Tulalip News

Tribes Get copy1.3 Million in Federal Grants to Combat Chronic Disease

Twenty-two tribes and indigenous organizations in 15 states will receive a total of copy1.3 million in grants from the Centers for Disease Control to combat chronic diseases commonly plaguing Indian country, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced on September 25.

The biggest winner is the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, which got copy.1 million, HHS said in a release. The smallest award went to Santa Ana Pueblo, for copy20,000.

It is part of overall grants totaling about $212 million awarded to all 50 states and the District of Columbia “to support programs aimed at preventing chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes,” the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement. “This new initiative aims to prevent heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and associated risk factors in American Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages through a holistic approach to population health and wellness.”

These are all prevalent problems in Indian country.

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The grantees will work within their communities using culturally appropriate measures to reduce exposure and use of commercial tobacco, improve nutrition and exercise, support breastfeeding, boost health literacy and strengthen team-based care by linking community resources with clinical services, HHS said. Half the awards are going directly to tribes, while the other half will be used to support tribal organizations that provide services, training, assistance and leadership in various areas to tribes and villages. The program is financed by the Prevention and Public Health Fund of the Affordable Care Act, HHS noted.

The other tribal grantees were the InterTribal Council of Arizona, Inc., which got $850,000; the California Rural Indian Health Board, Inc., whose grant was $788,972; United Indian Health Services, Inc., in California, with $650,000; the Nez Perce Tribe in Idaho, which is awarded $200,000; the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas, with copy94,876; the Sault Sainte Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Michigan, which gets $325,000; Fort Peck Community College in Montana, with $317,039; also in Montana, the Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council, which got $648,124; the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, netting copy78,493; the Albuquerque Area Indian Health Board, Inc. of New Mexico, which received $850,000; Oklahoma City Area Inter-Tribal Health Board, with $850,000; two grants in Oregon, with $850,000 going to the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board and copy99,159 to the Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center; the Catawba Indian Nation of South Carolina got copy99,804; the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board in South Dakota netted $650,000, while the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe received $200,000. In Tennessee the United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc. (USET) got $849,998, the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, Inc. in Wisconsin received $850,000, and, also in Wisconsin, the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians got $200,000.

Swinomish Tribe Prepares For A Changing Climate

EPA Region 10 Administrator Dennis McLerran meeting with Swinomish Tribal Council Chairman Brian Cladoosby at the Swinomish Reservation to discuss a new $750,000 grant to help the tribe prepare for climate change. | credit: Ashley Ahear

by Ashley Ahearn, KUOW

La Conner, Wash. — The Swinomish people have lived near the mouth of the Skagit River north of Seattle for thousands of years. Now, climate change threatens their lands with rising seas and flooding.

The Obama administration recently awarded the tribe a large grant to help cope with climate change.

The entire Swinomish reservation is pretty much at sea level, on a spit of land tucked into Skagit Bay.

Tribal chairman Brian Cladoosby says that as the waters rise, his people have been some of the first to feel the effects.

“We are experiencing it,” Cladoosby said Thursday. “We are witnessing it. For us here on Swinomish, we live on an island.”

The tribe has nowhere else to go. Flooding has put the tribes commercial areas and infrastructure at risk.

So, more than a decade ago, the Swinomish started planning.

Larry Campbell Sr., the tribal historic preservation officer, remembers.

READ: The Northwest’s Salmon People Face a Future Without Fish

“We took the stance where at the federal government level the scientists were still arguing, ‘is climate change a reality?’” he recalled. “We said ‘no, it’s a reality. What are we going to do to mitigate it?’”

The federal government took notice of the tribe’s climate change preparations.

“The Swinomish is a tribe that has shown leadership on climate in the past,” said Dennis McLerran, the Northwest Regional administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA has awarded the Swinomish a $750,000 grant. McLerran met Thursday with tribal leaders to discuss their plans.

The money will be used to map where sea level rise will affect tribal infrastructure and sacred places. It will also fund an assessment of how climate change will impact tribal health and natural resources – like salmon.

“We think this is money well spent. The work that they’re doing here is work that we think will be valuable in a variety of other places and particularly for vulnerable communities and for tribal communities,” McLerran said.

Scientists project that sea levels could rise by more than 3 feet by the end of the century.

October 1, 2014 Tulalip See-Yaht-Sub

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ENRIQUE JOSE SEDANO Jr.

