Health care contracts get thumbs up

By Pamela G. Dempsey
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — Legislation to give permanent status to the Navajo Nation's three contract health care facilities received another positive vote on Monday.

The Ethics and Rules Committee voted unanimously to give a "do-pass" vote to the legislation sponsored by Evelyn Acothley, vice-chair of the Health and Social Services Committee.

Committee member Harry Williams Sr., in asking for the committee's support of the resolution, said services have improved within the Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation.

"Yes, there was a lot of controversy, but as far as patient care is concerned, from what I've seen, there's been antremendous increase," Williams said.

Acothley said that while issues still remain at the Tuba City hospital, namely, an elected board of directors, other issues have been resolved.

The Inter-governmental Relations Committee gave a "do not pass" vote to the legislation last week, asking instead that the Health and Social Services Committee divide up the resolution into four separate ones so that each health care contract can be dealt with individually.

Currently, the tribe has given authorization to three health care facilities Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation, Winslow Indian Health Care Inc., and Utah Navajo Health Systems Inc. until Sept. 31, 2005 under a pilot project status to administer health care itself rather than Indian Health Service.

This resolution removes the pilot-project status and also grants authorization to Sage Memorial Hospital Inc.

Acothley said putting the contracts under one resolution makes them easier to monitor.

"If we give limits (by imposing years), then we give the message that we have no confidence in the health care," Acothley said. "With direct services, we have local control and make decisions (locally), other than IHS making the decisions."

Tuba City's interim chief executive officer, Dr. Scott Deasy, said without a permanent status, recruiting personnel is hard.

Deasy told the Ethics and Rules Committee he was comfortable working with his board of directors.

The board, he said, has made "big steps" by placing a member of the medical staff in the interim CEO position and regularly meets with leadership groups.

The resolution will now be considered in a special Navajo Nation Council meeting or its summer session.

— To contact reporter Pam Dempsey call (505) 879-1707 or email pamelagdempsey@msn.com.