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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (July 2, 2009)
July 2, 2009 Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon Page 6 Creek: will follow original course (Continued from page 1) Improving fish habitat is an other major component o f the project, said Turo. T he design inco rp o rates habitat for steelhead, bull trout, spring and fall C hinook, redband trout, pacific lamprey, and other native fish species. With the new design, Turo said, the creek will have more meander bends, following a path similar to where it was in 1938. There will also be side channels for use by juvenile fish. Riffle features will be con structed using boulders to pro vide grade control, stream en ergy dissipation, and additional habitat. The overall project wiEresult in cooler stream water, which will be better for the fish. The work on the stream is being done in July and August, he said, to have the least impact on fisheries. F unding for the p ro ject comes from the tribes through the Pelton Round Butte Fund, Dave McMechan/Spilyay This stretch of the creek will be realigned. from the N atural Resources Conservation Service, the E n vironmental Protection Agency, Oregon Watershed Enhance- ment Board with staff time pro vided by the Bonneville Power Administration. Pine trees: value too low for harvesting The cost o f transportation further depresses the value of harvesting the pine trees, said Johnson. He showed a graph explain ing the situation: In the years 2005-07, a pine tree 34-inches in diameter, ca pable of producing seven logs, would generate revenue to the tribes o f $695. This same tree— 250 to 300 years old—in the current year would generate $30. A pine tree 17 inches in di ameter— 100 to 150 years old—- (Continued from page 1) This is the largest slow-down in housing starts since the Great Depression, he said. Lumber demand is down 40 percent. Ponderosa pine is much m ore depressed than other wood types, Johnson said. Pine is used mainly for housing construction items such as doors, windows and moulding. The Warm Springs Forest Products Mill is not equipped to process the large pine trees, so the logs have to be trans ported to another mill. would have generated revenue of $18 a few years ago. B ut the same tree today ' would generate no revenue, or I would cost the tribes money to I harvest. At some time in the future the market for pine will return, j at which time it may make sense to harvest the old-growth trees, I Johnson and Spatz said. The Council voted 5-0 in fa vor of the resolution to suspend pine harvesting on the reserva tion. Vital Statistics Hours of Operation lunch hour Monday through Thursday. The office will be closed on Fridays, so staff can work on Vital Statistic records and re cording. The Vital Statistics De partment hours of opera tion are Monday through Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and the department w ill be open during the If you have any ques tions regarding the hours of operation changes, please call Louie Pitt Jr., Govern mental Affairs and Planning Director 541-553-3270. Listening session at Health and Wellness A listening session was held in June at the Warm Springs Health and Wellness ; ■ Center. The session was for com m unity m em bers to share concerns and solutions for getting in to see their pro vider. The goal of the meeting was to help give us direction on how best to m eet the community’s needs. We have m ade several changes over the past few years that reduced the time for an appointment, reduced the number o f people not keeping their appointments, and paired provider’s teams to patients to improve conti nuity o f care. We are co n tin u in g to I gather data that will continue to refine the appointment process based on the needs o f the patient. Meetings, like the one held last month, give us direction as we move forward. Our goal is to have an appoint ment system that is respon sive to your needs. Here are some of the is- B sues that were brought to us by community members at the June listening session: Concern: I don’t under stand how. to get into the clinic to see my provider Answer: Currently, prena tal, diabetes, certain proce dures, and hospital follow-up are given a scheduled ap pointment. The rest o f the appointments are booked the day o f the appointment. C o n cern : H ow m any | providers are there are in the clinic? Answer: Usually there are four to six providers in cluding doctors, nufse prac titioners and a physician as- . sistant who see 18-20 patents a day each. One doctor is al- | ways on call at the hospital. Concern: Why do I have to wait for a length of time even when I have an appoint ment, then be told the pa tients being seen are from John Day or somewhere else and they’ve had to travel a long way. Answer: You may have to wait beyond your appoint-: ment time for several reasons which include: The appointment before you took more than 20 minutes; Someone was late for their appointment which put the pro vider behind; The provider has to consult with another provider; The person going in ahead of you may have an appointment with another provider. People who travel long distances are not given ap p o in tm en ts before those who Eve locally. C on cern : W ho does our clinic service now? Answer: Anyone who can prove they are a descendant from a federally recognized tribe Concerns: When we call for an appointm ent, we are told there are no m ore appoint ments, try tomorrow. But our kids get sicker and we take them to the em ergency ro o m at Mountain View Hospital. Patients needing Pharmacy refiUs are told they need to see the doctor first. Patients with “special” needs should have a special place, es- peciaUy for the elders,. Doctors need to be here and see the patients, at least the re ally sick ones. Is there a quota for the num bers o f doctors here? Can we get more? Solution: We do not have the space to make m ore exam rooms for patients. More exam rooms would help our provid ers see more patients. Outside doctors have at least three exam rooms for their patients. Concern: Why are the hours only 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Why not after 5 p.m.? Why aren’t you here? In the old clinic, you could go up there anytime' and get medical help. Solution: We are open from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and we often have two providers available from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. We currendy do not have enough support staff to be open longer or on week ends. C oncern: The phone an swering system keeps saying “I am important” but after hearing that a bunch of times I don’t feel very important. S o lu tio n : We will be working on and changing the phone message and answer ing system to be more help- fill * C oncern: There should be specialty clinics for the el ders, men, etc Solution: Currently we have some specialty clinics: The Elder Clinic is once a month with Dr. Creelman. You may make an appoiht- ment by calling the CHR’s or Dr. Creelman’s nurse. Renal Clinic (kidney clinic) is monthly. Appointments are made through the Diabetes Program or your provider may request that you be seen. Group pre-natal visits are scheduled with D r Locker Rheumatology Clinic with the speciahst from OHSU occur quarterly, ap p o in t ments ate made by David WiEiams RN, Medical cEnic. Well Child clinics are held in the Medical clinic. Times and dates are announced ahead of time The Veterans Association is going to be seeing veter ans that are home bound. It is not a cEnic but an op portunity for the veterans in the community. The VA staff will be working w ith the Tribal Community H ealth Program. C oncern: Sometimes I just need someone to teU me why I am waiting so long to be seen. Sometimes we just need som eone to explain things to us, why don’t you have someone to do that? S olu tion : We w ant the staff to always explain to you why you are waiting and wiU remind staff to do so. We wiU keep in mind that having a patient advocate position may prove helpful in the future. Concern: I don’t under stand why Managed Care isyi’t paying my emergency room bill Solution: We hope to in vite the Managed Care pro gram to participate at our next “Listening Session” so they may answer questions that pertain to their depart ment to help you aE under stand better. REMODEL YOUR HOME ADD A ROOM FIX THAT BATHROOM or KITCHEN * Pioneer Rock & Monument ■ New Home Construction ■ Carpet ■ Tile ■ Wood Floors ■ Cabinets ■ Countertops ■ . Window Coverings 'Specializing in Nkxtivc A m erican Design1 Headstoncs~Monuments~Stone Signs 2 0 1 Crafton Rd Goldendale, WA 509-773-4702 FREE ESTIMATES & CONSULTATION For M ap Go To www.pioneerrock.com f 541-546-9008; cell 503-806-4830 Maurice Langsev ■ ■ • • : * Legal Aid S ervices of Oregon provides free assistance to low- income Oregonians in many civil cases. Speak with an attorney during drop-in hours 1 to 4 p.m. on ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ' I i --------- —---------------------------------------- the first Monday of the month at the Family Resources Center in Warm Springs. Or call 385-6944 Monday through Wednesday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. L 9 $