Enrique Jose Sedano Junior, better known by loved ones as ‘E.J. and SonSon’, passed away on Sunday, September 21, 2014.

He was an extremely strong, determined child and put up a good fight until the end when he passed at OHSU/Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland, Oregon after a tragic accident.

Enrique Junior was a beautiful ball of energy who could keep you on your toes and make you excited about the workout. He was loving to his whole family, protective of his cousins, outgoing to melt the heart of the world and adventurous to complete the whole package we knew as EJ. His beautiful, big brown eyes told stories and his drive and emotion taught us all more than his short time should have allowed. He was such a smart and in tuned child, his voice and thoughts could always be heard.

He is survived by his parents, Charlotte Ike and Enrique Sedano; a sister, Alexandrea; maternal grandparents Ronda Metcalf and Renaldo Minjarez; and fraternal grandparents, Adrienne and Daniel Vielle and Samuel Sedano; great grandmother, Phyllis Enick; as well as a numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. E.J. was preceded in death by his great grandfather, Charles Calflooking Sr.; his uncle, Robby Kublic; cousin, Keemani Conklin; great grandmother, Charlotte Quinelle; great grandfather Ricardo Minjarez; and great-great grandmother, Gertrude Perry.

Although we will miss him every day, he will forever remain in our hearts. Visitation will be on Thursday, September 25, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. at Schaefer-Shipman with an Interfaith service to follow at 6:00 p.m. at the Tulalip Gym. Funeral will be held Friday at 9:30 at the Tulalip Gym with burial to follow at the Marysville Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to Schaefer-Shipman, Marysville.

Coastal First Nations Support NDP Bill to Protect Pacific Northwest

By: Derrick, West Coast Native News

(Vancouver, Sept. 23, 2014) – The Coastal First Nations supports a federal NDP [New Democratic Party] bill aimed at putting in place a law that would prohibit supertankers from on the North Coast.

Skeena-Bulkley Valley NDP MP Nathan Cullen introduced a private members bill, An Act to Defend the Pacific Northwest, that would also give communities a stronger voice in pipeline reviews and consider impacts of projects on jobs.

Executive Director Art Sterritt said for too long the concerns of our people and the majority of British Columbians have been ignored. “The bill addresses some of our major concerns with Enbridge’s Northern Gateway Pipeline.”

The pipeline review process with First Nations has been lacking. “This bill will ensure that our voices and concerns are heard.”

Sterritt said the bill will allow for more sustainable and long-term jobs. “We have spent more than a decade developing a sustainable economy.”

The Coastal First Nations are an alliance of First Nations that includes the Wuikinuxv Nation, Heiltsuk, Kitasoo/Xaixais, Nuxalk, Gitga’at, Haisla, Metlakatla, Old Massett, Skidegate, and Council of the Haida Nation working together to create a sustainable economy on British Columbia’s North and Central Coast and Haida Gwaii.

Tribal chief: No FedEx until Redskins change team name

By Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN

(CNN) — A Native American chief has asked all tribal employees not to use FedEx until the Washington Redskins changes its team name.

“Until the name of the NFL team is changed to something less inflammatory and insulting, I direct all employees to refrain from using FedEx when there is an alternative available,” Osage Nation Chief Geoffrey M. Standing Bear penned in his directive to all employees.

The tribe also issued a news release saying that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder “chooses to stick with a brand which dictionaries define as disparaging and offensive. FedEx chose to endorse that brand through their sponsorship of Mr. Snyder’s organization.”

It concludes, “The Osage Nation chooses not to use FedEx services. We encourage other tribal nations to consider similar actions.”

Standing Bear was not available for an interview, but Assistant Chief Raymond Red Corn said the tribe would “stand-pat” on the press release.

“It was not our intention to become a news item,” he said, adding that “ethics” drove the tribe’s decision.

The Redskins play their home games at FedExField, to which the shipping giant purchased the naming rights in a 27-year, $207 million deal in 1999, Forbes reports. Fred Smith, FedEx’s chairman, president and CEO, is part of the team’s ownership group.

Patrick Fitzgerald, FedEx’s senior vice president of marketing and communications, released a statement Wednesday saying that his employer values its sponsorship of the stadium and “we are proud that FedExField is a venue that is used by a wide range of community groups.”

