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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2009)
Smoke Signals 3 FEBRUARY 1,2009 Inloinieirniragj Bettfty 1 W 11 11 "" "'i.iiiiiwiwpm'-'""'" mmmm wi' i i ' 'i" "i "'"H" mm J U Photos by Michelle Alalmo Tribal Elder Betty Lambert, middle, Is given a Pendleton blanket by Tribal Secretary Jack Giffen Jr., left, and Tribal Council member Steve Bobb Sr. during a retirement party for her in the Governance Center on Friday, Jan. 16. It was Lambert's last day as the Natural Resources Division secretary. Below, Tribal Elder and the Tribe's Wellness Program Manager Bonnie Mercier, right, talks with Betty as Lamberts' husband Carl listens in. o CULTURAL GATHERINGS FEB. 28: CHEMAWA INDIAN SCHOOL 129TH BIRTHDAY POWWOW. School gymna sium, 3700 N.E. Chemawa Road. SALEM, OR. 503-399-5721, ext 260 or ext 269. If you or anyone you know has Information on cultural events happening. Smoke Signals would be glad to list It In our Cultural Gatherings. Please e-mail news9grandronde.org or write to Smoke Signals, 96 15 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde. OR 97347. 6-12 am tanrUaU to & m t (S BRedl floor Woinrneirn eweirati on Felb. 5 The annual Go Red for Women event, where people are encouraged to wear red to show their support of women's heart health, will be marked from 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, in the Governance Building Atrium with free blood pressure checks. Snacks will be provided for blood pressure participants. For more information, call Stephanie Grim at 503-879-2078. The Tribe's Wellness Program sponsors the event. O West Valley veterans sought Veterans from or currently living in the West Valley area Wil lamina, Sheridan and Grand Ronde are being sought to have their names engraved on the West Valley Veterans' Memorial. Veterans can be either Tribal members or non-Tribal members. Veterans who would like their names etched on the memorial should submit a copy of their discharge papers to Tribal Elder Gene LaBonte and his wife, Billie, by calling 503-879-5342. New names of veterans will be added to the memorial in April. Food Bamk seeks help The Grand Ronde Community Resource Center is seeking additional part-time volunteer help at the Food Bank in Grand Ronde. Help is needed in various activities, such as unloading freight, stocking and labeling shelves, food distribution activities and clerical work. Duties will be assigned based on volunteers' skills and abilities. If you have the time and would like to volunteer a few hours per week, call the Resource Center on Monday or Friday at 503-879-5731 for more details or to obtain an application. D 5,452 mstos Dim 2(D)S I by Graad Koatdr Ibakfc i Ctnw DaMal Cfamc 5OM79-202O Ad created by George Valdet CLINIC continued from front page 1,900 square feet to the current dental clinic and provide room for six more dentist chairs, two con sultation rooms and three dentist offices. Johnston said the need for the dental clinic expansion originated in an assessment by the Dental Support Center from the North west Portland Area Indian Health Board. The Dental Support Center report said that the Tribe needs at least five additional chairs to "fully meet the dental needs" of its cur rent client population. In 2008, the Dental Clinic saw 3,240 patients who accounted for 5,452 visits. "Based on our number of pa tients, we were significantly short of chairs," Johnston said. "A lot of folks in need of dental care were unable to access it." Currently, the Dental Clinic books appointments six weeks in advance. Johnston said he expects 2009 to involve planning and design of the expansion with construction occur ring in 2010. Opening of the expansion could occur in fall 2010, but would more likely happen in Janunry 201 1, he snid. The expansion will require the hiring of another dentist and assis tant, and maybe another hygienist, he said. The Dental Clinic currently employs two dentists, two hygien ists, three dental assistants and a secretary. "Patients will see shorter waits for appointments and easier ac cess," Johnston said. The Tribe will match about $200,000 of the projected $800,000 project. Johnston said it is highly likely that the Tribe will receive $82,314 from Indian Health Service to purchase medical equipment for the expansion. The expansion will elongate the dental wing on the northeast of the Health & Wellness Center, but not include a second story. "This facility was designed to ex pand the wings or build in between the wings," Johnston said. Johnston said construction will not hinder access to the current dental clinic and that the expan sion will hopefully pay for itself, partially by providing more space to prep patients while dentists are seeing other patients. "Preliminarily, the expansion will allow for more efficient use of current staff time, coupled with added resources from the new stuff, producing larger revenues with a goal of a program that pays for itself," he said. Johnston added that the Tribe continues to look for other grants from Indian Health Service and private foundations to "enhance the project." B
