Spilyay Tymoo
Coyote News, est. 1976
February 23, 2022 - Vol. 47, No. 4
Wiyak’ik’ila – Winter - Anm
PO Box 489
Warm Springs, OR 97761
ECR WSS
Postal Patron
U.S. Postage
PRSRT STD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
Community input needed on new tribal jail site
The Confederated Tribes are in
the process of choosing a site for
the new Warm Springs Jail. The
tribes are asking the community
for input on a preferred site, to be
reviewed and endorsed by Tribal
Council.
When a preferred site is cho-
sen, the decision will be reviewed
by the Bureau of Indian Affairs-
Facilities Management and Con-
struction, an office of the Depart-
ment of the Interior, the funding
entity.
Tribal Land Services has devel-
oped a list of 14 potential sites,
though perhaps four or five of the
14 may not be feasible from the
perspective of infrastructure, and
therefore budgeting, said Chico
Community
update
The incidence of Covid-19
among the tribal community has
decreased over the past few weeks,
as has happened across the state
and country overall.
An Warm Springs IHS-Commu-
nity Health report last week showed
there were 37 active cases of covid
among the tribal community. For
perspective on the trend: A covid
report in mid January showed more
than 140 active cases.
Last week, there were 15 close
contacts receiving the daily moni-
toring. The tribal covid protocol re-
mains in place (see page 5 of this
publication).
While the numbers are looking
much better, the covid risk is still
there: Last week, six people from
the tribal community were hospital-
ized with the virus.
Statewide last week, the Oregon
Health Authority reported a de-
crease of 16 percent in the inci-
dence of covid, compared with the
week before.
Across the state last week, there
were 794 covid-related hospitaliza-
tions, a decrease of 18 percent.
Tribal health officials encourage
the community to please continue
to take Covid-19 precautions, in-
cluding the face mask and distanc-
ing in public tribal buildings.
For a vaccine appointment, call
the Health and Wellness Center dur-
ing business hours to schedule a day
and time, 541-553-2131.
Meanwhile, the Warm Springs
Clinic announced new covid out-
door testing hours. The hours are
as follows:
This Wednesday, February 23
from 1 to 3 p.m. Friday, February
25 from 9 to 11 a.m.
Monday, February 28 from 9 to
11 a.m. Wednesday, March 2 from
1 to 3 pm.
Friday, March 4 from 9 to 11
a.m.
Home testing kits are available
at Emergency Management, 1160
Wasco Street (the former elemen-
tary school).
Please call when you arrive 541-
777-2803.
To limit entry into the building,
car side delivery is available.
Holliday, general manager of tribal
Utilities.
Still, there are a number of op-
tions for the proposed jail site. Pub-
lic Safety, Utilities, Land Planning
and Land Services have developed
the preliminary list of potential
sites. Based on community input,
the list will be narrowed to a pre-
ferred location, and two alterna-
tives. Tribal Council will then make
a final decision, forwarding to BIA.
The jail will have a bed capac-
ity of 60, requiring about five acres
of land. The facility will be only
for jail detention. The Police De-
partment, Dispatch, Tribal Court
and their offices will remain at the
current locations.
The federal funding is available
for a jail, based on a needs and
deficiencies assessment of the
former jail, conducted last year
and the year before by Warm
Springs Corrections Lieutenant
Crystal Greene.
A number of factors go into
the final decision as to the best lo-
cation. The infrastructure—roads,
water, sewer, etc.—are a large fac-
tor. A cultural inventory of the
site will weigh in the decision, as
will the ownership—allotment or
tribal ownership. Some proximity
to the police station and court-
house are another factor.
The team working on siting in-
cludes leaders at Public Safety,
Utilities, Land Services and Land-
Use and Tribal Council.
Sue Matters/KWSO
Map summary of the proposed sites, as catalogued by tribal
Land Services. You can see more details at kwso.org and
wsnews.org; and at the Land Services jail site display board.
Chico Holliday at Utilities, and
Nancy Seyler, Public Safety interim
general manager, have both men-
tioned the Dry Creek site as a po-
tential preferred location.
See JAIL SITE on page 5
Dean Seyler retiring as IHS Portland Area director
Dean Seyler has many years
of service to Indian tribes and
Native Americans of the West,
and especially here at home
with the Confederated Tribes of
Warm Springs.
Mr. Seyler has been serv-
ing as the director of the Port-
land Area of the Indian
Health Service. This week Mr.
Seyler announces his retire-
ment, following his 27 years
with IHS.
Along with his time with the
Indian Health Service, Mr.
Seyler worked two years with
the BIA; and as a young man
he worked 15 years for the
Confederated Tribes.
Dean began working at the
age of 14 as a busboy at the
Kah-Nee-Ta Lodge. At the age
of 19, he became a police of-
ficer, eventually joining the
Warm Springs Police Depart-
ment for three years. He
transitioned to fire medic for
Warm Springs Fire and Safety,
where he stayed for 10 years—
six years as a fire medic and
four as Fire Chief.