“FedEx has closely followed the dialogue and difference of opinion concerning the Washington Redskins team name, but we continue to direct questions about the name to the franchise owner,” Fitzgerald said.

Snyder has repeatedly defended the name and wrote in a March letter that the name “captures the best of who we are and who we can be, by staying true to our history and honoring the deep and enduring values our name represents.”

The team has employed Native Americans to defend the name and launched a site called Redskins Facts to promote its stance that the names honors Native Americans rather than disparages them.

The team also has created a foundation to provide resources to tribal communities.

The good deed hasn’t stemmed the controversy as opposition to the name persists, and President Barack Obama said last year that if he were Snyder, he might change the name.

In June, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office canceled six trademarks belonging to the team, saying they were offensive. The team appealed the decision, saying it spent millions defending the trademark, and the patent office ruled the Redskins could use the logos until the years-long appeals process was complete.

The National Congress of American Indians has spoken out against the use of Redskins and other Native American mascots, and the Native Voice Network, which represents numerous Native American organizations, has targeted FedEx in its effort to convince Snyder to change the team name.

The Native Voice Network says use of “R-word” has a negative, dehumanizing effect on children, a major concern when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says suicide is the second-leading cause of death among Native American people between the ages of 15 and 24.

Chrissie Castro, the Native Voice Network’s “network weaver,” says her group “definitely” supports Osage Nation.

“We’re very proud of their position and we’d love to see other tribal communities do the same,” she said.

The Oklahoma tribe has about 18,000 members and is situated in Osage County, the setting for the Meryl Streep movie, “August: Osage County.”

CNN’s Devon M. Sayers contributed to this report.

Tips for keeping your pets safe when natural disasters happen

By BluePearl Veterinary Partners

SEATTLE – The patient care team at ACCES (A BluePearl Veterinary Partners) specialty and emergency hospital for pets in Seattle and Renton is encouraging pet parents to include their pets when making family disaster plans. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is sponsoring America’s PrepareAthon! on Sept. 30, as part of the federal government’s National Preparedness Month. The event is meant to motivate individuals, organizations and communities to prepare in advance for natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornados, wildfires and winter storms.

“Disasters can happen with little notice and be devastating. But being prepared can save your life or that of your family members — including your pets, ” said Amanda McNabb, emergency clinician with ACCES in Seattle, Washington, and a member of the WSDA Reserve Veterinary Corps. “That’s why we strongly recommend pets be included in your disaster preparedness plan.”

Here are some tips recommended by the ACCES team:

CREATE AN EMERGENCY KIT FOR YOUR PET BEFORE A DISASTER

Keep current documentation of your pet’s medical records and vaccination history in the emergency kit.
Include your pet’s license information.
Have a current photograph of your pet in the kit.
Keep a checklist in the kit of items to pull together when a disaster is imminent, including these:Have an evacuation strategy: Have a list including addresses and phone numbers of specialized pet shelters, animal control shelters, veterinary clinics, and friends and relatives out of harm’s way who are potential refuges for your pet during a disaster. Familiarize yourself with the location of each so if you need to evacuate, you can plan your route accordingly.
- Collar: Make sure your pet’s collar has an identification tag with your contact information.
- Leash: Use a leash if you evacuate or bring your pet to a shelter because pets can become easily disoriented if they slip away from you.
- Carrier: Have a properly sized pet carrier for each animal handy. Carriers should be large enough for the animal to stand and turn around.
- Medications: Have a two-week supply of medications and care instructions to bring with you.
- Food: A two-week supply of food should always be kept on-hand in case of an emergency.
- Other: Make a list of other items to add at the last minute such as food, bowls, can opener, cat litter, water and cleaning supplies.

DURING A DISASTER

Gather together in one place all items on your pet’s emergency checklist. A laundry basket is easy to carry and a good size for this purpose.
Animals brought to a pet shelter may be required to have any or all of the following:Pet shelters will be filled on first come, first-served basis. Call ahead and determine availability.
- Leash and collar with identification tag
- Rabies tag
- Identification on all belongings
- Suitable carrier or cage
- Ample supply of food, water and food bowls
- Necessary medications and specific, written care instructions
- Newspapers, trash bags and other supplies for clean-up
Bring pets indoors well in advance of a storm. Reassure and calm them throughout.
Monitor your pets’ behavior, because animals can become defensive or aggressive due to the stress of the situation.

