Tulalip Tribal Government, Quil Ceda Village, TGO and Tribal businesses respond to COVID-19 pandemic.
Category: News
The Native American Student Art Festival is canceled
Staff will re-evaluate and re-schedule after school resumes.
Message from the Tulalip pharmacy
Dear Tulalip Clinical Pharmacy customers: Several patients expressed concerns about medication shortage due to supply chain issue in China (China supplies a significant amount of drug ingredients to the world). I want to assure you that we are currently very well stocked on most medications. It’s our standard operating practice to overstock pharmacy at the beginning of the year , partly to take advantage of volume discount and partly to protect us from situation like this. I have no doubt we will be able to provide uninterrupted pharmacy service beyond this challenging situation.
To reduce the chance of COVID-19 transmission at the pharmacy and to ensure safety for everyone, we have implemented the following precautionary measures:
- Clean and sanitize all work surface at least once an hour
- Staff will wear masks and gloves during work hours until further notice
- Staff in different departments will communicate primarily via phone, Skype and email.
- Sick patients are encouraged to wear masks inside pharmacy
- Fill 90-days supply of maintenance medications whenever possible.
- Delivery driver will check on elders to ensure they have all necessary supplies and report any issues immediately to pharmacy management and elder care program.
What you can do to help:
- Wear masks at the pharmacy if you are sick (coughing, sneezing, or having a fever)
- Consider ordering 90-days supply of your maintenance medications. please do keep in mind our bigger workload as more patients want 90-days supply of their medications.
- Arrange pick up for elders so they don’t have to worry about getting out.
- For Medbox patients, we assure you your delivery will be on time every month just as they have always been for the last six years because on-time delivery is one of our highest priority and we do have plenty of your maintenance medications in stock right now.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me or my staff if you have any concerns. We will do our very best to accommodate your prescriptions needs.
Kelvin Lee
www.tulalipclinicalpharmacy.com
Tulalip Food Bank: A mission to feed everybody
By Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News
“This food bank is important to our community,” expressed Tulalip citizen, Val Perez. “It’s helping the less fortunate, I was one of them. Three years ago I was living under a tent and am lucky that this was here. Every time that I’ve come back since, I’ve needed to get less and less. But I know they’re always here, the same friendly faces too.”
The Tulalip Church of God, commonly known as ‘the red church’, has been operating a bi-weekly food bank for over thirty years. Originally opening its doors in the 80’s, the church has made it their mission to provide fresh groceries twice a month to those families in need of assistance.
The food bank is organized and led by community member and lifelong Church of God follower, Tamara ‘Tami’ Morden who explained that the food bank began due to other food banks, in Everett and Marysville, turning away people who lived outside of their cities, which namely included Tulalip. Tamara took the reins nearly a decade ago and has passionately served her community, ensuring the inspiration and mission behind the food bank never falters.
“We are available to everybody in need of food,” said Tami. “I’m here to feed everybody. I don’t care if you’re from Everett or wherever, we don’t turn people away. If I feed one person, I’m good. If I feed a bunch of people, I’m better.”
Various items are offered at the food bank including selections of protein such as chicken and ground turkey; fresh produce like onions, potatoes, apples and celery; baked goods ranging from French bread to desserts; canned foods; dairy items; and of course plenty of mac and cheese.
“We get our donations from Albertsons, WinCo, Northwest Harvest and the Tribe brings donations too,” said Food Bank volunteer and Church goer, Charlotte Petrie. “We try to have a selection of protein, vegetables, dairy and we order some goodies from Costco. We try to always have cereal available, that’s important. We’re here for everyone. We’re hoping more people will come and get some food, so no one goes hungry. I enjoy helping the people. We have a great crew and we have fun. If anyone would like, please join us. We’re always in need of volunteers.”
The Tulalip Food Bank is open to all. Their doors are open every-other-week on Tuesdays between the hours of 10:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., with the next event occurring on March 17. As always, volunteers and donations are graciously welcome. For more information, please contact Tami at (425) 760-6241.
2020 Census Be visible. Be counted!
By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
Every 10 years the United States Census Bureau attempts the astounding task of counting each and every person in the country. The Constitution requires a census every 10 years to determine how many seats each state will have in the House of Representatives. More importantly, census data also helps guide how billions of dollars in federal, state, and tribal funding are distributed.
