;
Being premature or having had a low
birth weight; being a boy (boys tend
to have more middle ear infections
than girls).
July 1, 1998 to June 30, 1999
1,242
.287
1,673
2,105
2,537
2,968
3.400
3,832
4,263
,387
,486
,586
,685
,785
,885
,984
the officer's misunderstanding.
Public Safety General Manager
Anita Jackson, BIA investigator
Carmen Smith and Forestry Man
ager Bodie Shaw attended the meet
ing. They, too, were unaware of the
whole story. They were still under
the impression that the youths had
pointed a gun at an officer. Obvi
ously none of the officers had filed a
report or made their supervisors
aware of the situation.
Jackson told the youth workers
that police officers do not appreciate
guns being pointed at them. After
detective Cole and I explained the
situation to Jackson, Smith and Shaw,
they seemed puzzled. I went on to
ask Calica about the discussion I had
with Coffee after the incident. Calica
and his cadet were present when I
asked Coffee if any of the youths had
pointed a gun at him or his vehicle.
Calica agreed at the meeting that the
answers Coffee had given me were
the ones I had already repeated dur
ing the meeting. I reminded every
one present that with the facts I had,
the youth workers should not be fired
nor should any charges be brought
against them. I could file a suit against
someone.
Smith agreed and no charges will
be "brought against the boys. Shaw
also agreed that the youth workers
would continue to stay employed. As
for discipline of the officers, who
knows.
On that hot August afternoon, the
boys learned a valuable lesson about
guns and police; a lesson that must be
heeded by the community. This was
a police officer's horrible error. I feel
that some type of discipline should
be taken against these officers. They
were too quick in judging the youth
workers and created a potentially le
thal situation.
To ensure the safety of our entire
community, especially our youth,
wouldn't it be beneficial to have prop
erly trained and experienced police
officers?
I can only hope this type of inci
dent does not repeat itself-for all our
sakes.
i
f