AFTER A DISASTER

Walk pets on leashes until they become re-oriented to the area. Familiar scents and landmarks may be altered and pets could easily be confused and become lost. Also, downed power lines, debris, snakes and other critters brought in with high water can all pose a threat for animals after a disaster.
If your pet is lost during a disaster, contact your local animal control office to find out where lost animals are being housed. Bring along the picture of your pet and information about the microchip.

About Us: ACCES (A BluePearl Veterinary Partners Hospital) serves the Puget Sound region by offering the highest quality specialty, critical care, emergency medicine and specialty services to veterinarians and their clients 24-hours a day/365 days a year at locations in Seattle and Renton. For more information on ACCES, please visit criticalcarevets.com.

BluePearl Veterinary Partners employs 1,800 team members including more than 450 veterinarians. BluePearl hospitals offer referral-only, specialty care services and most offer 24-hour emergency care. BluePearl does not provide primary care. The company is one of the world’s principal providers of approved veterinary residency and internship programs. BluePearl also participates in clinical trials that investigate the effectiveness of new veterinary drugs and treatments, providing pet families access to cutting-edge medicine that is not yet commercially available. BluePearl is headquartered in Tampa, Fla. For more information on BluePearl Veterinary Partners, please visit bluepearlvet.com.

Feds funding ‘navigators’ to encourage signups

By Mike Dennison, Independent Record State Bureau

Once again, the federal government is funding “navigators” in Montana to help the uninsured buy private, subsidized health coverage this fall — with a new emphasis on Native American consumers.

Earlier this month, federal officials awarded $609,000 in navigator grants to three Montana groups: Planned Parenthood of Montana, the Montana Health Network and the Montana Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council.

“We had great, great success with the program last year,” Martha Stahl, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Montana, said Monday. “I think it’s a great way to continue our mission of connecting people with affordable health care, which is what we’re all about.”

Stahl said her group will be working closely with the other two grant recipients and other organizations to sign up more people for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, as well as target Native Americans. Planned Parenthood and the Health Network had navigator programs last year.

Navigators, who must be certified by the state insurance commissioner, help people buy private health insurance through the online “marketplace,” a key part of the ACA, the federal health-care overhaul also known as “Obamacare.”

Individuals buying policies on the marketplace can get federal subsidies to offset the cost of those policies. Lower-income consumers also can get further discounts on certain marketplace policies.

Most consumers who earn less than 400 percent of the federal poverty level — about $79,000 for a family of three — are eligible for the subsidies, which are paid directly to the insurance company.

The Obama administration launched the marketplaces last October in 34 states, including Montana, initially with disastrous results. Beset with technical problems, the marketplaces barely worked.

However, by the end of March, more than 36,000 Montanans gained coverage through marketplace policies, out of 8 million people nationwide.

The marketplaces will open again this year Nov. 15. Customers can shop for and purchase new policies for 2015. Four companies will be offering policies on Montana’s marketplace.

Cheryl Belcourt, executive director of the Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council in Billings, said the group will use its $142,000 grant to hire some navigators and coordinate with other groups to encourage Native Americans both on and off reservations to buy marketplace policies.

Many Native Americans think the policies are not for them, because they expect to use the Indian Health Service and don’t face a tax penalty if they’re not insured, Belcourt said.

However, the affordable private policies and their low-cost coverage can expand health care for Native Americans, she said.

“This is an opportunity to address the health disparities of Native American people,” Belcourt said. “We want to be able to really make a difference in terms of the quality of life for Indian people.”

Chris Hopkins of the Montana Health Network, a consortium of smaller hospitals and health-care centers, said its $175,000 grant will be used to add nine new navigators to the 20 it already trained with last year’s grant. Most of them are staffers at hospitals and nursing homes.

“Our focus is to have local people providing services in their own community, rather than having someone come in from the outside, do a presentation, and then leave,” he said.

The Montana Primary Care Association, which represents federally funded health clinics, had a navigator program last year but did not get a grant this year.

Amanda Harrow of the association said clinics will continue to work with various groups to help people sign up for ACA-subsidized policies.

U.S. to pay Navajo Nation $554 million in largest settlement with single Indian tribe

By Sari Horwitz September 24, Washington Post

In the largest settlement with a single American Indian tribe, the Obama administration will pay the Navajo Nation $554 million to settle claims that the U.S. government has mismanaged funds and natural resources on the Navajo reservation for decades.