Accurate census data leads to fairer distributions of funds that support tribal programs in meeting community member needs, such as housing, education, healthcare, elder programs, childcare programs, health care and economic development. Put simply, having accurate representation means making sure you are counted, and by being counted you bring more federal money to Tulalip that benefits the entire reservation. Each person counted equals $3,000 in funding for our community.
“The 2020 Census is our chance to be visible, to be heard, and for our tribal nations to be recognized,” stated Kevin Allis, CEO of the National Congress of American Indians. “Being counted means standing up for yourself, your family, and your tribal community. Our people, our nations, and our future depend on each one of us to complete the census form. This is our opportunity to make a difference – the time is now. Let us join together and make 2020 the year that Indian Country counts!”
The 2020 Census marks the 24th iteration of the census since its inception in 1790. Native American citizens weren’t counted in the census as a separate population category for the first time until 1860. Despite the lengthy history and expansive impact of the U.S. census, Native Americans have historically been undercounted.
An estimated one in seven Native Americans living on tribal lands were not counted in the last census back in 2010, according to the Census Bureau’s own audit. Making Native Americans – at 2% of the U.S. population – the group most likely to be missed.* This inaccuracy costs millions of annual tax dollars to Indian Country that would otherwise be used to improve public programs such as schools, roads, and other forms of critical public infrastructure.
Not being counted hurts Indian Country and on the local level, hurts Tulalip. Tribal leaders and the Census Bureau hope that by focusing on designated hard-to-count communities and improved technology will help produce a more accurate count this year. For the first time ever, you will be able to respond to the census online.
“I want to tell every [Native American] to be counted as an act of rebellion because this census is designed not to count you,” declared Natalie Landreth (Chickasaw), a senior attorney for the Native American Rights Fund, to Indian Country Today. “It is designed for you to not have congressional districts. It is designed for you to not have federal monies. Make yourself heard because they don’t want to hear from you.”
By April 1, 2020, all Tulalip households will receive an invitation to participate in the census. You will then have three ways to respond: online, by phone, or by mail. Making the 2020 Census as mobile and convenient as possible.
The average time is should take a household to complete the census form is only about ten minutes. Taking those critical minutes to be counted means standing up and being visible for yourself, your family, and your tribal community.
Your responses to the 2020 Census are confidential and protected by law. Personal information is never shared with any other government agencies or law enforcement, including federal, local, and tribal authorities.
It cannot be understated that accurate census data is essential for policymaking and funding for public roads and many other types of essential infrastructure. A lot of our federal programs are dependent on the numbers generated from the census. It impacts education. It impacts economic development. It impacts tribal housing. It impacts health care.
Now is the time to encourage family, friends, and neighbors to spread the work and participate in the 2020 Census. Don’t let the government short change Indian Country or Tulalip a single dollar of federal funding. Be visible and be counted!
For more information, visit www.census.gov
*Source: The Guardian – Native Americans fight to be counted in U.S. census
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How to be counted as Tulalip
For many reasons, it is important that Native households be counted in the 2020 Census. This depends on the race of “Person 1” or the first person listed on the census form. If that person says he or she is Native, then the household will be counted as one with a Native “householder”.
Saying that you’re American Indian or Alaska Native on the 2020 Census form is a matter of self-identification. No proof is required. No one will ask you to show a tribal enrollment card or a certificate of Indian blood.
To be counted as a Native citizen who is part of the Tulalip Tribes, you must complete two simple steps. Frist, check the box for American Indian or Alaska Native. Second, make sure to write in your enrolled tribe. For Tulalip tribal members this means writing in Tulalip Tribes.
As far as the Census Bureau is concerned, the listing of a person’s tribe is entirely a matter of what the person writes in. No proof of the person’s relationship to that tribe is required. It’s all a matter of self-identification.
Tulalip rain garden saves the day
By Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News
Sometime during the night of March 9, a main water break occurred directly above the Tulalip Senior Center causing a water outage at the senior center, the senior apartments, as well as the entire Battle Creek neighborhood and all along Totem Beach Road. Water gushed into the newly extended parking lot and threatened damage to the recently remodeled senior center.
According to Tulalip Natural Resources, the pipe burst is believed to be caused by a combination of cold weather and frequent vehicle traffic over the pipeline. The line break proved to be an inconvenience to many surrounding residents and elders who rely on the waterline, as they went without water for the majority of the following day. However, the Senior Center, Tulalip Utilities, the Tribe’s Natural Resources Department, and most importantly local marine life, are a bit relieved in the fact that a bad situation didn’t take a turn for the worse thanks to an implementation of a natural filtration system to the senior center remodel.
