Spilyay Tymoo
Coyote News, est. 1976
Community
update
The Warm Springs Health and
Wellness Center on Tuesday of
this week reported 23 new cases
of Covid-19 in the community.
This was out of 119 tests con-
ducted.
The number added to the num-
ber of positive cases—99 at
time—in the community on late
Monday. This was down from an
earlier spike that saw more than
140 positive cases, which in part
prompted the current tribal and
Academy shutdowns.
By Tuesday of this week, 42
close contacts were receiving daily
monitoring. There were six posi-
tive tests reported from outside
facilities among Warm Springs
tribal members.
With the tribes, other commu-
nities across the U.S. and world are
also experiencing the current post-
holiday, Omicron wave of covid.
One positive note is that the vacci-
nations—the initial doses plus the
booster—are effective in prevent-
ing serious covid illness, hospital-
ization and death.
Vaccinations
Vaccines are saving lives, and
they are keeping people out of the
hospital, said Hyllis Dauphinais,
Clinic chief executive officer. Vac-
cinations are the primary way to
bring the Covid-19 pandemic un-
der control.
You can call the Warm Springs
Health and Wellness Center dur-
ing business hours to schedule an
appointment for your initial dose,
your booster, or to arrange a vac-
cination for your child.
The number to call is 541-553-
2131.
Health professionals are now
recommending the booster dose
for people ages 12 and over.
Testing update
The War m Springs Clinic
Health and Wellness Center has
conducted a total of 18,126
covid tests since testing became
available in 2020.
Over that time, a total of 1,333
have returned positive among com-
munity members. An additional
179 positive tests have come from
outside facilities. Combined, that is
a total of 1,512 positive covid
cases among the tribal community
since the pandemic began.
As of earlier this week, two tribal
members were hospitalized with
Covid-19.
January 12, 2022 - Vol. 47, No. 1
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PO Box 489
Warm Springs, OR 97761
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Warm Springs, OR 97761
Tribes, Academy on temporary shutdown
An early January spike in
Covid-19 cases in the tribal
community has prompted a
temporary shut-down of the
tribal organization. At one
point last week the Covid-19
count in the community
reached 145 cases, “So there
is a need to slow down our
positive case numbers imme-
diately,” Secretary-Treasurer
and Councilman Glendon
Smith said in the January 7 an-
nouncement.
The closure recommenda-
tion comes from the Covid-
19 Response Team, including
the Indian Health Ser vice,
tribal Health and Human Ser-
vices, Community Health and
Emergency Response.
Employees of essential ser-
vices—such as law enforcement,
fire and safety, Utilities and es-
sential health, for instance—re-
main at work.
This is similar to the events of
spring 2020, when the virus first
appeared in the community. In
2020 the covid shut-down began
on March 30, with an idea of re-
opening in mid April. Unfortu-
nately, with no vaccine yet avail-
able at that time, the organization
shutdowns lasted through much of
the year, along with school closures.
The difference this year is that
most people in the community are
vaccinated against covid, and many
have been boosted. This greatly re-
duces the risk of serious illness,
hospitalization and death. The vac-
cines and boosters are effective
against the recent wave of the
Omicron covid variant, the
booster especially so:
Blood samples taken a month
after a booster showed people har-
bored levels of omicron-neutral-
izing antibodies that were similar
to amounts proven protective
against earlier variants after two
doses. “The emergence of Omi-
cron further emphasizes the im-
portance of vaccination and boost-
ers,” according to a January U.S.
Centers for Disease Control re-
port.
Because of a staffing shortage
due to the current wave, Indian
Head Casino also had to close to
the public. The current tribal or-
ganization shutdown calls for the
return to regular work on Mon-
day, January 17. Listen to KWSO
91.9 for the latest updates.
Academy closure
The Warm Springs Academy also
closed this week because of the in-
crease in cases throughout the com-
munity. The school district board
made this decision as a partner and
in cooperation with the Confeder-
ated Tribes, said district superinten-
dent Jay Mathisen.
The goal of the district is to keep
all schools open, and this has been
successful since the beginning of the
school year 2021-22. However, in
the present circumstances:
“In partnership with the Confed-
erated Tribes, 509-J has deferred to
Tribal Council and their Covid-19
taskforce for protocols to protect
individuals against covid throughout
the pandemic on tribal lands,” Mr.
Mathisen said.
See SHUTDOWN on 2
New jail project now in siting phase
The team working on the
Warm Springs Jail project have
identified a potential preferred
site for the future facility. The
site is lot along Highway 3, up
the grade from 26, by the Me-
dia Center on the way to the
industrial park.
