Spilyqy Ty moo, Warm
Seeing
In the aftermath
of the Iraqi war,
tribal member
Sgt. Rain Circle
Courtney is
among the U.S.
troops still arriv
ing By Shannon Keaveny
Spilyay Tymoo
In late April in Fort Polk,
Louisiana, Bernyce Courtney
took part in a festive yet anx
ious occasion.
t Soldiers, many accompa
nied by their families, threw
their army bags on big piles
in preparation for their de
parture to Iraq.
Tribal member Sgt. Rain
Circle Courtney was among
the soldiers.
The members of the U.S.
Army Second Armored Cav
alry Regiment had been wait
ing months for a chance to
do their jobs.
Governor signs bill assuring
Medicaid to Native Americans
The new law guar
antees dental, vi
sion, mental
health, and drug
treatment for Na
tive Americans
By Shannon Keaveny
Spilyay Tymoo
Until recently, the Oregon
state budget crisis was taking a
toll on the Warm Springs Health
and Wellness Center.
Waiting rooms were more
crowded. Waits to see a doctor
were getting longer.
Tribal members in increasing
numbers were traveling to
Warm Springs from off reser
vation locations to receive the
medical attention that their
treaty guarantees.
Off-reservation state-funded
facilities with new limits on
Medicaid benefits for Oregon's
Courtney wins $500 scholarship
At a recent national
Workforce Investment Act Con
ference in Anchorage, Alaska, a
Warm Springs tribal member
received an award, amounting
to $500 for educational pur
poses. Nikiya Courtney, 21, was the
first Warm Springs tribal mem
ber to win the Howard Yackus
Memorial Award in 24 years. ,
The award is a scholarship
provided by the United States
Department of Labor for youth
that have succeeded after over
coming many obstacles and bar
riers. "Nikiya doesn't give up. I Ic's
persistent and motivated. He's
everything we look for in youth
for youth work," said Corey
Clements, director of the
Workforce Development De
partment in Warm Springs.
Courtney was born with a
spinal condition and has been
confined to a wheelchair since
he was 3 years old.
I le praises his mother as his
biggest supporter and advocate
and doesn't let his disabilities get
in the way of his academic de
velopment and participation in
social activities.
"Through it all Nikiya keeps
his enthusiasm and doesn't see
his disabilities as a barrier. Noth
ing stands in his way," said
Clements.
Springs, Oregon
son off
So today, while some sol
diers have returned to the
U.S. after the war, other
poor were affecting the Ameri
can Indian.
"The state Medicaid cuts
were taxing our resources at the
clinic," explained Russ Alger,
director at the Warm Springs
Health and Wellness Center.
In other locations, Indian
drug and alcohol treatment cen
ters were reducing services.
Pharmaceuticals from Indian
clinics were becoming harder to
"obtain. "'
But in late May Gov.
Kulongoski signed a landmark
bill that ensures healthcare for
Native Americans despite
Oregon's budget crisis. Oregon
Native Americans, who com
prise about 2 percent of the
state's population, were elevated
to Medicaid Plus status.
Only patients categorized as
Medicaid Standard in the state
of Oregon are subject to reduc
tions in Medicaid services.
The new law guarantees den
tal, vision, mental health, and
,, .Wm-L.t. . ... ! ,....JU I. .... H I
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'j
Nikiya Courtney with Jerry Brunoe at the 24th Workforce
Investment Act Conference in Anchorage, Alaska.
As a young boy, Courtney
was active in the Boy Scouts of
America, Junior ROTC, and at
tended camp.
As a summer youth partici
pant, he worked as a police ca
det for two summers. Courtney
also worked as a student intern
with the diabetes program at the
Warm Springs Health and
Wellness Center in the summer
and after school.
Because of his good perfor
mance while participating in the
Workforce Investment Act pro
gram, Courtney was hired as a
June
birtags mother
ABOVE: Sgt. Rain
Circle Courtney
poses in uniform
with other members
of his squadron.
LEFT: Courtney and
his two year old
daughter,
Wednesday
Courtney, who lives
in Florida.
families were saying farewell.
"I was very anxious and
sad about Rain Circle's depar-
drug treatment for Native
Americans.
Federal money is funneled
down through state funds for
Indian medical costs. The state
is reimbursed 100 percent for
Indians and Alaska Natives uti
lizing Medicaid.