“The rain garden saves the day!” exclaimed Valerie Streeter, Tulalip Natural Resources Storm Water Planner. “They said the water went underneath the pavement and some went into the storm drains, but it was too much. So then it went into the rain garden and the overflow was stopped by a silt fence that caught all the silt – the water and mud pulled out of the bank.”
By design, rain gardens collect storm water runoff from rooftops, nearby streets, lawns and driveways, absorbing and filtering out harmful pollutants like oil, metal, paint, pesticide, and fertilizer. Rain gardens effectively remove 90% of chemicals and 80% of sediments from storm water runoff, preventing those containments from entering our ecosystem, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
“It would’ve been bad if that water would have made it to the bay,” Valerie said. “It’s kind of by luck that the burst happened there. But even before this incident, with all the rain we’ve been getting, the rain garden has been taking that water and managing it, acting like the sponge it needs to be, and sending that clean water out to the bay.”
Over recent years, the Tribe has taken proactive measures by building several rain gardens and bioretention swales throughout the reservation, including at the Tribal Administration building parking lot and along busy roads. Throughout the senior center’s remodel planning stages, the rain garden was said to be a touchy subject and debated if it was an immediate necessity. Thankfully the decision to include it in the first phase of renovations proved to be, in hindsight, beneficial to the fish and aquatic life who frequent the waters of the bay.
Valerie explained, “If you want healthy fish and good water, not just marginal water, you want that water to go through the plants and the soil because that’s what naturally happens; it goes through the soil, cleans it, makes organic carbon and heads out, and then you’ll have water that really supports fish.”
“A lot of the pollution is car related,” she continued. “There’s zinc on the tires, and zinc is a heavy metal that will kill either fish or their food. And then you have copper in the brake pads, and that affects the smell of the salmon. The salmon use their sense of smell to find their way back to the home stream, and if they see a predator they secrete this chemical and the other fish smell it and sink down in the water to the avoid the predator. You add copper, even a little bit above the baseline of it, it doesn’t work. The other fish don’t get the message, they don’t sink down and the predator eats them. And then you also have the oil drips that coats gills and eggs so they don’t get oxygen.
So the sediment, had the rain garden or the silt fence not have been there today, and that waterline breaks, it would’ve gone into the building and the bay. It probably would’ve smothered things. If it had been a stream or where salmon eggs were, all that sediment would cover it and then you couldn’t have that oxygen exchange and the eggs would die. It would clog the gills of anything living out there.”
In addition to preventing irreversible harm to the waterways, salmon and aquatic creatures inhabiting Tulalip Bay, the rain garden also lent a helping hand to the Utilities and Public Works departments by gathering all the excess water from the burst, allowing the crew to quickly work on fixing the busted pipe and reconnecting the waterline for the community. Unfortunately, the water break did cause damage to the center’s parking lot, but the recently remodeled building did not receive any large water damage from the burst.
Although in its infancy stage, the native plants still have yet to be planted, the rain garden came through in a big way for Tulalip by halting mass pollution to the bay. Valerie believes that once complete, the garden will be a beautiful and purposeful addition to the senior center.
“It’s going to be really pretty once it’s planted,” she expressed. “The other idea is they’re going to have a bench so the elders can sit, relax and enjoy the rain garden. There will be all kinds of birds and animals that come to visit. Benches, berries, the bay and a beautiful landscape that’s functional for the environment. That sounds like a wonderful scenery.”
Tulalip senior center closes amid coronavirus outbreak
With health officials now reporting 19 confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Snohomish County, the Tulalip Tribes is working to ensure the health and safety of its elders. Since elders are identified as some of the most vulnerable to COVID-19, extra precautions are being taken within the Tulalip community.
According to Rochelle Lubbers, Chief Administrative Officer of Tulalip Tribal Government Operations, as of Friday, March 6, the Katherine “Molly” Hatch Senior Center has temporarily closed its doors until tribal officials gain more information about the spreading virus. Bingo sessions, elder commission meetings and other gathering events have been canceled.
The Tribe considers those to be over 62 years-of-age an elder, and will be delivering soap, paper towels, hand sanitizers and information about the virus to all tribal member elders on the reservation. Following that, deliveries will be made to seniors over 55 years of age.
Elders are advised to stay in their houses to limit the exposure to a possible outbreak. If an elder is part of your household, buy supplies and help with errands if you can. Also be sure to call and check in on elders you know may need help. And most importantly, wash your hands regularly with an alcohol-based hand rub or with soap and water, and avoid touching your face.