The settlement, to be signed in Window Rock, Ariz., on Friday, resolves a long-standing dispute between the Navajo Nation and the U.S. government, with some of the claims dating back more than 50 years.

The sprawling Navajo reservation, located in parts of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, is the largest and most populous Indian reservation, with 14 million acres of trust lands, which are leased for farming, grazing and oil, gas and other mineral extraction. The land is also leased for businesses, rights-of-way, easements and housing.

“This landmark resolution ends protracted and burdensome litigation,” Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said in a statement provided to The Washington Post on Wednesday. “This demonstrates the Justice Department’s firm commitment to strengthening our partnerships with tribal nations.”

Under the agreement, the Navajo Nation will dismiss its current lawsuit and forego further litigation against the U.S. government for its historic management and accounting of Navajo funds and resources held in trust by the government.

“The Navajo Nation has worked tirelessly for many years to bring this issue to a close,” said Ben Shelly, president of the Navajo Nation. “After a long, hard-won process, I am pleased that we have finally come to a resolution on this matter to receive fair and just compensation for the Navajo Nation.” Shelly said the tribe will host town hall meetings across the Navajo Nation to decide on how the funds can be used or invested.

Members of the Navajo Nation Council, the legislative branch of the Navajo Nation, said that the agreement doesn’t affect the tribe’s existing or potential claims regarding water and uranium pollution.

“It is very important for the Navajo people to understand that this agreement only addresses historical trust claims and does not prohibit or hinder our Nation from pursuing claims with respect to future conduct,” said Lorenzo Curley, the chairman of the council, who was involved in the negotiations with the Obama administration.

While the settlement marks the largest ever with one tribe, the Obama administration has made several other multimillion-dollar agreements with tribes since 2009 to settle long-standing grievances by Native Americans.

Along with the Navajo Nation, the administration has negotiated settlements resulting in a total of $2.61 billion paid to 80 tribes since 2010 for tribal trust accounting and trust management claims. The Interior Department manages almost 56 million acres of trust lands for federally recognized tribes and more than 100,000 leases on those lands. The department also manages about 2,500 tribal trust accounts for more than 250 tribes.

In the fall of 2009, attorneys for many of the tribes with litigation pending against the U.S. government wrote to President Obama and asked his administration to expedite settlement discussions. In April 2010, Obama administration officials, including then-Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli, met with the attorneys and started a settlement process.

“From his first days in office, President Obama has worked to honor the government-to-government relationships between the United States and tribal governments,” said Sam Hirsch, acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, a key member of the department’s Indian country team. “It reflects my personal commitment to resolving long-standing lawsuits rather than wasting the time and resources of both the United States and Indian tribes in contentious litigation.”

In 2011, the administration agreed to pay $380 million to settle a long-running lawsuit by the Osage Tribe of Oklahoma regarding the government’s accounting and management of the tribe’s trust accounts, trust lands and other natural resources.

The next year, Holder and then-Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced a $1 billion settlement of lawsuits filed by 41 federally recognized tribes across the country with claims dating back 100 years.

In addition, the Obama administration in 2009 settled the highly contentious Cobell class-action lawsuit regarding the government’s trust management and accounting of over 3,000 individual American Indian trust accounts. The lawsuit, which involved several hundred thousand plaintiffs, was filed by Elouise Cobell in 1996 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and included hundreds of motions, dozens of rulings and appeals, and several trials over 13 years.

“The landmark Cobell settlement and resolution of 80 other tribal trust management lawsuits under President Obama has opened a new chapter in federal trust relations with tribes and individual Indian beneficiaries,” Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said.

Lady Hawks silent against Grace Academy, 0-3

By Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News

TULALIP – The curse of the Eagles struck the Tulalip Lady Hawks again in last night’s game against Grace Academy Eagles, 0-3, played at Heritage High School.

Both teams stepped on the court looking to take a win after both teams experienced crushing losses in their season openers. But Lady Hawks’ lack of communication, which has plagued the team since the start, enabled the Eagles to easily take the lead.

The Lady Hawks came together in the second match to score 17 points but couldn’t hang on to turn the tide.

Tulalip Heritage – 8 17 15 – 0

Grace Academy – 25 25 25 – 3

You can watch all home games live on Tulalip TV or online at www.tulaliptv.com.

Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com