Karuk Tribe of California
Health Board Meeting Minutes
March 10, 2005
Happy Camp
Ayukii,
The meeting was called to order at 5:00 PM by Arch Super, Chairman.
Roll Call
Present
Arch Super, Chairman
Florrine Super, Secretary
Leeon Hillman, Treasurer
Roy Arwood, Member
Florence Conrad, Member
Robert Goodwin, Member
Robert Grant, Member
Alvis Johnson, Member
Absent
Leaf Hillman, Vice Chairman
Quorum is established.
The mission statement for the Health Program was read aloud by Roy Arwood.
Approval of the Agenda for March 10, 2005
Robert Goodwin moved and Florrine Super seconded to approve the Agenda for March 10, 2005. 7 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
1) Approval of the Minutes for February 10, 2005
Florence Conrad moved and Florrine Super seconded to approve the Minutes for February 10, 2005. 7 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
2) Mary Kelly
Mary was present to go over the results of the survey she did. Every person she asked about the $2 application fee said that they would be more than willing to pay the application fee for their prescriptions and received no negative feedback regarding this fee. None of them said they would stop using the program because of the fee. Leeon states they should talk to Laura to see where it would fit and how it could/would work for Finance. Mary would like to see the money go toward an emergency fund for weekend prescriptions that come up. Then the line item could be reimbursed by CHS to replenish the fund. David Eisenberg states he would be glad to work with Mary on how they could develop the funding and talk to Laura and it could be brought back to them for final approval at a later meeting.
3) Trista Parry
Not present.
4) HC Fire District Presentation
Kirk Eadie, Bob Hemus, and David Eisenberg were present to go over plans that the HC Fire District and Happy Camp Health Services Inc. have to transfer the building the Clinic is currently housed in over to the Happy Camp Fire District and they would then be the landlord for the Tribal Clinic so that they can have land available to build a new fire hall for Happy Camp. There is limited land available for sale in Happy Camp and this is an option that would benefit the community. They would allow the Clinic to remain in the building and operate as long as needed before they are able to build a new Clinic.
They requested and presented a sample letter of support to be issued by the Tribal Council with regard to this plan. They do not plan to begin building until the Tribe is able to relocate to another facility and will adjust their timelines to work with the Tribe. They would like to have the letter by the end of April to move forward with their grant applications.
5) Jennifer Goodwin
Jennifer was present to update them on the meeting she attended last night at Orleans Elementary School. She states they are in a budget crisis and there was discussion about what can be done to fund the third Teacher at the school. They are looking to the Tribe to fund 50% of the cost for a teacher. They have been informed that the cost is $70,000 for a full year, and are requesting $35,000 from the Tribe and the remainder form the school site council. She has met with the Education Committee and they have several ideas and Josh will do some follow-up to use Tribal resources to reduce other costs to help fund the salary expense. One idea was in the technology department. The school’s computer center is deficient and they pay about $8,000 per year to keep it functioning. One suggestion was to have Chris do an assessment to see what could be done to bring them up to an adequate level to end the need for constant tech support. Counseling services was another topic that was discussed as it is an area of need for the school. With the expansion of the HRSA grant in year two which will start in December 2005, there will be an LCSW added to the Tribe’s program to serve Happy Camp and Orleans which can provide some counseling services to those children. Tomorrow night at 6:00 PM there will be another meeting to discuss the absence of an Orleans representative on the School Board. They have been told that they would have to wait until November to have an election but can apply for a waiver to get that seat filled, the application for the waiver was denied at the School Board at their last meeting by one vote.