The project is in the early
planning phase, and Tribal
Council will review the pro-
posed preferred site before any
final decision, said Nancy
Seyler, Public Safety acting gen-
eral manager.
The facility will be funded by
the Bureau of Indian Affairs—
Department of the Interior.
The tribal leadership has
been advocating for a new tribal
jail for about a decade. Last
summer Interior announced the
project will be funded. The an-
nouncement came after Starla
Greene, Corrections Lieuten-
ant, made extensive documen-
tation of the problems at the
former jail, which is no longer
in use, located by the Police sta-
tion and Dispatch.
Ms. Greene’s documentation
demonstrates that a new facil-
ity is warranted, as addressing
the needed improvements at the
existing facility would be im-
practical.
D.McMechan/Spilyay
The field along Highway 3 by the Media Center and industrial park, a preferred site for the new jail.
The current Warm Springs Jail
was built in 1970s, and is past its
lifespan, said Bill Elliott, Warm
Springs Chief of Police.
The tribes contract with the
Norcor corrections facility at The
Dalles to house inmates beyond the
time of initial arraignment. The
BIA also funds the Norcor con-
tract. The drive is 70 miles each
way, which is impractical, and an-
other factor pointing to the need
of a new Warm Springs facility.
After BIA-Interior last year in-
dicated a new facility would be a
funding priority, Ms. Greene and
Chief Elliott worked with Ms.
Seyler of Public Safety, and James
Halliday, Land Services Officer,
Land Use and others.
The team has considered a num-
ber of sites. Based on the prelimi-
nary architecture plans for the new
facility, the infrastructure needs and
accessibility, the team identified the
Highway 3 lot as the potential pre-
ferred site. The jail will be a 60-
unit facility. A final site decision
would be pending Council review
and approval, Ms. Seyler said. Rep-
resentatives from BIA-Interior will
also visit and review the options,
she said.
The funding for the facility, in-
cluding the needed infrastructure
improvements, will come through
the Department of the Inte-
rior—Facilities Management and
Construction—Indian Affairs
Office.
Dave McMechan
Clinic changes for check-in, pick-up, lab visits
Precautions
Please continue to follow the
tribal Covid-19 protocol: Take
precautions by wearing a face
mask and maintaining distance
from others, and please get vac-
cinated. And during the current
wave, the booster is more impor-
tant than ever. Some of the spe-
cific protocol provisions on the
reservation:
· Wear a face mask in public
places.
· Maintain social distance from
other people.
· If you have covid symptoms,
please stay home.
Symptoms may appear 2-14
days after exposure to the virus.
People with these symptoms may
have Covid-19:
Fever or chills, and cough. Loss
of sense of taste or smell.
Shortness of breath or difficulty
breathing. Fatigue, muscle and body
aches.
Headache and sore throat. Con-
gestion or runny nose. Nausea or
vomiting, etc.
The Warm Springs Clinic is
working to safely move the out-
door operations back inside.
To keep patients and staff
safe, the clinic staff will continue
to take the following actions:
· Screening—All patients
must enter through main en-
trance, that is, the Green Tent
area.
· Full masking—The mask
must cover the mouth and nose
at all times.
· Safe distancing—The clinic
will need to limit the number of
people in waiting areas.
· Hand hygiene—Sanitizer
will be located throughout the
clinic.
Call before you come in:
Schedule your appointment
for medical, dental, optometry
or Community Health pro-
grams.
Walk-in appointments may
be restricted or unavailable.
D.McMechan/Spilyay
Edison Yazzie, Tibal maintenance, by the Clinic Green Tent area.
· Call Medical Nursing at 541-
553-2610 to verify lab orders are
ready.
· Please call the clinic at 541-
553-1196, or the re-fill hotline at
541-553-2475 to ask for refills and
to check on your medications be-
fore you come to the clinic.
· Please come inside to your
appointment alone. One person
may accompany those needing as-
sistance such as elders, minors, dis-
abled or those needing wheelchair
assistance.
When you arrive:
You do not have to stop at the
entry gate. Follow signs to patient
parking area
For any appointment, go to the
main entrance—the Green
Tent—for screening and check-
in.
· Medication pick-up: To
avoid an over-crowded wait-
ing
area,
please call
Phar macy at 541-419-4371
from your car.
If you do not have a car or
phone access, please check in
at the Green Tent before you
enter the building. You will be
asked to wait in your car or in
the Green Tent waiting area
until a room is open for medi-
cation pick up. Contact us with
comments and suggestions:
Shawnetta Yahtin, Patient Expe-
rience epecialist, 541-553-2487;
or any clinic administrator at 541-
553-1196.
Thank you in advance for
your help and patience as we work
through this change to return to
more normal operations.
The Warm Springs Health
and Wellness Center.