A picture of Healing House, where Community Health is co-located.

Healing House Primary Care Expands Eligibility

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Suquamish Tribe Healing House Primary Care Clinic is now accepting new patients from the following groups:

  • Suquamish Tribal Members and their families
  • American Indian/Alaska Native tribal members/descendants enrolled in other federally recognized tribes
  • Suquamish Tribal Government staff and their families
  • Port Madison Enterprises employees and their families

For these patients Primary Care accepts any insurance. Primary Care is also now accepting anyone with Medicaid.

Primary Care is currently at capacity for all other patients with private insurance and Medicare.

All patients must provide proof of insurance.  For American Indians/Alaska Natives without insurance, please call the clinic for Medicaid enrollment assistance.

For more information regarding eligibility and new patient registration, please contact the Healing House reception desk at (360) 394-1350.

Justice Gorsuch opinion in ICWA ruling is worth reading

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Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch offers a masterclass on tribal sovereignty in his concurring opinion offered in the court’s recent decision to uphold the Indian Child Welfare Act.

“In affirming the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), the Court safeguards the ability of tribal members to raise their children free from interference by state authorities and other outside parties. In the process, the Court also goes a long way toward restoring the original balance between federal, state, and tribal powers the Constitution envisioned,” he writes in a 43-page opinion.

“I write separately to add some historical context. To appreciate fully the significance of today’s decision requires an understanding of the long line of policies that drove Congress to adopt ICWA. And to appreciate why that law surely comports with the Constitution requires a bird’s-eye view of how our founding document mediates between competing federal, state, and tribal claims of sovereignty.”

Click here to read his analysis in full.

Burn ban now in effect

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Wildfire risk rising

The Suquamish Tribe, in cooperation with the Kitsap Fire Marshal, has declared a Phase 1 Burn Ban on the Port Madison Indian Reservation starting immediately. The ban, which limits most outdoor fires, is in effect until further notice.

Under a Phase 1 ban, all outdoor burning is prohibited except for:

  • Small recreational fires
  • Cooking
  • Ceremonial fires

Permitted fires must be kept within approved devices and safe locations. Open recreational fires must be:

  • Located at least 25 feet from any structures
  • Contained within a designated fire pit less than 3 feet in diameter
  • Not exceed 2 feet tall
  • Not be used as a substitute for burning yard debris

With an early start to the fire season in western Washington, local fire districts are seeing an increase in fire responses.

Higher than normal temperatures are likely to continue and lower than normal amounts of rain are predicted over the next few weeks, worsening fire risk in a landscape that’s already dry.

Escaped outdoor fires are the leading cause of wildfires, sparking nearly 85% of all blazes.

For information on burn permits please visit the North Kitsap Fire and Rescue Outdoor Burning Information page

For further information regarding the burn ban please contact Eric Quitslund, Office of Emergency Management Operations Officer, at equitslund@suquamish.nsn.us.

A statement from Suquamish Tribal Council on Brackeen v Haaland Supreme Court Decision

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The Supreme Court decision upholding the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) is an affirmation of Tribal sovereignty and the rights of Indian nations to raise our children and the next generation of citizens and leaders.

The Indian Child Welfare Act protects our children, families, and communities from earlier government-sanctioned practices of family separation. Forced attendance at boarding schools – along with child welfare practices that removed children from parents, extended families, and tribal communities – have traumatized our people.  This was a deliberate federal policy of assimilation designed to eradicate our culture and dispossess our land.

With today’s ruling, the majority of Supreme Court justices stand with us – along with child welfare advocates and legal experts – in understanding that we as tribal communities have the right to raise our children.  The Supreme Court also reminded the states of the unique legal and political relationship between Indian Tribes and the United States Congress.

The Supreme Court’s ruling on Thursday, June 15, in Brackeen v Haaland should put to rest questions about the future of ICWA legal protections for our families.

 

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

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The Suquamish Tribe’s Wellness Center has a slew of events planned for Mental Health Awareness Month through May. All activities are open to the Suquamish Community.

Here’s a round-up of what’s coming up:

Weekday Wellness Activities: Each weekday of the month of May join us in connecting with ourselves and culture to support our wellness. Monday Meditations, Tuesday Traditional Crafts, Wednesday Walk or Jog, and Thursday Canoe Journey Giveaway making.

Events/Presentations: Please join us in food, crafts, fun field day, storytelling, workshops, and training this month. Frybread Tacos, Happy box and aroma therapy making, Seven Grandfather Teaching for Youth, Nutrition and Wellness Talk, and Mental Health First Aid Training for Adults.

Personal Wellness Journey Booklet: Self-guided booklet utilizing evidence-based and cultural-based practices to support holistic wellness (available for pick up at Wellness Center or electronically at request via email to oponce@suquamish.nsn.us)

31 Days of Mental Wellness for Youth: In partnership with the ELC and Family & Friends Center, Wellness will support both agencies in a 31 days of mental wellness activities that can be done both at the centers and at home.