For this reason, Oregon In
dians are not subject to the same
state Medicaid cuts as other
Oregonians. The 1965 Medic
aid Act, which set eligibility
Medicaid standards for all pa
tients, failed to acknowledge this
important difference between
Oregon Indians and other Or
egonians. Other Western tribes, feeling
the pinch from state economic
woes, are interested in imple
menting a similar bill in their
state.
The Affiliated Tribes of
Northwest Indians has endorsed
Oregon's recently signed bill.
The Washington state legislature
is considering a similar measure.
health technician for the Indian
Health Services.
In 2000 Courtney was one
of two students in Oregon to
receive the Oregon I Iealth Re
forms award for outstanding
leadership capabilities. I Ie was
selected for his involvement in
the community and for serving
as a positive role model.
Currently, Courtney attends
Central Oregon Community
College. He plans to earn a
master's degree in nutrition, hop
ing to return to IHS as a dia
betic or nutrition supervisor.
12, 2003
ture but the festive environ
ment at Fort Polk sort of
lightened my spirit," said
Bernyce Courtney, Sgt. Rain
Circle Courtney's mother.
The environment was kind
of like a college campus ex
cept for all the guns and sol
diers, she explained.
The families of the sol
diers had many newborns
and toddlers.
Now, over a month later,
Bernyce has received one let
ter from her son.
Sgt. Courtney also called
his daughter briefly in
Florida. Bernyce doesn't
know if he's receiving her
care packages.
"I quit worrying about
him a long time ago. But
reading about casualties in
the paper is sometimes
hard," shared Bernyce.
In the letter to his mother
Sgt. Courtney wrote that he
was still in a military camp
outside of Baghdad, prepar
ing to leave soon for the city.
The summer weather was
hot, said Sgt. Courtney.
So hot, one day he quit
Breaking ground at the UO
4 Yvt'
...i s .- i i
Tribal Council person Bernice Mitchell, second from left, creates a line with representa
tives from the other eight Oregon tribes, and David Frohnmeyer, president of the University
of Oregon, to break ground for the new U of O longhouse. Construction of the longhouse
is scheduled to be completed this fall.
Warm Springs Tribal Council and members from other Oregon tribes traveled to Eugene
for the groundbreaking ceremony in May. The celebrated and long overdue project will
provide a community center for the some 250 Native Americans attending the U of O.
On our 1 0th
Anniversary
A heartfelt thank you to everyone
who joined us on May 31 to
celebrate the Museum at Warm
Springs 10th Anniversary
Thank jou to the
following people:
Washat drummers
Wasco Welcome
Dancers
The Veterans
The Drum Groups
and Dancers
Memorial Parade
Riders and Walkers
Warm Springs
Police Department
Warm Springs
HAlT's
Volunteers
some comfort
sweating and found himself
at the medics being treated
for dehydration.
Following him were four
other soldiers from his
squadron, one he described
as"falling like a ton of
bricks" as she arrived dehy
drated at the medics.
Otherwise, Courtney was
reading a lot of books while
waiting to leave for Baghdad,
saying his latest was Catcher
in the Rye.
Weeks later his mother
suspects he's arrived in
Baghdad.
She thinks he's helping to
police the city along with the
other soldiers, like he did in
Kosovo during the Kosovo
Serbian conflict in 1999.
"He's probably helping to
keep the peace," guessed
Bernyce.
Courtney is a cavalry scout
for the U.S. Army Armored
Cavalry Regiment.
The entire regiment is ar
mored vehicles or HHMV's.
He's 28 years old and has
been in the army for 10
years.
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Once released from the
Army, he hopes to
pursue filmmaking
Courtney is scheduled to
leave the army in November
if he's completed his job in
Iraq.
Once released from the
Army, he hopes to pursue
filmmaking while living with
his wife and two year old
daughter in Florida.
During his tour with the
Army, Courtney spent time
in Kosovo during the U.N.
military conflict.
At the time he was sta
tioned in Germany.
Although his mother is un
sure of what he is doing in
Iraq, the character of her
son is displayed by a request
he made while in Kosovo.
"Don't send me anything,
just send me gloves for the
kids here," Courtney re
quested of his mother in
Kosovo during the cold 1999
winter.
- -4:- '-Via
ft
gift?
Shannon KeavenySpllyay
Your help and
participation
honored and cel
ebrated the vision
of the museum's
founders, and will
continue to inspire
us to do our best to
fulfill our mission.
Tbi Mission of the A
stum at Warm Springs is to
preserve, advance and share
the knowledge of the cultural,
traditional and artistic heri
tage of the Confederated
Tribes of Warm Springs,
' I ' lilftlMStl i