Robert Goodwin suggests a letter to the individuals that oversee the School Board informing them of the politics on the Board that are preventing that seat from being filled and have them authorize an appointment to the vacant seat on the Board. Josh states there is one Board Member that is holding up the process. There will be a special meeting tomorrow night to attempt approval of the waiver application again and it should pass – the Council would like Josh and Jennifer to draft a letter for Arch to sign and send anyway. Council members will try to attend the meeting tomorrow night to have a Tribal presence and discuss this with them. Currently there are 45 students of which 33 are Native American and 14 of those are Karuk Tribal Members. They would have to discuss funding and alternative ideas further at another meeting. The Council is in support of helping with what they can but cannot obligate anything without working out definite details. Another idea that was mentioned is to develop the Orleans school as a Karuk Magnet School which incorporates language, culture, history, etc. into the curriculum. It would be the second one in the state as Yurok is the only Tribe to do this. There are dollars available as well since it is similar to a charter school. It could re-incorporate kids into the school that are either going to Somes Bar or being home schooled from when the school was having troubles. Josh states that the letter should address the school board first and the funding second and anything the Tribe can contribute to the school. He suggests a meeting between the Council, School Board, and Administrative Staff to fully discuss the issues. Jennifer will bring more information to the Council meeting later this month and Josh will work with Jennifer to write the letter.
6) Rodney Grant
Rodney was present to address the Council regarding the Fire Crew and how they are doing. He states everything is going well. He started in 2002 and the first year was pretty touchy and they didn’t think it would work, but with the group and the training they have received, they now have 12 crew members certified as crew bosses with advanced skills. They have about 50 members between the ages of 18 and 53 willing to work on the crew and obtaining training to fight fire. They receive wonderful reviews and the Forest Service Districts encourage them to come back for future projects and fires. He states there is time that they start annoying each other after they have been together for several days straight but they keep each other motivated and doing a good job. He gave them an overview of the fires they have worked on and where they have been. He thanked the Council for providing them with assistance with lodging and food and access to credit cards when they need them, but in the future they will need more credit cards to help with these types of expenses. They also have some fire gear that is getting outdated and he doesn’t want to see the crew go backwards as they have come so far. He states their goal is to represent the Tribe and make the Tribe look good.
7) Old Business
Judy Grant asked about a Transporter for the Yreka area to help them get to their appointments. Arch states the Director is not present tonight, but they can add it to the agenda to discuss at a later date. David Eisenberg states that currently the CHR’s and Elder’s Workers help with transporting Elders as the Transporters were cut from the budget two years ago due to lack of funding and individuals taking advantage of the program. Sheila Robinson is dedicated to primarily that duty in Yreka at this time but they are unable to cover all patients. He states that they are unable to meet all of the need but were also unable to do that when they had a Transporter on staff. Laura states there is still no money in the budget to hire a Transporter. They do provide it if the person has no other way to make it to their needed appointments. CHS can cover gas money if the individual has their own vehicle to get to appointments.
Robert’s idea was lack of a maintenance person in Yreka and he suggests they could do half time maintenance and half time transporting. Laura states they have talked about a maintenance position before but have not implemented anything.
Elsa mentioned the cultural monitor training that TERO is sponsoring. Some of the TERO commissioners wanted to know if they would be paid a training stipend at the same rate the Council receives for attending the training as it is two full eight hour days of training. She also pointed out that she will be at the training and will not be able to make it to the Election Committee meeting. They would like to pay the stipends from the TERO budget. It will be held April 21-22, 2005 in Orleans. The reasoning behind attending the training is for the Commissioners to have the knowledge for Cultural Monitoring and be available as there is a shortage of individuals trained to work as monitors. If they pay $100 per person it would be $1,400 and if they pay $50 it would be $700.
Florence Conrad moved and Florrine Super seconded to pay $100 per day stipends to TERO Commissioners that attend the training. 4 haa, 2 puuhara (Robert Goodwin and Leeon Hillman), 1 pupitihara (Alvis Johnson).
Joe was supposed to set up a meeting for the Oak Knoll Meeting but there was not one established. He selected March 17, 2005 but everyone is not available that day so Florrine will let him know he needs to check with everyone.