Check out the May Wellness Calendar for more details.

Grant funding helps CKA students through pandemic challenges

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Chief Kitsap Academy is putting $125,000 in federal grant money to good use with new computers, school supplies, and a staff counselor focused on easing attendance and adjustment challenges among students as the school emerges from the pandemic.

The funding comes from the U.S. Education Department’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, or ESSER for short, part of a $123 billion in emergency financial assistance provided to public school districts across the country last year.

Chief Kitsap Academy is using ESSER funds to support student learning recovery and acceleration by purchasing student computers for home and school use, purchasing supplies for Summer School, as well as restocking protective supplies including masks and hand sanitizers.

Meanwhile, as part of the grant, Ashley Kennedy – who previously worked for the Suquamish Tribe Wellness Center – is now helping students with the social and emotional transitions that have come with being back in the classroom.

If you have any questions, contact CKA principal Rex Green at (360) 394-8597.

Healing House Clinic set to open this winter

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Tribal members invited to open house slated for Jan 5

The Primary Care team at the Suquamish Tribe’s Healing House health clinic is on track to begin seeing patients by the end of the winter, says Dr. Kristine Ewing, the clinic’s medical director.

In December, the clinic’s new staff began training on the new Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system that will be used by the entire Health Division (Healing House, Wellness Clinic, and Community Health), marking a major milestone towards fully opening the clinic. Having a single EMR across the Tribe’s health entities will help to coordinate and streamline care.


“We are busy orienting nursing and administrative staff, ordering supplies, and learning our new medical record system,” said Ewing. “We need everything to be ready in a good way, so that we can do what we are here to do, which is caring for people.”

Tribal Members and their families are invited to an open house at the clinic on Jan. 5. Tours will begin for Tribal Elders only at 1pm. Tours will continue for everyone else from 2pm to 4pm.

In the meantime, clinic staff are now assembling a list of Tribal Members and their families who are interested in making appointments to establish their medical care at the clinic.

“These first appointments are typically longer visits where your doctor will review your medical history, ask you a lot of detailed questions, and start to develop a plan that meets your medical needs,” said Ewing. “For now, we’re just trying to get a sense of who is interested. Once we’re ready to schedule appointments, we will contact you.”

This might beg the question – what will primary care look like at the Healing House?

“And it’s a good question,” says Ewing. “Primary care is a long-term relationship between a person and a primary care physician. In our Tribal community, this all about establishing a relationship built on trust and respect, the kind of care that comes with honoring culture and taking the time to understand each person’s unique needs.”

Dr. Alex Kraft, who is a Naturopathic Physician and acupuncturist who worked part-time at the Wellness Center over the past eight years, joins Ewing, a Family Physician, on the Healing House Primary Care team.

At the Healing House, these primary care doctors will see patients regularly for checkups, taking time to get to know a patient and their medical history, and provide knowledge and support regarding long-term and chronic health concerns, including nutrition, stress management and mental health.

“Ideally we would see people for all of their primary care and also acute, non-life-threatening needs, but as a primary care clinic we will often refer more urgent concerns to an urgent care clinic or emergency room,” says Ewing.

Getting the final pieces in place

Before visits can begin, however, several remaining big, background pieces are being put into place.
Tribal Council recently approved the eClinicalWorks EMR as the Tribe’s backbone for recordkeeping and secure client communication. Training to use that software, now underway, is about a two-month process.
Tribal Council also approved a contract with Native American-owned DT-Trak Consulting to provide coding, billing, auditing, and credentialing services for health clinic staff. Meanwhile, joining Ewing and Kraft, three new staff members have been hired into key positions at the clinic in recent weeks:

  • Receptionist – Elizabeth Napoleon
  • Medical Assistant – Michelle Hofmann
  • Office Manager – Kris Safford

Stephen Kutz serves as the Healing House Director, overseeing Primary Care, Community Health, and the Wellness Center.

As the Primary Care team continues their work to prepare to see patients, the Tribe’s Community Health nursing staff continue providing vaccinations and boosters, COVID-19 testing, medication and chronic disease management, tobacco cessation, and nutrition counseling, among other services.
WIC services are also now run out of Healing House.

By Jon Anderson

 

 

Suquamish Tribe’s 2022 charitable giving approaches $1 million

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Most help goes to Kitsap County organizations

Lawrence Devlin, a veteran with KC Help, refurbishes electric wheelchairs, hospital beds, and other medical equipment in his garage and donates them to local residents in need. Elsewhere in Kitsap County, a small group of moms works to make sure new mothers get support during the critical first months of their babies’ lives. When teachers need extra help to enrich their students’ learning, the North Kitsap Schools Foundation is there to help with small grants.

