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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 2023)
sNok signflz DECEMBER 15, 2023 TERO Worker of the Month November 2023 15 NATIVE AMERICAN Name: Mitch Mckuhn Employer: Hamilton Construction Position: Apprentice carpenter Mitch orst signed up for the TERO labor pool in August 2022. Mitch was referred out to different contractors before onding his home with Hamilton Construction on the Van Buren Bridge replacement in Corvallis. Mitch started out with zero experience in the heavy highway construction in- dustry. He joined the Northwest College of Construction non-union apprentice- Mitch Mckuhn ship as a laborer. There, he began to learn new skills as a laborer. It didn9t take long for Mitch to realize that he wanted to learn more of the trades. So, he switched to the carpentry side of his apprenticeship. He is advancing through his apprenticeship today and learning more skills as a carpenter. Mitch9s willingness to learn and advance in the complexities of the heavy highway industry has made him a valuable asset to the Hamilton Construction team. Because of his great attitude, hard work, dependability and determination, TERO has selected Mitch for the November TERO Worker of the Month. Congratulations, Mitch. TERO is proud to have you represent our Native workforce in a great way! WATCHLIST Watchlist: 8Native Americans victimized by massive insurance scheme in Arizona9 (Editor9s note: It is estimated that there are approximately 149 billion videos on YouTube, and the number continues to grow. Grand Ronde Tribal member and Social Media/Digital Journalist Kamiah Koch sifts through those myriad videos twice a month to recommend a worthwhile Indigenous video to watch. Follow her bimonthly recommendations and enjoy!) By Kamiah Koch Social media/digital journalist The Grand Ronde Tribe just held its orst Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Dinner on Friday, Dec. 1. This event was hosted by the Tribal medication-assisted treatment facility, Great Circle Recovery. Great Circle Recovery Operations Director Jennifer Worth has spoken with Smoke Signals about how drug addiction often intersects with cases of missing Indigenous people. This has become more apparent in an NBC News investigative report based in Arizona. According to the segment published on Saturday, Dec. 9, Tribal members were lured to treatment centers in Arizona as part of a larger Medicaid scam. <State ofocials alleged the providers of these homes made millions off fraudulent Medicaid claims, billing for services not given as well as for people who were in prison or had even died,= NBC Correspondent Liz Kreutz said. These centers were advertised as sobriety homes that were supposed to help Tribal people. Instead the vulnerable Native people were preyed upon. Native Americans from states including Arizona, South Dakota, Mon- tana and Alaska were lured from their reservations and taken hundreds of miles away with the assurance of treatment. One of the victims, Raquel Moody, gave an interview about her expe- rience in one of the alleged sober homes. <She says over the course of six months she was shufned between 10 homes,= Kreutz said. <She says she was moved every time she questioned the quality of care.= The video shows images of Native people who were supposed to be receiving treatment for their addictions passed out on the ground from drug use and open alcohol containers found inside the homes. The NBC investigators found an Apache Tribal member wandering the streets in Arizona after leaving a sober home a 100 miles from where he was picked up. When the centers relocate Tribal people and fail to offer them the promised treatment, it puts them in even more danger. You can watch the entire NBC video at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=r9Q6oLaCdkw. þ For more information on the TERO Skills Bank and any other TERO opportunities, contact the TERO ofoce or the TERO director. TERO Ofoce: 503-879-1488 or tero@grandronde.org Diabetes Prevention and Education Services Come on out and learn more about us! " Learn how to prevent diabetes. " Learn how to manage diabetes. " Learn how to cook healthy meals. " Learn how to manage a more active lifestyle. Get to know our diabetes case managers who can help guide you in your journey& Sign up for our monthly class. Enjoy some food, ond out what we have planned for the coming year, and be entered into a drawing. The next class is 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 15 at EAC. RSVP to save a spot: jeannette.cavan@grandrone.org þ West Valley Veterans Memorial Application Deadline is March 15, 2024 Name: DOB: Address: City: Phone: Gender: Male/Female (Circle) Rank: Branch: DOE: Place of entry: DOS: Place of seperation: State: Zip: Honorable: Yes/No (Circle) Deceased: Yes/No (Circle) Place of burial: CTGR Tribal: Yes/No (Circle) If Tribal, Roll# *All applicants must submit a copy of their DD214. If applicant is deceased, a family member or spouse can submit a copy of their DD214. If you are a CTGR Tribal member please attach a copy of your Tribal ID. If you are non-Tribal please attach a copy of a bill/record with your name and address showing you had lived or now reside in Grand Ronde, Willamina or Sheridan. Please send application and all documents to Grand Ronde Veterans SEB, 9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, OR, 97347. If you have any questions, please contact Chelsea Clark at 503-879-1418 or e-mail: publicaffairs@grandronde.org Any applications received after March 15, 2024, will be kept on file for inclusion to the Memorial in 2025.