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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1993)
oofidentialitv: New Face: Kit Devine The Grand Ronde Tribe has recently hired a Personnel Director-Kit Devine. This position was initially created because the Tribe needed a person who could concentrate on specific hiring and training procedures, benefits and compensation, employee welfare, and other issues pertaining to the tribal employees and their environment. Raised in Atlanta, Kit attended Georgia College and has worked in the personnel departments of such companies as American Hospital Supply Corporation and Mobil Oil Corporation. "Some companies I have worked for had a Total Quality Management' program which enabled employees to work together toward the overall improvement of services," she said. "I believe in team-building. I have an open-door policy and encourage people to come in and give ideas and input." A :. ' a ... 1: V X ! - t i, ih-i JL Personnel Director Kit Devine Mobil transferred Kit to Bakersfield, California where she met and married her husband, who is part Chumash Indian. They then moved to central Oregon. Kit has many new ideas and goals as Personnel Director. "I want to enhance the work environment and open communication between management and staff," she explained. "I would like to enhance recreation programs for the employees and do things that would bring the staff together. I want every employee to say This is a great place to work!'" SMDC Update By Tammy Cook The Spirit Mountain Development Corporation currently has two projects in the works. One of these will be introduced to the General Council at an upcoming meeting. The staff at SMDC has moved to new headquarters, located at 28840 Salmon River Hwy. The building has been renovated and the staff has been busy organizing the office space. The Corporation hopes to have an open house sometime in April. The staff welcomes anyone to drop by the offices. SMDC is still very interested in any questions, comments, ideas, or concerns that you may have about the Corporation. Please, feel free to call us at 1-800-422-0232 and ask for Marvin, Chris, or Tammy. Tribal Policy Designed to Protect Your Privacy By Tracy Olson As tribal members, there are certain programs and benefits offered by the Grand Ronde Tribe we can choose to take advantage of if the need arises. We can seek education, counseling, financial advice, health care, and even a plain helping hand. During the past decade, tribal services have grown to include Economic Development, Alcohol & Drug, Human Services, Health Care, Tribal Court, and Education. All designed to better serve the general membership. With most of these programs comes a policy of confidentiality. Forexample,whenenteringNanitchSahallie Youth Treatment Center in Keizer, Oregon the first thing you're asked to do is sign a form stating you won't divulge the identity of any of the clients you might meet there. Alcohol & Drug keeps their files under lock and key. People are not allowed to run freely around the health clinic. And Economic Development doesn't reveal i iiiiiiIiIiibiiIhIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii the business ideas of others no matter how (in)feasible. These arejust of few of the regulations tribal employees must live by to ensure the privacy of their clients. If you are concerned about revealing intimate problems and questions to other people, you should know that the Tribe is bound by the same State and Federal regulations as other facilities and clinics. Randy Butler, Director of Alcohol & Drug Program, is interested in making clients feel more secure about the Confidentiality Policy. "No employee can disclose client information to anyone," he said. "Not a family member, not even between each other. The Tribe has to abide by the Federal Privacy Act, among other things." Employees found guilty ofbreaching confidentiality are subject to fines, probation, even termination. "Even though we are a sovereign nation, we still have to comply with certain laws. If there is a tribal member who is an alcoholic or drug addict, I want them to feel as though they can come to our facility," Randy continued. "One thing about recovery, people need to feel safe." If you are concerned about revealing intimate problems and questions to other people, you should know that the Tribe is bound by the same State and Federal regulations as other facilities and clinics. It's standard procedure not to reveal names in recovery cases, child welfare cases, and spouse abuse cases. But what about health? Even if I visit the clinic for a minor problems, I should feel safe in knowing that the only other person who will know about my visit is my care provider. "We are bound by the same regulations as Alcohol &Drug,"saidTeriHolsclaw,ContractHealth Representative. "All files are kept confidential." Bonnie Martin, Community Health Representative, feels the same way. She explained, "I couldn't tell you about the health or medical condition of someone you know, for example. You never know, that patient may not want anyone at all to know about their medical status." It's true, Grand Ronde is a small community, where tmBKmmgmmmma a lot of families know each other very well, and live and work together. Often times, the client will talk about his her personal situation with someone close, and that person betrays the confidence. For this reason, it is even harder to keep the client's business quiet in the office. Confidentiality mandates that an employee notevenbreakpolicyat home with hisher spouse. "Talking about a client in the privacy of your own home may seem harmless," said Randy, "but it's when these little slips occur that begins the snowball effect. Then tribal programs lose all credibility in the eyes of the public." Randy suggests that if a client or employee has any information or knowledge of a confidentiality breach, heshe should file a complaint with their supervisor. He also believes that most of those people who can't help but talk about client's personal business are acting out deeply embedded ideals. He said, "We are taugVt that by criticizing or obsessing over other people's problems we can make ourselves look good and innocent, and boost out own self esteem. To some extent, everyone does it. It is part of surviving in white culture. We don't have to do that anymore."