If an elder has an illness, contact their doctor. If they are experiencing life-threatening symptoms call 911. For more information about COVID-19, contact the Snohomish County Health District hotline at 1-800-525-0127.
Elders are encouraged to tune in to Tulalip TV, Channel 3/503 (HD) for video updates from Tribal leaders about COVID-19. Tulalip TV can also be accessed at TulalipTV.com, the TulalipTV App, available from the Apple App Store/Google Play Store, and Roku and FireTV, Tulalip TV channels.
Please continue to check in with Tulalip News, at tulalipnews.com and Tulalip News Facebook and subscribe to emails for the most current information. You can also subscribe to the text alert line (text STORM to 30644), to receive updates and alerts.
Emergency Management Health Bulletin, March 6, 2020
By Ashlynn Danielson, Tulalip Tribes Emergency Preparedness Manager
Earlier this week, we informed you that there were two patients exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 who were transported from Tulalip to a hospital. As of this morning, we do not have confirmed positive cases of COVID-19.
Local medical systems do not have control over whether a patient is tested. When a patient meets the threshold and is tested, we do not have control over how quickly the results are processed. Typically it takes 72 hours for test results to come back to the Department of Health and longer if it was sent to the University of Washington lab for testing. As soon as results are received, the patient is notified immediately, then the patient’s primary care provider or the local Chief Medical Officer. Tulalip’s Chief Medical Officer is Dr. John Okemah.
When there is a positive test, the Department of Health mobilizes to track and notify the patient’s recent social contacts. The Department of Health monitors those likely to become infected and will request that they report any new symptoms and stay isolated in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Close personal contact does not mean passing by someone at the grocery store or another common area. Personal contact means that you have been in close proximity for 10 minutes or more, with someone who was exhibiting active symptoms (cough, fever, shortness of breath).
For reliable information to some of the frequently asked questions about whether you are at risk for COVID-19, please visit the following websites.
What to do if you have confirmed or suspected coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
What to do if you were potentially exposed to someone with confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
Snohomish County Health District has set up a hotline (call 1-800-525-0127 then press #,) where you can speak with a medical professional and ask them any questions about COVID-19. We ask that you utilize this hotline, which is staffed with active medical reserve volunteers, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. Tribal staff is also ready to take calls; however, because of staffing limitations, you may have a delayed response.
Our goal and plan are to be as transparent as possible. We will share new information as soon as possible. Please continue to check in with Tulalip News, subscribe to our emails for the most current information. You can also subscribe to our text alert line (text STORM to 30644), which is where we will send new information.
We will get through this together!
Emergency Management Health Bulletin
Coronavirus Q & A
Disease: COVID-19
Virus: SARS-CoV-2
With so much information about the novel coronavirus, it’s challenging to decide what is accurate and useful. The Tulalip Emergency Management Department, in collaboration with the Karen I. Fryberg Health Clinic and Snohomish County Public Health District, is committed to updating you about the virus regularly. We will plan to release our updates Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, as well as when new information becomes available. For the latest accurate information, we encourage people to visit the following websites: CDC (Center for Disease Control) https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html, Snohomish County Health District https://www.snohd.org/, or the Department of Health https://www.doh.wa.gov/.
The following questions have come up in the last few days. Please let us know if you have additional questions you’d like us to answer—email questions and concerns to Ashlynn Danielson, Emergency Management, adanielson@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov.
Q: How do I know if it is COVID-19 or the flu?
A: COVID-19 and the flu have very similar symptoms. The COVID-19 includes cough and fever, particularly a fever that goes away and returns. Most people can overcome COVID-19 without medical intervention. If you suspect you have the COVID-19, please contact your regular medical provider via phone. If you are experiencing life-threatening symptoms, please call 911.
Q: What can I do to stay safe?
A: Wash hands frequently for 20 seconds with soap and water. Covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, then throwing the tissue in the trash and washing your hands. If you develop symptoms, reduce the stress on the healthcare system and your risk of exposure by staying home and calling the doctor. Make it a habit to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. It is easy to transfer germs from surfaces to your body when you touch your face.
Q: Are there any COVID-19 cases at Tulalip?
