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 FOR 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 POSITIONS 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 DIFFICULT 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.