E Coosh EEWA: The way it is
Page 4
Spilyay Tymoo November 18, 2020
Letters to the editor
Casting call for photoshoot
Tribal open
enrollments
The Confederated Tribes
2021 Benefits Open Enroll-
ment period runs through
November 20.
All forms are available on
the tribal portal under ‘Comp
and Benefits’.
If you have any questions
please call Carol at 541-553-
3327; or Janaiya at 553-
3391. Please try to get your
enrollments done as soon as
possible.
Cheryl Tom, Director,
Human Resources.
Enforcement
The Warm Springs Tribal
Police Department reminds
the public that new state of
Oregon laws regarding the
possession of controlled sub-
stances have no effect on
the reservation.
The Confederated Tribes
have jurisdiction on tribal
lands; so current tribal and
federal drug statutes remain
in effect.
Even though the Warm
Springs community and gov-
ernment embraces preven-
tion, intervention and reha-
bilitation as the ultimate
means of bringing about a
drug safe environment, the
tribes also strongly believe in
the rule of law as part of its
governmental doctrine.
Bill Elliot, Chief of Po-
lice.
Veterans
transportation
Cascades East Transit has
launched a new Veterans
Healthcare Transportation
Service throughout Central
Oregon.
The program serves the
Confederated Tribes reser-
vation, Jefferson, Deschutes
and Crook counties.
Veterans Healthcare
Transportation helps veter-
ans in Central Oregon reach
healthcare-related destina-
tions.
This service will fill an
important gap in transporta-
tion services for veterans,
especially those living in ru-
ral areas of the region, by
providing access to doctor’s
appointments, VA clinics,
pharmacies, and other im-
portant medical and
healthcare services and facili-
ties.
For this program Cascade
East Transportation is work-
ing collaboratively with the
Warm Springs American Le-
gion, and Veteran Service
Offices in Jefferson,
Deschutes and Crook coun-
ties. These groups are help-
ing coordinate outreach ef-
forts with veteran clients.
Veterans who are inter-
ested in utilizing this trans-
portation service should con-
tact Cascade East call cen-
ter at 541-385-8680.
Call in advance of re-
quested rides Monday
through Friday from 7 a.m.
to 4 p.m.
Step Challenge
Congratulations to the
Warm Springs Community
Wellness Step Challenge win-
ners. Most individual steps
were turned in by Saphronia
Coochise. The team with the
most steps was ‘BIA Team
2.’
Winners for Creative
Team Name were ‘The
Courthouse Witches’ and
‘The Boo Boo Crew’.
Most improved individu-
als were Pinky Beymer and
Waymon Harry. The most
improved teams were BIA
Team 3, and 4 More Steps.
For information on the
November Challenge—to
get in 30 minutes of exer-
cise each day and to pack a
health lunch on weekdays—
contact Jennifer Robbins at
Warm Springs Community
Wellness to learn more:
jennifer.robbins@wstribes.org
Native
perspectives
Inspired by the 2015 film
The Pilgrims, American Ex-
perience presents a special
discussion sharing Native
American perspectives on
the arrival of European set-
tlers in New England, 400
years ago.
The conversation will ex-
amine the experiences of
Native populations at the
time of the settlers’ arrival,
what is actually known about
the first Thanksgiving, and
how Native tribes see them-
selves in today’s construction
of the United States. Fea-
tured guests include histori-
ans and knowledge keepers:
Linda Coombs, Aquinnah
Wampanoag and Cassius
Spearseeper.
The discussion will be
moderated by Yvonne
Russo, a filmmaker and
member of the Sicangu
Lakota Tribal Nation. Special
remarks to be provided by
writer and director of The
Pilgrims , Ric Burns. The
event takes place this Wednes-
day, November 18 from 1-2
p.m., will be live streamed for
free through our YouTube
and Facebook pages.
Spilyay Tymoo
(Coyote News, Est. 1976)
Publisher Emeritus in Memorium: Sid Miller
Editor: Dave McMechan
Spilyay Tymoo is published bi-weekly by the
Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Our of-
fices are located at 4174 Highway 3 in Warm
Springs.
Any written materials submitted to Spilyay Tymoo
should be addressed to:
Spilyay Tymoo, P.O. Box 489, Warm Springs, OR
97761.
Phone: 541-553-2210 or 541-771-7521
E-Mail: david.mcmechan@wstribes.org.
