MADISON, I'M
% ZAC SCHULTZ FOR "HERE AND NOW."
% >> AT THE CAPITOL THIS WEEK,
% CHAIRMAN ROBERT VAN ZILE OF THE
% SOKAOGON ADDRESSED THE ANNUAL
% STATE-OF-THE TRIBES ADDRESS, A
% TOP ISSUE FOR TRIBES ACROSS
% WISCONSIN IS AFFORDABLE AND
% ACCESSIBLE QUALITY HEALTHCARE.
% >> THE TRIBES FACE A HUGE
% BARRIER WITH RECRUITING AND
% RETAINING MEDICAL STAFF SINCE
% THE PANDEMIC.
% WAGES OF HEALTHCARE
% PROFESSIONALS HAVE SKYROCKETED.
% IT'S VERY DIFFICULT FOR A TRIBE
% TO COMPETE WITH THE WAGES FOR
% HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS AT THIS
% TIME.
% TRIBES WORK ON VERY LIMITED
% FUNDS FROM THE INDIAN HEALTHCARE
% SERVICES, WHICH BARELY COVERS
% WAGES.%>> TO UNDERSTAND MORE
OF THE
% HEALTH CHALLENGES WISCONSIN
% TRIBES ENCOUNTER, WE TURN TO
% DEBRA DANFORTH, DIRECTORS OF THE
% ONEIDA COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH
% DIVISION.%THANKS VERY MUCH F
OR BEING HERE.
% >> THANK YOU.
% >> SO ACCORDING TO YOUR LATEST
% COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSESSMENT, 26%
% OF RESPONDENTS SAID THAT THEY
% HAD TO DELAY CARE BECAUSE THEY
% COULDN'T BE SEEN SOON ENOUGH.
% SO IS HEALTHCARE ACCESS HINDERED
% BY THESE WAGE PRESSURES AND
% DIFFICULTY RECRUITING MEDICAL
% TALENT, AS WAS POINTED TO IN THE
% STATE OF THE TRIBES?
% >> MOST DEFINITELY.
% MANY OF THE TRIBES, PARTICULARLY
% FOR ONEIDA, WE HAVE A GREAT DEAL
% OF DIFFICULTY IN TERMS OF
% RECRUITING AND RETAINING
% PROVIDERS.%WE'VE HAD SOME POS
ITIONS THAT
% WE'VE HAD POSTED PROBABLY SINCE
% EVEN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC
% STARTED, SO IT WAS DIFFICULT
% PRIOR TO AND THEN WHEN THE
% PANDEMIC HIT, IT EVEN
% COMPLICATED THE MATTERS GREATLY.
% WE ARE NOT ABLE TO BE AS
% COMPETITIVE AS OUR PARTNERS IN
% HEALTHCARE IN THE SURROUNDING
% COMMUNITIES, AND FOR ONEIDA,
% WE'RE FORTUNATE IN THAT WE'RE IN
% A PRETTY POPULAR LOCATION IN
% TERMS OF OUR ACCESS TO OTHER
% HEALTHCARE FACILITIES AND OTHER
% HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS.
% HOWEVER, FOR THE TRIBES THAT ARE
% MUCH SMOLL SMALLER THAN US THATE
% LOCATED IN THE NORTHERN AREAS OF
% WISCONSIN AND THROUGHOUT THE
% OTHER AREAS OF WISCONSIN, IT IS
% EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO TRY AND
% BE COMPETITIVE WITH SOME OF THE
% HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS IN THOSE
% AREAS.
% SO RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION HAS
% ALWAYS BEEN AN ISSUE, BUT IT HAS
% BEEN MAGNIFIED BY THE PANDEMIC
% SIMPLY BECAUSE WE CAN'T BE
% COMPETITIVE.% IT'S VERY DIFF
ICULT FOR PEOPLE
% TO GET ACCESS TO CARE, AND WITH
% THE LIMITATION OF FUNDING THAT
% WE RECEIVE, IT'S OFTEN -- MAKES
% IT EVEN MORE DIFFICULT FOR US.
% >> AS TO THE PEOPLE THAT YOU ARE
% CARING FOR, YOUR ANNUAL
% ASSESSMENT ALSO SHOWED THAT 85%
% OF THOSE ENROLLED IN THE ONEIDA
% ARE OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE AND 25%
% HAVE DIABETES.
% HOW MAJOR A TRA CHALLENGE ARE TE
% KINDS OF HEALTH PROFILES?