Robert asked about the land search for the potential clinic. Scott is supposed to be working on that with the land owner. Bigfoot Trailer Park is still looking promising. Dr. Burns asked about the Yreka Clinic being used as a model for square footage but Happy Camp is different due to the ambulance entrance that is needed and a treatment room right near the emergency entrance that needs to be larger due to the equipment and staff that are in that room during an emergency. He states that is not allowed for in the current plans and it would affect the layout of the building and land needs. The Council would like Trista to talk to Dr. Burns about it before any final plans are developed.
8) Joe Snapp
Not present, on travel, written report only. They have heard the DUI application has been approved – Laura pointed out that they need to pay close attention to the reporting requirements as there are fines if it isn’t done properly. They still would like to have a meeting with him to see how the program can be developed and look forward to the HRSA expansions and have other staff present such as Dr. Burns, David Eisenberg, and others that can provide input into where the program can go and how it can grow. It would be a Planning Meeting for his department. They could give him choices of three dates and let him pick one that works best. March 23, 29, and 31 are the choices for Joe to choose from.
Florence Conrad moved and Robert Goodwin seconded to approve Joe’s report. 7 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
9) Vickie Walden
Not present, due to computer class, written report only.
Florrine Super moved and Robert Goodwin seconded to approve Vickie’s report. 7 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
10) David Eisenberg
David was present to review his written report and request approval of Policy 02-012-024 – Utilities Failure Plan, 02-0050-016 – Medical/Hazardous Waste Management, 02-004-008 – Infant/Child Abduction, 02-004-014 – Motor Vehicle Restraint, and 02-008-019 – Clinic Smoking Policy.
He went over the changes made to the policies. They have all been accepted by ACQI.
Florrine Super moved and Leeon Hillman seconded to approve the policies. 7 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
The Council would like all of the Health policies put together electronically so they can have it – they could all be emailed and then put onto disks.
Robert Goodwin moved and Leeon Hillman seconded to approve David’s report. 7 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
11) Lessie Aubrey
Not present, on vacation, written report only. In her report she asked about the role that she plays in the absence of the Director. Currently, she is the Acting Director when Wes is not at the office. She would like to know if this will continue in the time between his resignation and the hiring of the new Director. They will discuss that at a later date.
Dr. Burns elaborated on Lessie’s brief article about the HRSA visitors and the discussion that was held regarding the mission statement of the health program. He states that HRSA mentioned changes that need to be made to the mission statement and the Tribal Staff were able to explain to the HRSA visitors what the reasons are behind the mission statement and also that it mentions in the handbook that they will provide services to non-Indians so it would be OK. They also spoke to the Project Manager at HRSA and they were told that it should be OK, without changing the mission statement. They also explained to HRSA that this is a self-governance Tribe and that it is different that any other organization they work with. HRSA is very used to being the major funder for clinics and being able to tell the clinic what they want done and the grantee doing it, where it is different here as it is already such a large program that is well established, this funding is only a small portion of the overall budget. Most of their items were suggestions and will remain as that since the Tribe’s program is operating well.
There was discussion regarding the GPRA Indicators and ways they are going to address the way that they are tracking it so that the Health Program can evaluate the right data in the right location.
They suggest changing the wording from Indian to Native American to be clear on the notice to patients about their verification.
Robert Goodwin moved and Leeon Hillman seconded to approve the notice to patients about Native American verification with the wording change. 7 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
Leeon Hillman moved and Florence Conrad seconded to approve Lessie’s report. 7 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
12) Dr. Steven Burns
Dr. Burns did a brief report. He states they are currently having Health Manager’s Meetings the third Thursday of each month from 9-11. They are starting to look at medical provider productivity and also are reviewing their budgets. This should also help with information flow to the Health Program Staff.
He has been participating in interviews for the Executive Director position and
there will be more interviews on March
17, 2005 with some well qualified
applicants in the pool.