Annual Subscription rates: Within U.S.: $20.00
Dear members of
the Confederated Tribes
of Warm Springs,
We’re casting rural
Oregonians for a pro-
mask photoshoot.
The images will be
used by the State of Or-
Veterans list
additions
Some names were missing
in the recent Spilyay Veter-
ans Roll call of tribal mem-
ber and other community vet-
erans. Missing were:
Raymond C. Tsumpti Sr.,
U.S. Navy. Years of ser-
vice 1962-1966.
Norman A. Nathan., U.S.
Navy. Years of ser vice
1960-1962.
Tim Myers, U.S. Army.
Years of ser vice 1998-
1992.
The Spilyay apologizes for
the oversight.
From St. Charles
I know you are really tired
of talking about Covid-19.
Trust me, so am I.
But what’s happening right
now is highly concerning.
Recently, we’ve had 15 pa-
tients hospitalized with
Covid-19, and over a recent
weekend at times the num-
ber matched our previous
record.
We have officially hit a
third wave. But unlike the
last two, we never reset back
to zero hospitalized patients.
Our number of inpatients
has held steady in recent
weeks until a week ago last
Friday, when it essentially
doubled overnight.
We need to act now.
With the upcoming holi-
egon in a public service an-
nouncement promoting
Covid-19 safety.
We’re especially interested
in featuring Native and In-
digenous individuals in this
project, and thought you
might be interested.
days, we are concerned that
if people don’t act now to
change their behavior our
hospital system could become
overwhelmed.
As of today, we have the
beds and the staff to take
care of you, but your actions
make a difference in helping
to keep it that way.
The virus is clearly still
here and our choices are mak-
ing a difference in how the
disease finds places to thrive.
We are seeing a fear-fatigue
cycle of behavior.
When we feel more afraid
that the virus is circulating
broadly in our communities,
we pull back, isolate more
and are better about wearing
our masks.
Sooner or later, fatigue
sets in and we relax our stan-
dards, spend time with more
people outside our normal
bubbles and maybe don’t re-
member to wash our hands
as frequently.
It is becoming predictable.
And while we are all ex-
hausted by this pandemic, we
know these next few months
will be a crucial time to stay
strong.
And if you’d like to know
more about St. Charles’ on-
going response to Covid-19
along with other health sys-
tem updates, we invite you to
participate in our Town Hall
event coming up on Novem-
ber 19. See our website to
register:
stcharleshealthcare.org
Sincerely,
Joe Sluka, chief executive
officer and president, St.
Charles Health System.
Pay is $1,000 a day if
hired. Must be pro-mask
and live in Oregon to apply.
If interested, you can
view the project details and
apply at the following site:
weeblemountain.com/
opencastingcalls/covid-psa
Thank you, Eleanor,
Weeble Mountain.
Board
vacancies
The Warm Springs Tribal
Council is advertising for
board and commission posi-
tions.
There are two positions
for the Credit Board of Di-
rectors; and three members
are sought for the Cannabis
Regulatory Commission.
There is one position
open on the Tribal Employ-
ment Rights Office Commis-
sion; and Council wants to
two positions on the Warm
Springs Housing Authority
Board of Commissioners.
The Water Board has two
vacancies. If interested, you
must submit a letter of in-
terest and a resume to the
Secretary-Treasurer’s office.
A criminal and credit
background check are re-
quired. The deadline is No-
vember 30.
From Sanitation
Warm Springs Sanitation
reminds the community that
the landfill no longer accepts
tires. Please do not leave tires
at the dump or at the trans-
fer stations. Also – large
household appliances should
be taken to the landfill where
there is a dumpster for large
metal items.
ACA
(from page 1)
“Tribal leaders and Na-
tive communities have made
it abundantly clear that the
ACA—while not perfect—lit-
erally saves lives. The ACA
Weeble Mountain Casting
permanently reauthorized
the Indian Health Care Im-
provement Act and ex-
panded access to health care
for Native Americans
through Medicaid expan-
sion, and increased revenue
for the Indian Health Ser-
vice.”
Happy Thanksgiving
to all my family. Hugs—
Love y’all. Be Safe.
From Donna Lou.
Carpentry
Maupin Works is looking
to fill the position of appren-
tice carpenter
Apply and learn carpentry
and other property improve-
ment skills on the former li-
brary and city hall buildings
in Maupin.