A: There are likely possible positive cases that have been identified at Tulalip. A possible positive case is a patient who exhibits the signs and symptoms and is presumed to have the disease. These patients are then tested if they show moderate to severe symptoms. Testing capabilities are limited, and patients with mild symptoms are generally not checked to protect the supplies for the most critical patients. The Emergency Management Team, in collaboration with Community Health, local Tulalip Bay Fire District 15 and Marysville Fire Department, and Tulalip Police Department, have a plan in place to track presumptive positive cases to keep our public informed and reduce the spread of the disease. Presumptive positive is a term which means that while local testing has produced a positive result for COVID-19, the sample is still awaiting confirmation from the CDC.
Q: Does handwashing work better than hand sanitizer?
A: Soap and water are better than hand sanitizers at removing specific kinds of germs, especially on dirty hands. However, for people who have mobility issues or lack of access to clean running water, hand sanitizer is useful in a pinch.
Q: How do I decide whether to stay home from work, go to a clinic, or go to the hospital?
A: If you have a fever and cough, as well as any flu-like symptoms, please call your regular health care provider. They will do a phone triage, or a series of questions to determine if it is likely that you have contracted COVID-19. Based on your doctor’s recommendation, you should self-isolate and limit your exposure to others, visit a healthcare facility, or, if you are experiencing life-threatening symptoms including shortness of breath or chest pain, call 911.
Q: I need to be seen, but my doctor told me to stay home. Why are they treating me like this?
A: Your doctor may ask you to self-isolate, or stay home and limit your exposure to others, to protect you and the people around you. In many cases, patients are putting themselves at risk for contracting the disease by going to a medical facility when they do not need to. In other cases, you may risk infecting others. Lastly, in situations like this, health care facilities can become overwhelmed with minor illnesses, which reduces their ability to take care of those patients who do experience life-threatening symptoms from the disease.
Q: What is Tribal Government doing?
A: Tribal Government administration has briefed managers about the situation and is encouraging staff to be diligent about sanitizing high-touch areas, including keyboards, doorknobs, and handrails. Tribal government is encouraging staff who have COVID-19 symptoms to stay home from work for at least seven days and/or 72 hours after symptoms resolve, whichever is longer. The Pharmacy will be holding a seasonal influenza clinic at the Administration building to provide staff with a seasonal flu vaccine. This is a protective measure. This vaccine does not protect against COVID-19. When a person contracts seasonal influenza, it can raise their risk of contracting COVID-19, so flu vaccines are being recommended. Some policies are being temporarily relaxed to allow employees to take sensible precautions. For example, supervisors may waive the requirement for a doctor’s note before returning to work. We are doing this to reduce the non-emergent workload for medical facilities.
Q: What are our casinos doing?
A: Leadership is putting strategies in place to both sanitize the facilities more thoroughly and protect staff and clients by encouraging team members who exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 to stay home from work based on current medical recommendations. Leadership will be flexible about employee leave to take care of the health of our community.
Q: Will our health clinic close if it gets worse?
A: Staff at the Karen I. Fryberg Health Clinic have been involved in planning and are putting precautions in place to make sure that staff stays healthy, and the clinic remains operational. As you enter the clinic, a staff member will ask you to sanitize your hands. If you show any signs of a cough or upper respiratory infection, you may be provided a mask and asked to wear it to contain your cough. Another new procedure is phone triaging. This means that patients who exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 will be asked a series of questions to determine if it is likely they have contracted the disease. Patients with mild symptoms will be advised to isolate, to protect them from contracting the illness if they do not have it, and to prevent them from spreading the illness if they are ill with COVID-19. Patients with moderate symptoms may be asked to come in and call when they arrive. At that point staff will **
Q: Why do emergency personnel need masks if they don’t work?
A: Masks will not stop you from contracting COVID-19 since they do not cover your eyes and do not filter out viruses. However, if you are already sick, a mask can limit the distance that droplets travel when you cough or sneeze. Medical professionals ask patients exhibiting symptoms to wear a mask.
First responders and emergency personnel will wear full personal protective equipment if seeing a client suspected of or infected with COVID-19. They wear both masks and goggles to protect the eyes, nose, and mouth. They may also wear disposable gowns and foot covers that can be disposed of in a medically safe manner to reduce transmission of COVID-19.
Q: COVID-19 isn’t the flu, why should I get a flu shot?
A: Although the seasonal flu shot will not protect you from COVID-19, it can reduce your risk of getting the flu. Coming down with any illness can increase your risk of catching a second illness, which is why we recommend people get a seasonal flu vaccine if they have not already.
Q: What is the incubation period?
A: This virus is new; we are learning more about it every day. The current medical recommendation is that if you show symptoms to isolate yourself. Encourage family members to stay six feet away to reduce the transmission of the disease. Do not return to work or school for seven days or 72 hours after all symptoms have resolved, whichever is longer.