During his time working for
Fire and Safety, Dean saved at
least a dozen lives, fought mul-
tiple fires, all while enhancing
department revenue from
$30,000 to $300,000 by his last
year.
In 1992, Dean transitioned
to the position of Occupational
Dean Seyler
Safety and Health Manager for the
BIA Aberdeen Area, now the Great
Plains Area.
During his two years of BIA ser-
vice, he identified several OSHA
related violations that assisted the
Area in obtaining the highest level
of funds to address issues in the
Area’s history, assuring that the
buildings were safe for occupation.
Dean and his family then re-
turned home to Warm Springs to
help care for his mother
Aradonna’s healthcare needs.
In 1995, Dean accepted a posi-
tion at the Warm Springs Health
and Wellness Center as the Deputy
Service Unit Director. In his ten-
ure, he developed the clinic’s first
urgent care model that hired pro-
viders to see same-day appoint-
ments only, allowing established
providers to focus on scheduled
patients and general, non-urgent
needs.
In 2000, Dean transitioned to
the job of Administrative Officer
of the Whiteriver Indian Health
Hospital in Arizona. Shortly after
he started his new position, he was
asked to serve as Acting Chief Ex-
ecutive Officer for two years, and
then was selected as the permanent
Chief Operations Officer for an-
other two years.
During that time, Dean ac-
quired a CT Scanner, the first in
hospital history; and when he left,
the total revenue of the hospital
was $25 million. Dean was also
asked to serve as the Phoenix Area
Acting Director of Field Opera-
tions for that Area’s IHS, where he
supervised 11 chief executive of-
ficers.
Near the end of his time as
CEO at Whiteriver IHS, Dean felt
it was time to return home to Or-
egon and pursue his goal of be-
coming the Portland Area Direc-
tor. In 2006, Dean accepted the
position of Public Health Emer-
gency Manager at the Portland
Area IHS.
Soon thereafter he accepted the
Executive Officer position, setting
him up to become the Acting Port-
land Area Director in 2010. At
the end of 2010, Dean was se-
lected by the director of the IHS
and Portland Area tribes to be-
come the Portland Area Direc-
tor, a senior executive service po-
sition.
For the past 12 years, Dean
has served proudly as the di-
rector. He has amassed many
accomplishments including:
Establishing the use of a
quality improvement model
that is now standard across the
Agency; and a shovel-ready,
10-year in the making business
plan to set up three regional
referral centers staffed with
specialists of all kinds. This is
now close to funding;
He oversaw the creation of
the first in the Agency patient
experience program, designed
to enhance the quality of
healthcare to all American In-
dians and Alaska Natives.
Dean would like to thank
his wife Jeannie for her ongo-
ing love, commitment and
unwavering support, his two
sons, Kevin and Dustin, for
their love and encouragement,
and his late parents, Cecil and
Aradonna, for teaching him
the true value of work and
steadfast love.
Lastly, Dean would like to
encourage all young Natives
to “Keep your head up, estab-
lish a goal, never let anyone
distract you, and accomplish
all you can. Lastly, in the im-
mortal words of Spock, ‘Live
long and prosper.’”
Family and friends invite all
to wish Dean Seyler the best in
this next adventure in life.
School mask mandate projected to end March 31
The Oregon Health Author-
ity announced that the statewide
indoor mask mandate for
schools will end on March 31.
This will apply to all schools
of the Jefferson County District
509-J; the decision regarding the
mask mandate at the Warm
Springs Academy will be deter-
mined by Tribal Council, the
Response Team and health ad-
visors.
During the first half of this
month, Oregon saw a decline in
positive Covid-19 cases of more
than 40 percent. Experts are pre-
dicting that decline will continue in
the weeks to come.
The school district will be in
communication with local health
authorities in the district commu-
nities about the next steps.
“We are grateful for these strong
partnerships and their expertise,
and look forward to working with
them as we take another step into
local decision making,” said district
superintendent Jay Mathis.
“On April 1, we will no longer
require masks in indoor spaces. The
requirement will instead become a
recommendation,” Mr. Mathisen
said.
This does not apply when on a
school bus. Masks are required on
public transportation, which in-
cludes school buses, until lifted by
the federal government. This can-
not be waived by state or local au-
thorities.
In partnership with War m
Springs, the school district has de-
ferred to Tribal Council and the
Covid-19 Response Team for pro-
tocol to protect individuals against
Covid-19 throughout the pandemic
on tribal lands. “We will continue
to partner with those leaders go-
ing forward, as we make decisions
about the Warm Springs Acad-
emy,” Mathisen said.
Other health and safety pro-
tocols and practices will likely re-
main in place as directed by the
state.
“In the meantime, we appreci-
ate your patience as we follow state
mandates requiring masks in
schools until they are lifted,”
Mathsen said.