Tribes hear some hopeful news on health care

By Phil Ferolito
Yakima Herald-Republic

YAKIMA, Wash. —Tribal leaders at the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians conference learned Tuesday that a bill seeking to give Indian health care a $166 million boost is making its way through the U.S. Senate.

Biggest change

It would be the largest infusion of funds the agency has seen under the Bush administration, and would be the most dramatic change to Indian health care in Washington state.

Hundreds of tribal members filed into the Yakima Convention Center on the opening day of the conference. Booths with information about everything from Yakama Forest Products to the tribe’s environmental restoration and cleanup programs lined the main foyer. Craft vendors selling beaded bags, blankets and other items filled a large room at the center of the building.

Big turn out

More than 400 tribal members from across the Pacific Northwest registered for the four-day event.

“We’ve got a great turnout,” said Yakama Tribal Council Chairman Ralph Sampson Jr.

Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians gathers for its winter conference, where tribal policy and federal laws affecting tribes are discussed.

This year the Yakama Nation -- owner of the Sun Kings basketball team -- hosted the gathering in conjunction with the Continental Basketball Association all-star game Tuesday night at the SunDome. Tickets to the game were included in conference registration packets.

Throughout the day, tribal members from 54 Northwestern tribes filed into various conference rooms for sessions on topics ranging from Indian health care to taxation of Indian gambling.

During one discussion, a handful of tribal officials learned that the health care bill, which would devote more than $13 million to methamphetamine awareness and treatment, was brought to the Senate floor earlier Tuesday morning.

To vote

A vote on the bill is expected sometime today.

The bill also would increase funding for preventive care, but most of the infusion will continue to fund current programs, said Verne Boerner, a member of the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board.

She said strengthening current programs is important because of the rise in tribal population growth.

“The Northwest tribes are great in their foresight,” she said. “Population growth is definitely an issue.”

Yakama Diabetes Program Manager Betty Nason said any additional funding to Indian health care is much needed.

Hope for funding

She’s hoping that the tribe’s diabetes program will also get some additional funding.There are more than 900 diabetes patients in the roughly 10,000-member Yakama tribe, but the Yakama program with an annual budget of about $600,000 is only federally funded through the end of the year.

“It would be great if we had more funding to provide more services,” she said.