These are just three among dozens of local groups who have received support from the Suquamish Tribe. Much of this giving happens via the Tribe’s charitable nonprofit, the Suquamish Foundation. In the third quarter of 2022 alone, the Suquamish Foundation donated $150,437 to charitable organizations, schools, Native American groups, event sponsorships, and civic organizations, mostly in Kitsap County. The Suquamish Foundation’s total giving for the year was $530,876.

The Tribe’s business ventures, which operate under the Port Madison Enterprises (PME) umbrella, also contribute generously. PME donated an additional $222,164 to local groups, in 2022.

Suquamish Tribal government donated another $210,000 to area first responders.

Total funding from the Tribe’s foundation, enterprises, and government totaled more than $960,000 in 2022.

The Suquamish Foundation: The Tribe’s nonprofit arm
The Suquamish Tribe’s Foundation is a tribally chartered non-profit that contributes each quarter to groups that support the quality of life, environment, and culture of the central Puget Sound region.

Some of the Foundation’s largest ongoing gifts go to Kitsap Strong.

“The Tribe offers essential core funding we rely on to do the long-term innovative work of forming healthy relationships within ourselves and with others,” says Cristina Roark, Kitsap Strong Director, Community Innovation. “With the Suquamish Tribe’s ongoing support, Kitsap Strong is able to help all people in the Kitsap community heal from intergenerational trauma and toxic stress. This work — based on the latest research around protective factors and the Indigenous wisdom of our ancestors — helps build individual hope and community resilience.”

The Tribe also contributes matching funds to Kitsap Great Give, as it has since the first year of the group’s countywide funding campaign.

These matching grants are designed to support community contributions that strengthen Kitsap County by encouraging a spirit of reciprocity, says Suquamish Foundation Director Robin L.W. Sigo.

“The Tribe encourages people to give local,” Sigo said. “We want to see funding go where area residents want the support to go.”

Addressing pandemic impacts on area nonprofits
Requests for support received by the Suquamish Foundation this year reveal some of the lasting impacts of the pandemic, according to Sigo. Many area nonprofits, civic groups, and schools were unable to hold the fundraising events they relied on for support prior to COVID, so some were scrambling to make up for the lost revenue.

Meanwhile, low-wage workers, and those struggling with high housing, food, and energy bills were hit hard by the pandemic. And many already vulnerable before COVID faced even greater challenges with mental health and substance abuse.

“The Suquamish Tribe worked hard to do our part to help fill the gaps,” Sigo said. “Many of the groups we fund are small, but they make a big difference to the people they support.”

Suquamish Tribe giving extended beyond Kitsap County, including areas that are part of the Tribe’s traditional territory in Seattle and beyond. For example, one donation went to the SeaTac USO, which offers military service members and their families a place for rest and refreshment when traveling.

The Foundation also help fund the Seattle Aquarium’s planned new Ocean Pavilion.

“Their vision aligns with ours in terms of protecting the Salish Sea and the ocean as a whole,” said Sigo. The pavilion is designed to offer an experience of ocean life to visitors while supporting efforts to conserve the marine environment.

The Foundation also contributed to Western Washington University’s planned longhouse, which will offer a space for indigenous students and others to learn about the state’s tribal nations and diverse cultures.

“Western Washington University is located on Indian traditional land, but there was no place for indigenous students to gather,” Sigo noted. Like the wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ (the Intellectual House) on the University of Washington campus, the Western Washington longhouse will reflect Coast Salish design, and will support Native students by providing gatherings spaces and promoting cultural understanding.

PME helps enhance community quality of life
In addition to the Suquamish Foundation, the Tribe’s business arm is also a regular contributor to local organizations and charities.

In 2022, the Port Madison Enterprises supported Visit Kitsap, the Mike Tice Foundation, the Rise Up Academy, the Silverdale Rotary, Kitsap Great Give, the Kitsap County Fair, and Kids in Concert, among others. In all, PME gifts and sponsorships totaled $222,164 so far this year.

“As one of the largest employers in Kitsap County, our contributions are aimed at enhancing the quality of life in this community for our employees, customers, and future generations who will come after us,” said Rion Ramierez, CEO of Port Madison Enterprises.

PME includes the Clearwater Casino Resort, the White Horse Golf Club, Kiana Lodge, PME Retail (including gas stations), PME Construction, and the Suquamish Evergreen Corporation, which includes Agate Dreams and Tokem Cannabis. The PME board is appointed by the Suquamish Tribal Council.

Funding Regional First Responders
Separately, the Suquamish Tribe also made $210,000 in direct payments to area first responders in 2022. The Bainbridge and Poulsbo police and fire departments received funding along with the Kitsap County sheriff, North Kitsap Fire and Rescue, the Washington State Patrol, and the Suquamish Police. A multi-jurisdictional training program for police and fire districts also received support. The payments take place in alternate years as part of the Tribe’s gaming compact with the state of Washington.