Q: How can I talk to my kids about COVID-19 when I am scared that it won’t be all right?
A: Viruses have been around for all of human history. We can work to limit our exposure and contain it. COVID-19 doesn’t appear to have the high fatality rates of viruses like Ebola or Hemorrhagic virus. Most healthy people have mild symptoms, and their immune system deals with the virus. We can take care of ourselves and the people around us, especially elders and those with compromised immune systems, by letting people know if we are sick and staying away from others who are sick. We care about one another, and even though this is a scary time, we’ll get through it together.
Annual Problem Gambling Awareness Gathering happening March 7th
By Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News
“It’s so widespread, but the societal norm is that it’s not accepted as a disease,” said Tulalip Problem Gambling Counselor, Robin Johnson. “A lot of people who come and see us will say that they feel like they don’t have a real problem, so this is raising awareness about the fact that problem gambling is a disease and also of the detriments that it causes in real life. There is help. You are not alone.”
The Tulalip Tribes Family Services Problem Gambling Program invites you and yours to a special soiree on the evening of March 7th. A popular community event, and highly anticipated within the recovery circle, the annual Problem Gambling Awareness Gathering promotes healing, education and awareness about an addiction that nationally affects approximately six million individuals and their families each year, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling.
“In most Indigenous communities there’s higher risk of acquiring a gambling disorder,” explained Problem Gambling Coordinator, Sarah Sense-Wilson. “That’s because of co-occurring disorders, mental health, addiction, proximity to gambling establishments and trauma issues. Those things all factor into why Indigenous populations tend to have vulnerability for a gambling disorder.”
For half a decade, the Tulalip Problem Gambling program has actively taken part in a countrywide initiative, Problem Gambling Awareness Month, by hosting local events and providing support to those in need each March. The campaign originally began over fifteen years ago in response to the amount of sports betting surrounding the NCAA March Madness college basketball tournament. Since Tulalip’s involvement in the awareness month, recovering gambling addicts who live at Tulalip, or in nearby cities, have found a sense of community and people who they can relate to and confide in during their journey to recovery.
“The theme for this year’s Problem Gambling Awareness month is ‘Seeds of Hope Through Recovery.’ That comes from the problem gambling recovery community, they’re the ones who conceptualized the theme,” Sarah said. “It impacts everybody in the community at some level, especially in our tribal communities, because we’re so small and tight knit. When I first started here, there was a real void in any collective effort to promote health and wellness around this issue of problem gambling, throughout the region not just at Tulalip. And really, there are no collective efforts or campaigns in Indian country to spotlight this as illness or disease.”
As a people, Native Americans are at the highest risk of developing a gambling habit. A 2019 study conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol and Related Conditions showed that 2.3% of the entire Indigenous population are currently battling the gambling addiction, one of the highest percentages in the nation. Recognizing that this is an issue affecting our tribal people, several Northwest tribes are addressing problem gambling by developing programs to help their people from within the community. Many of those nations, whose programs are still in the infancy stage, often send representatives to participate in events at Tulalip to get a better understanding of how the tribal people are interacting with the program.
Sarah explains, “Our program is a national model program because of the comprehensive services we provide and the expansive work that we’ve created here developing not just treatment, but also prevention, education, community outreach, all of those aspects. Usually, you don’t see that continuum of support services in any other addiction field program. This is also a great opportunity for cross-cultural understanding because we serve non-Natives too. In fact, our services are free and we work with everybody.”
The 5th Annual Problem Gambling Awareness Community Gathering takes place Saturday March 7, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Hibulb Cultural Center. Medicine will be offered all evening in the form of laughter provided by comedienne Adrianne Chalepah, traditional drum circle led by Terrance Sabbas and family, personal testimonials from recovering gambling addicts, as well as soothing tunes from Native violinist, Swil Kanim, who also doubles as the event’s Master of Ceremony.
“We’re trying to keep the same formula, bringing healing through comedic relief and raising awareness, trying to destigmatize the illness so that people are more open to receiving help or seeking services. We want people to understand that this is a disease, a disorder just like diabetes, high blood pressure, there’s no shame in it. We just want to see people get well and live healthy. It really does take a community to make it happen and that’s our goal. These events are not just about calling attention and centering on those in recovery; it’s also about reaching those who are still suffering.”
For more information, please contact the Problem Gambling program at (360) 716-4304.