He also announced that there is a husband/wife doctor/dentist combo coming to Yreka. They are looking to relocate and raise their family in Yreka.
Dr. Burns has been asked to sit on the Turtle Health Plan Board of Directors as one of the two physician members. Wes feels this is a good idea as he can attend the meetings by conference call. Dr. Burns will ask them if he can report what he learns in the meetings back to the Council and if not, he will not participate.
He requested out of state travel for Laura Ward to Las Vegas, Nevada, April 26-30, 2005 for Third Party Reimbursements and Medical Records Management. Lessie feels that this is an exceptionally good training company and it should be beneficial to Laura as the Medical Records Clerk.
Robert Goodwin moved and Leeon Hillman seconded to approve out of state travel for Laura Ward to Las Vegas, NV, April 26-30, 2005. 7 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
Robert Goodwin moved and Leeon Hillman seconded to approve Dr. Burns’ report. 7 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
13) Wes Valentine
Not present, on vacation.
14) Sara Spence
IHS is asking for a donation of $1,000 to pay for refreshments for the upcoming Director’s Conference in Reno. The Tribe has funded this request for the past two to three years. It comes from the Third Party Budget.
Robert Goodwin moved and Alvis Johnson seconded to approve a $1,000 donation to the IHS Director’s Conference from Third Party. 7 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
15) Informational Items
None at this time.
16) Committee Reports
Florrine states that every Monday she meets with Darlene and the Judge for a CASA Management Meeting and Friends of CASA (FOC) is for Fundraising for CASA and then there is also the CASA Committee Meetings. She just wanted to be clear that these are three different groups associated with CASA to make sure everyone is clear.
Closed Session from 9:00 PM to 12:30 AM
Consensus: For Mary to come back to them with dollar amounts related to her request regarding prescriptions being mailed before they make any changes or decisions.
Robert Goodwin moved and Leeon Hillman seconded to approve Resolution 05-R-19 for submission of the 2005 CASA Grant for $40,000. 7 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
Consensus: To deny Case #138 in the amount of $138.45.
Robert Goodwin moved and Florrine Super seconded to approve Resolution 05-R-20 for APN 033-610-010. 7 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
Consensus: For Sara to do a phone vote for the HC Land Resolutions next week after she and Carrie put the numbers in and send them out for review.
Consensus: To grant an extension to Selma George until March 24, 2005.
Consensus: Employees that go to the River Protest will be paid their wages for that day.
Florence Conrad moved and Florrine Super seconded to approve a $6,000 per month contract for six months with Barbara Norman to provide legal services to the Tribe. 5 haa, 2 puuhara (Leeon Hillman and Robert Goodwin), 0 pupitihara.
Consensus: To send a letter to Germaine Smith regarding funding for BIA and her request.
Directive: For the Housing Committee to suspend the current action to remove BA from RA’s home and have it put back on the Housing Agenda as all details were not available at the time the original decision was made and hold the discussion until RA can be present to address the Committee.
Florence Conrad moved and Robert Goodwin seconded to approve the Friends of CASA Policies. 6 haa, 0 puuhara, 1 pupitihara (Roy Arwood).
Consensus: To tell the Tribal Court Judge it is OK for him to speak about the Tribal CASA Program and the Tribal Court on the Yreka Public Television Station in an interview.
Consensus: For the CASA Committee, ICWA Committee, and Judicial Oversight Committee to schedule a joint meeting so that everyone is on the same page.
Robert Goodwin moved and Florrine Super seconded to cover the expenses for the box for Fannie Fisher’s funeral services from discretionary for $59.63. 7 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
Directive: For Fred to put the fence at Lena’s back up as soon as possible and report back to Arch when it is done.
Next Meeting Date: April 14, 2005 at 5 PM in Happy Camp.
Alvis Johnson moved and Robert Goodwin seconded to adjourn at 12:33 PM.
Yootva,
________________________
Arch Super, Chairman
Recording Secretary, Sara Spence