Some experience in con-
struction is a plus. However,
we are willing to train any in-
dividual who has a strong
work ethic. Apply now!
Call or email Ben at 541-
460-7550.Or:
info@maupinworks.com
CRITFC job
The Columbia River In-
ter-Tribal Fish Commission
is recruiting for the follow-
ing positions:
Dispatch Supervisor. Lo-
cation: Hood River.
Starting salary range of
$42,745 to $63,039. Closing
date is November 30. Em-
ployment application and full
job announcement located
at:
critfc.org
Northwest Indian Health Board reviews covid vaccine news
A vaccine for Covid-19 is
in the news now and some-
times it is difficult to figure
out what is fact and what is
speculation or rumor.
The Northwest Portland
Area Indian Health Board
and the Confederated Tribes
of Warm Springs want to
make sure you have the right
information.
Making the vaccine
Right now the U.S. gov-
ernment is supporting the
development of eight differ-
ent Covid-19 vaccines and
four of those are in clinical
trials. A clinical trial is when
a new treatment like a vac-
cine is tested by volunteers
to determine if it is safe and
effective.
Clinical trials have three
main phases.
· In Phase I, a small group
of healthy people will re-
ceive the vaccine primarily
to test its safety.
· In Phase II, a few hun-
dred people receive the vac-
cine to primarily test its ef-
fectiveness. These people
are more representative of
the people most susceptible
to Covid-19.
· In Phase III, vaccines
are tested on thousands of
people from the general
population to further test
safety and effectiveness and
to look for reactions.
The four vaccines in clini-
cal trials now are all in Phase
III trials. Three of the trials
will enroll approximately
30,000 people each and the
fourth will enroll up to
60,000 people. Both healthy
people and people at higher
risk of contracting Covid-19
are included in these trials.
Many of us ask, Why are
there so many vaccines be-
ing tested for one illness?
One reason is to increase the
opportunity for successful
vaccines.
It is also because there
are many different types of
people in the United States
and in Indian Country. The
four vaccines in Phase III
clinical trials may each be
more effective with specific
groups of people, for ex-
ample, elders. The 120,000
people currently taking part
in the trials will allow re-
searchers to test the vac-
cines on people of many dif-
ferent heritages, ages, and
body types—to determine
which works best for which
group.
Are tribes being con-
sulted in the process?
Yes, very much. Tribes
and the Indian Health Ser-
vice are being consulted in
the planning process in many
ways; and senior members
of the Indian Health Ser-
vice have been loaned to
Operation Warp Speed, the
federal government pro-
gram developing the vac-
cines.
Tribes have also been in-
cluded in the vaccine trials,
if they choose. The Navajo
Nation has chosen to par-
ticipate in one Phase III trial,
and the Lummi and
Nooksack Nations are con-
sidering joining another trial
set to begin this winter.
Tribal participation in vac-
cine trials may help under-
stand which vaccines being
developed are most effec-
tive for tribal populations.
Distribution of the vac-
cines has also included tribal
input to make sure the
people who need the vac-
cines the most are being pri-
oritized.
Other government agen-
cies, such as the Centers for
Disease Control and Pre-
vention, are also actively
consulting with the tribes.
Besides federally-recognized
tribes, plans also are under-
way for the distribution of
vaccines to tribal health fa-
cilities, including urban fa-
cilities, and non-federally
recognized tribes that are
not officially connected to
IHS.
When will the vaccine
be ready?
Limited doses of the vac-
cine may be available by the
end of 2020. Most people
involved with the production
do not expect the vaccine
sooner than this. Once avail-
able, the distribution of the
vaccines will likely be in three
stages. The distribution may
look like this:
· Stage 1, projected for
the winter of 2021, because
of limited availability, the
vaccines will be given to the
people who need them the
most, such as health care
workers, elders, and medi-
cally vulnerable people.
· Stage 2, in the spring of
2021, with more production,
the vaccine will go to the
critical populations who were
not vaccinated in Stage 1 and
then to the general popula-
tion.
· Stage 3, in the summer
of 2021, it is expected there
will be enough vaccines for
the entire United States popu-
lation. Distribution is also re-
viewed at this stage to make
sure that populations or com-
munities with low coverage
have access to the vaccines.