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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 2020)
sNok signflz JANUARY 1, 2020 Notice to all Tribal members on the Tribal Supplemental Security & Disability Income & Medicare Part “B” Reimbursement Programs: It’s getting to be that time of year again. Time to submit a copy of your 2020 benefit award letter from the Social Security Admin- istration (SSA) so that we can update your file and confirm your eligibility status in our programs. If you haven’t received your 2020 benefit award status letter from the SSA, you can request a copy be calling the SSA at 1-800-772-1213 or go online at www.ssa.gov. Your current award benefit statement must be received in our office by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15, to avoid any future delays in your benefits. Note: It is the responsibility of the Tribal member to notify the Tribe of any changes in your benefits from the Social Security Ad- ministration SSI/SSD program. Failure to notify the Tribe may result in an obligation to repay ineligible benefits received and/ or interrupt or delay your Tribal Supplemental Security Income and Disability payments or Medicare Part “B” reimbursements. Please mail copies of your benefit award statement to: CTGR Member Services ATTN: Shannon A. Simi 9615 Grand Ronde Road Grand Ronde, OR 97347 You also may fax your copy to 503-879-2480 or e-mail them to Shannon.simi@grandronde.org If you have any questions and/or concerns, contact Shannon A. Simi at 503-879-1358 or 1-800-422-0232, ext. 1358. WALK-IN DENTAL APPOI NTMENTS FOR KIDS <6 NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY FOR DENTAL CHECK-UPS FOR KIDS 5 AND UNDER WHO ARE ELIGIBLE TO BE SEEN AT THE TRIBAL CLINIC. JUST COME ON IN! We will check your child’s teeth during any of our clinic hours without an ap- pointment. Dental check-ups are recommended beginning with the first tooth! Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Dental Clinic Phone 503-879-2020 Hours: Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri 8:00—5:00; Thur 9:30-5:30 CTGR 1EROA11nounceme11 Traffic Control Fbgger Training Certificati_o_n��--·-�- When: Thursday, February 13th, 2020 Where: Employment Services Center in Training Rooms A & B Time: 9 a.m. to 5p.m. Registation is limited to 25 No cost for enrolled Tribal members from federally recognized Tribes and $90 for non-Tribal members Register with the TERO office by calling 503-879-2188 or Email - TERO@grandronde.org 5 WIC visits Community Center on monthly basis Pregnant? Breastfeeding? Does your family include a child under the age of 5? If so, you may qualify for the Women, Infants and Children program. With WIC, people can receive answers to nutritional questions and access fruits and vegetables, whole grains, eggs, milk, cheese, juice, cereal and more. A WIC representative visits the Tribal Community Center on the third Tuesday of the month, which will be Jan. 21. Walk-ins are welcome between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 503-879-2034. ‘Treating the whole person is emphasized’ HEALTH continued from front page knowledge.” Suiter applied for the position after earning her master’s degree in public health from the University of Arizona in Tucson. “I’ve always been interested in working for a Tribe and this po- sition is ideal to me,” Suiter says. “Treating the whole person is em- phasized.” A native Oregonian, Suiter grew up attending powwows because her father’s side of the family is from the Comanche Tribe. She graduated from South Eu- gene High School in 1997 and earned a bachelor of arts degree in English and psychology from the University of Oregon in 2004. She is a first-generation college student, although her mother eventually earned a Ph.D. while Suiter was in her 30s. For more than 10 years, she worked in outpatient behavioral health services in Lane County as an administrator, with a primary focus on supporting efforts to inte- grate behavioral health into prima- ry care by having those services in the same office. After moving to Tucson in 2016 to pursue her master’s degree, Suiter worked as a consultant for a private company that contracted with Indian Health Service and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to assess how to design their medical clinics to improve care. Most recently, she lived in Bend and worked on two projects with Deschutes County as part of an internship. Those included a com- munity health needs assessment and creating a health education program for individuals with se- vere mental illnesses and chronic diseases such as diabetes. As the Grand Ronde Tribe’s new Behavioral Health administrator, Suiter says she is hoping to learn extensively about the Health & Wellness Center’s goals for 2020. “I know they currently have a medication-assisted treatment program and I have been working with that staff to integrate Behav- ioral Health,” she says. “Given my personal interest in the topic, I’m hoping we can integrate Medical, Dental and Behavioral Health to make it more multi-disciplinary. Also, I want to bridge gaps to make sure we serve the community to the best of our ability.” In the future, Suiter says she would like to see more Behavioral Health therapists and integrate peer services. “Peer services are having some- one in recovery who has had life experiences and can work and relate with what people have gone through,” she says. Suiter lives in Lincoln City with her husband, Jeff, and two dogs: Spencer, an Italian greyhound, and Sadie, a whippet. In her spare time, she enjoys training for triathlons and is a sponsored member of Team Zoot. Elder pleads guilty to theft of Tribal funds By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor Former Elders Committee Treasurer Julie Ann Little pleaded guilty to two felony counts of theft from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde in Polk County Circuit Court on Thursday, Dec. 19. Little, 64, was indicted in October on the two counts for allegedly taking more than $1,000 on two occasions from the Elders’ fund ac- count at First Federal Savings & Loan between March and July of 2019. The money was raised from bingo, bake sales and fundraisers that were sponsored by the Elders Activity Center. Pro Tem Judge Diane M. Morse sentenced Little to 24 months of supervised probation, ordered her to perform 120 hours of community service, and ordered her to pay $2,898.72 in restitution to the Tribe and a $100 fine to the court. According to Polk County Circuit Court, she paid her restitution and fine in total after her sentencing. She was represented by Salem attorney Arthur B. Cummins Jr.