Health and Social Services Committee visits Tuba City

By Pamela Dempsey
Diné Bureau

TUBA CITY — The Health and Social Services Committee paid a visit to Tuba City in an effort to grab an update on the on-going issues surrounding the Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation.

"We're here for a progress report," said Evelyn Acothley, vice-chair of the committee. It's very important thehealth care delivery issue be resolved to the satisfaction of the Navajo people within the (hospital area).

Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation's board of directors and hospital practices came under scrutiny last year after several employees were terminated in April.

The committee was directed to conduct a survey of the tribe's three contracted health care facilities located in Tuba City, Winslow, and Montezuma Creek to hear concerns from respective staff and community.

In August, at the conclusion of the hearings, the committee gave a report to the Inter-Governmental Relations Committee of its findings and recommendations.

"We want to get everyone back to together, we want something good to come out of this meeting," Acothley told the small crowd of staff and community at Tuesday s meeting.

The committee spent the better part of the day repeating its recommendations and listening to reports given by the hospital board of directors and chief executive officer, as well as chapter and tribal officials.

"We want to X-ray where the problem is," said Harry Goldtooth, one council delegate. "P.L. 93- 638 ... let s go forward with it, but we don't need to fire the doctor, the nurse, and the employee."

The board of directors and the interim chief executive officer were blamed by a few outspoken officials for the problems of the hospital.

However, Raymond Maxx, another council delegate and husband of hospital board president Eunice Begay, said regardless of the administration, the problems still exists.

"It s come to a point where we have to set aside our differences," Maxx said. "Everyone of you are very important. People throw retrocession around like it s a toy... (but) whatever happens negatively, the Navajo Nation will have a black eye."

A retrocession of the Tuba City hospital s contract means the operation and oversight of the hospital will be given back to the Indian Health Service.

Legislation has been drafted to approve a conditional retrocession of Tuba City s contract if its board does not incorporate an election process in its bylaws.

Although originally slated for Tuesday s agenda, the committee pushed back the legislation to its Jan. 21 meeting after hearing the effects retrocession will have from Indian Health Service and the Navajo Nation s Department of Justice.

Instead, the committee's attentions are directed to the reauthorization of the health care contracts. The contracts expire in September and a technical assistance group has been created to examine the health care contracts and make recommendations for their reauthorization. An elected board of directors tops the list.

"To me, the board of directors has no authority," said Jack Colorado, chapter president of Cameron; however, if elected, they will have more authority.

The hospital board amended its bylaws recently to recognize board appointments by chapters within its service unit, however, language within the amendments has the committee concerned there are ways around it.

Alice Benally, a committee member, said retrocession was not on her mind, but an elected board of directors was.

"We spent an entire day here and listened to almost the same thing," Benally said. "I didn't anticipate this. We all want to be sitting on the same bus, with the same driver, going to the same place."

"An elected board of directors would solve a majority of problems," said Ron Milford, one of the terminated employees who was reinstated.

"It's an obtainable goal," he said.

The outcome of this meeting will reflect in the reauthorization, Acothley said later. Begay said she thought the meeting was positive.

"We've answered a lot of concerns," she said, and addressed a lot of issues. Elections, she said, were complicated.

"It s a financial issue," she said. "Who's going to foot the bill?"