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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 2013)
Spilygy Tymoo October 2, 2013 Coyote News, est. 1976 Voi. 38, No. 18 October - Anwicht’a s h -F a ll * Tiyâm Cover Oregon centers open for business T he Cover O regon health in s u ra n c e . exchange is now open. V isit the Family R esource Center or the Indian Health Ser vices clinic for assistance in ac cessing the exchange. A t the Health and Wellness Center, check in at the recep tion desk; and at the Family Re source Center, visit the library. T his e ffo rt is p a rt o f the A ffordable Care A ct, ensuring everyone has health insurance coverage. I f you do n o t have insurance, o r if you only go to IH S fo r h e a lth c a re , y o u should stop by one o f the two locations to learn m ore about your options. Health workers in the com munity estim ate that close to 2,300 tribal members are with out insurance, and will benefit by participating in the Cover Oregon program. M any of these individuals will qualify for expanded Med icaid, said D eborah Jackson- Dave McMechan/Spilyay Joie Chavez-Simtustus, Phyllis Shawaway, Tricia Melvin, Deborah Jackson and Mitch Duvaney (from left) are welcoming customers at the Cover Oregon center at the clinic. Alvarez, IHS business office m an ager. D eborah is also the coordina tor the Cover Oregon project at the clinic. Expanded Medicaid is available to adults ages 19-64 with income up to 138-percent o f the federal pov erty level. For an individual, for in stance, that num ber is $15,282 per year. Because o f unemployment on the reservation, many tribal who are n o t covered by insur ance will qualify for the ex panded Medicaid. The Affordable Health Care Law, as im plem ented in 'O r egon through Cover Oregon, offers new opportunities for tribal members to access health insurance and health care ser vices. Benefits to Indian Country o f the A ffordable Care A ct include: Perm anent reauthorization' o f the Indian H ealth Care Im provem ent Act; the strengthen ing o f the Indian Health Ser vices; and an increase in the affordability o f health insur ance coverage. There are no prem ium s or deductibles for members who are eligible for IHS services. There are no co pays for services received from an Indian health care provider or through referral under con tract health services. Toughest budget process under way Tribal Council has proposed a 2014 tribal budget that calls for a decrease o f m ore than $10.5 mil lion from , foe cu rren t year budget. T here are significant reductions throughout the organization, includ ing per capita., Council is proposing a balanced budget that funds the necessary functions o f the tribal government, such as public safety and utilities, and functions mandated by the tribal constitution. The sharp decrease in expendi tures from the general fund is due to the on-going lack o f revenue to the tribes. Tribal enterprises are projected to contribute a total o f $1.75 million under the 2014 pro posal. For 2014, Power and Water shows a dividend o f $1 million, and Composite Products shows a divi dend o f $750,000. The casino-re sort, Credit, and Ventures show no dividend to the tribes. Dividend rev enue in 2009 was $14,665,000 be- tweelf'all the enterprises, and nearly2 five years later the balance is de clined to $1,75 million. This decline in revenue is the primary basis for the budget crisis the tribes are fac ing today. T he financial dilem m a o f the tribes has been a growing problem for several years, and has come to a point where m ore severe action is required. Having taken office ear lier this year, the Twenty-Sixth Tribal Council is now dealing with a situa tion that began some years ago. “We?ve seen this coming at least since 2001,” C oucilm an C arlos Smith said during the recent budget sessions. Over the past decade o r so, the tribes have expended about $100 million more than they have taken in, Smith said. In the 2014 proposal, per capita expenditures show a significant re-: duction: from a total o f about $6.4 million in 2013, to just under $1.6 million in 2014, a reduction o f $4.84 million. I f the tribes were to continue with no budget changes, the reserve funds would be completely depleted in 2015, according to the financial forecast. In his budget statement, Secretary-Treasurer Jake Suppah states: “The proposed 2014 budget will not be finalized untilw e have completed meetings with the tribal membership- We need your input before the Tribal Council makes final- decisions and -takes action to approve a final budget plan for 2014, by N ovem ber 30, 2013.” The 2014 proposed budget has been posted at the tribal admin istration building, Warm Springs Market, the p ost office, Indian Health Services, the Agency and Simnasho longhouses, and the Sidwalter and Seekseequa fire halls, and T hree Warriors Mar ket, Council will soon announce the schedule o f district and G en eral Council meetings on the 2014 proposed budget. — Dave McMechan P.O. Box 870 Warm Springs, OR 97761 ECRWSS Postal Patron U.S. Postage PRSRTSTD Warm Springs, OR 97761 50 cents Justice grant helns W.S. tribal programs T h e C o n fed erated T ribes o f W arm Springs received w ord re cently o f a U.S. Justice D epartm ent grant award totaling $1.67 million. There may be some delay in the receipt o f the grant funds due to the federal governm ent shut-down, said Stan Suenaga, general manager o f Warm Springs Public Safety. But the grant award is still wel come news, he said. The Justice Community Policing grant will p ro vide W arm Springs Public Safety with $650,000, to be used for equip m ent and training, Suenaga said. Funding will also be available for another tribal court prosecutor, a juvenile prosecutor and a truancy officer. T h ese p o sitio n s will be funded for three years through the grant, Suenaga said. Funding for the truancy officer position comes at a good time, as the tribes arid school district will be o p en in g th e W arm S prings-k-8 school next fall, Suenaga said. Public Safety, with help from the Warm Springs H ealth and H um an Services Branch, subm itted the ap plication for these grants. T h e $1.67 m illio n to W arm S prings w as th e la rg e st single am o u n t aw arded to an O reg o n tribe. A total o f $4.2 m illion was aw arded to five O regon tribes, in cluding Springs. T he announce- merit from the Justice D epartm ent cam e during a co n feren ce held Celilo Falls. Funding to W arm Springs will also benefit the alcohol and drug prevention programs, and provide for a justice systems strategy project. The grarits to O regon tribes are p art o f $190 m illion the Ju stice D epartm ent is giving to 110 tribes, Alaskan native villages and tribal groups, to offer remedies to alco hol and substance abuse, and vio lence against women. Tribes’ new mobile clinic ready for service T h e Warm Springs community m em bers, especially elders, w ho live away from the clinic, such as Simnasho, Seekseequa and Sidwalter. The mobile unit is a project o f the Community H ealth P ro gram, the Joint H ealth Com mission, tribal H ealth and H u m an Services and the Indian Health Service. dedicated the mobile health clinic last week, and the facility was put to good use right away, offering flu shots. Wilson Wewa, o f the Senior P ro g ra m , D o n arid L o la Sohappy, and C ouncilwom an ,Evaline Patt provided the dedi cation services. A lunch was serv ed afterw ard. A b o u t 70 people were on hand for the Medication, held outside the ad ministration building. T he mobile clinic provides medical and dental services. The facility is needed to serve tribal Tammy Wilson, Caroline Cruz, Wilson Wewa, Don Sohappy, Lola Sohappy, and Councilwoman Evaline Patt (from left) were on hand for the dedication. Dave McMechan/Spilyay INDIAN HEAD GET YOUR KICKS ON HIGHWAY Warm Springs Oregon 26