% >> THE WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN
% CONTINUING TO DO IN OUR
% COMMUNITY, AS HAS MANY OF THE
% OTHER TRIBES, AS A RESULT OF THE
% SPECIAL DIABETES PROGRAMS, THEY
% HAVE BEEN ABLE TO EDUCATE THE
% COMMUNITIES AND GIVE PEOPLE HOPE
% THAT, BY PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES
% FOR EXERCISE, PROVIDING
% OPPORTUNITIES FOR DIET AND
% EDUCATION, THEY HAVE BEEN ABLE
% TO MAKE IMPACTS INTO CONTROLLING
% DIABETES WITHIN OUR COMMUNITIES.
% STILL NOT TO WHERE WE NEED TO
% BE, BUT WE'RE HEADING IN THE
% RIGHT DIRECTION.
% IT'S INTERESTING THAT A FEW
% YEARS AGO, WE DID HAVE A NUMBER
% OF PEOPLE THAT WERE -- WE HAD A
% NUMBER OF HIGH RATES OF
% AMPUTATIONS AS A RESULT OF
% UNCONTROLLED DIABETES.
% WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE THAT
% IMPACT IMPROVE WHERE THERE'S
% VERY FEW AMPUTATIONS FROM OUR
% DIABETIC PATIENTS THAT THERE
% USED TO BE -- I MEAN, IT USED TO
% BE SOMETHING THAT WE DEALT WITH
% ON A REGULAR BASIS, AND WITH THE
% WORK THAT WE'RE DOING, WE CAN
% SEE THOSE IMPACTS.
% DOES IT TAKE A WHILE?
% YEAH.
% 25, 30 YEARS TO SEE THAT IMPACT
% IN OUR COMMUNITY, BUT WE'RE
% SEEING THAT IMPACT, AND THAT'S
% WHAT I THINK KEEPS ALL OF US AS
% HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS STRUGGLING
% AND FIGHTING TO MAKE SURE THAT
% OUR COMMUNITIES HAVE THAT ACCESS
% AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY CAN HELP
% TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE OVERALL
% FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
% >> I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS
% NEXT POINT, TOO.
% THE NUMBER OF OPIOID DEATHS
% AMONG AMERICAN INDIANS IN
% WISCONSIN ACCORDING TO THE
% DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES IS
% REPORTED AS 2-1/2 TIMES HIGHER
% THAN THE STATEWIDE RATE.
% HOW CRUSHING IS THIS CRISIS
% WHERE YOU'RE?
% >> THIS CRISIS AFFECTS ALL OF
% THE TRIBES, NOT JUST IN
% WISCONSIN, BUT ACROSS THE
% COUNTRY.
% THE OPIOID CRISIS HAS BEEN VERY
% EVIDENT AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE
% DONE A LOT OF WORK WITH TRYING
% TO ADDRESS EDUCATION IN THE
% COMMUNITY, DOING OUTREACH INTO
% THE COMMUNITIES, BUT MANY OF OUR
% TRIBES ARE FACING THE SAME LEVEL
% OF CRISIS WITHIN THEIR
% COMMUNITIES.%A LOT OF THAT IS
RELATED TO,
% AGAIN, ACCESS TO CARE.
% WE HAVE LIMITATIONS IN TERMS OF
% BEING ABLE TO GET ACCESS TO
% MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS.
% MANY TIMES IT'S NOT JUST THE
% DRUG OR THE ALCOHOL ITSELF; IT'S
% A COMBINATION.
% IT'S DUAL DIAGNOSES, IT'S MENTAL
% HEALTH ON TOP OF OPIOIDS ON TOP
% OF ALCOHOL, ON TOP OF WHATEVER
% OTHER DRUG IS THEIR DRUG OF
% CHOICE, AND THEN HAVING ACCESS
% TO CARE, YOU KNOW, COMPLICATES
% THAT.
% WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH OF THE
% MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS TO BE
% ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT SERVICE.
% WE DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO
% PROVIDE THE SERVICES LIKE
% IN-PATIENT CARE THAT'S NECESSARY
% TO TREAT THE DRUG ADDICTIONS AND
% THE ALCOHOL ADDICTIONS, AND SO
% MANY OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS
% HAVE TO BE SENT OUTSIDE OF OUR
% COMMUNITIES, THEY HAVE TO BE
% SENT OUT OF THE STATE TO BE ABLE
% TO GET THE SPECIFIC SERVICES
% THAT THEY NEED AND THEN WHEN
% THEY DO COME BACK, AGAIN,
% THEY'RE FACED WITH THE SAME
% KINDS OF COMPLEXITIES OF COMING
% BACK TO THE SAME COMMUNITY THEY
% LEFT, COMING BACK TO THE SAME
% TYPES OF TRIGGERS THAT THEY
% LEFT.
% >> YOU ARE DOING THE GOOD WORK.