A newly formed preplanning group from the Suquamish Tribe’s Emergency Operations Center gathered online this week to begin early preparations for vaccination distribution to Tribal members and staff in the coming months.
Dubbed the COVID-19 Vaccine Planning Subcommittee, the task group consists of Suquamish Tribe Acting Co-Director Jamie Gooby, EOC Manager Cherrie May, Community Health Nurse Barbara Hoffman, Tribal Attorney Melody Allen, Marion Forsman-Boushie Early Learning Center School Nurse Renee Hommel, EOC Public Information Officer Jon Anderson, and Emergency Management Consultant Eric Quitslund.
The first meeting of the planning group focused on reviewing the Tribe’s Pandemic Response Plan, getting an overview of medical countermeasures, and beginning the work of assessing vaccination priority groups.
“At this point, there are still a lot of unknowns in terms when the first vaccine will be approved, when – and in what quantities – it will be available, and how it will need to be controlled and administered,” said May. “So, this first meeting was really centered on what kind of questions we need to be asking and what potential scenarios we need to be thinking through.”
Also of paramount concern is vaccine safety.
“We will be listening to and consulting with the medical and scientific experts we know and trust,” said Gooby. “That will play a big role in which vaccine Tribal Council ultimately opts to make available and when Tribal government decides to deploy it.”
Currently, there are 11 vaccines now in the final “Phase 3” level of testing, including four underway in the United States. Phase 3 testing for each potential vaccine involves some 30,000 volunteers, who take either the candidate vaccine or a placebo, across dozens of sites around the country.
Vaccines work by training your body’s natural defenses to recognize and fight off viruses. “If the body is exposed to those disease-causing germs later, the body is immediately ready to destroy them, preventing illness,” according to the World Health Organization.
New rules from the Food and Drug Administration issued on Oct. 6, suggest the earliest the first COVID-19 vaccine might be approved for emergency use is mid to late November, with large-scale availability ramping up over several months after approval.
The Suquamish Tribal Council is aware of the financial hardship and uncertainty our membership is facing during this COVID-19 pandemic. We have met to discuss ways in which we can help alleviate the financial stress our membership is currently facing. One way to relieve some financial stress is to assist our tribal tenants who are unsure how they will make their upcoming housing payments.
The COVID-19 Housing Relief Application is designed for tenants who reside in Suquamish Tribal Housings, including Elder Housings, NAHASDA Housings, Suquamish Steps Program, and Mutual Help Homeownership programs affected by COVID-19 “Stay at Home” order. Residents may be eligible for payment deferment for their housing payment from May 2020 to December 2020 due to financial hardship.
Deferment of housing payment is not payment forgiveness. A repayment plan will be created at a later date.
COVID-19 Housing Relief Application does not apply to residents that only pay water fee or sewer fee to the Suquamish Housing Program.
You can download the application here or fill out the online form below.
In response to the Suquamish Tribal Council’s facial covering policy (Resolution # 2020-104) and overall COVID–19 response, the Suquamish Tribe’s Emergency Operations Center would like to assist our Port Madison Indian Reservation businesses during this global public health emergency.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the social and economic vitality of our local community. But we can lessen these impacts and recover from this public health pandemic when business owners like yourself take steps to reduce your risk and take steps now to recover. Working collaboratively with employees, the public, and local government, businesses can help strengthen both public health and community response in a manner that protects us all.
To support this effort, the Suquamish Tribe’s Office of Emergency Management has compiled this tool kit of resources with links to useful tools that are drawn from the following authoritative sources:
Face masks now required in public spaces on Reservation
Downloadable PDF of this tool kit
The Role of Employers in Effective Contact Tracing
Kitsap County COVID-19 Risk Assessment Dashboard
Kitsap County Pathway to Recovery Playbook
Business Information for Administrators and Employees
Food Workers and Establishments Guidance on COVID-19
Guidance for Daily COVID-19 Screening of Staff and Visitors
Checklist for Businesses with Suspected or Confirmed Cases of COVID-19
Guidelines for Grocery and Food Stores
Food Pantries Phase 2 Guidelines
Food Worker Employee Health & Decision Strategies
Safe Cleaning and Disinfection Guidance for Public Space
Be a Germ Buster. . .Wash Your Hands
COVID-19 – General Information
Safe Start: Business Guidance, County Status and What’s Open
Overview of COVID-19 Statewide Face Covering Requirements
Department of Labor Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19
“What does six feet look like?”
Help keep Grocery store staff and customers safe
COVID-19 Phases 1 and 2 Workplace Safety and Health Requirements
Considerations for Restaurants and Bars
Get Your Workplace Ready for Pandemic Flu
Get Your Mass Gatherings Ready for Pandemic Flu
Pandemic Flu Checklist: Workplace Administrators
Pandemic Flu Checklist: Event Planners
Don’t Spread Germs at Work (Employers)
Stay Home if You’re Sick (Employers)
COVID-19 Best Practice Information: Economic Recovery
FEMA Recovery & Economic Support
Public Assistance Disaster-Specific Guidance – COVID-19 Declarations
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