IHS Principal Deputy Director Weahkee Visits Tribal Health Care Facilities in Washington

by Dean M. Seyler, Director, Portland Area Indian Health Service

During this year’s 2019 Partnership Conference in Spokane, Washington, I
had the pleasure of accompanying IHS Principal Deputy Director Rear Adm.
Michael D. Weahkee and other IHS leaders for a site visit to the NATIVE Project .

The NATIVE Project is an urban Indian organization that provides the
Spokane community with a variety of services, including medical, dental,
pharmacy, behavioral health, and licensed substance abuse and mental health
treatment. The program, which recently celebrated its 30-year anniversary,
delivers services to people of all ethnicities and backgrounds, as well as
financial status. During our visit, Toni Lodge, CEO of the Native Project
said "We’re truly a community-based organization. We started with only $100
and a donated Ford Pinto that was auctioned off for seed money, and last
year our budget was $10 million.”

We also had the opportunity to tour and meet the team at the
Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations
, an IHS Youth Regional Treatment Center
that offers chemical dependency treatment to adolescents within the state
of Washington. The IHS provides recurring funding to 12 Youth Regional
Treatment Centers across the country to address the ongoing issues of
substance abuse and co-occurring disorders among American Indian and Alaska
Native youth. The goal is for youth to overcome their challenges and
recover their lives to become healthy, strong, and resilient leaders in
their communities.

The Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations facility is located on 51 acres of
timbered land in Spokane Valley, Washington and has a 45-bed capacity for
adolescent inpatient treatment, serving both males and females. After
touring the facility, Rear Adm. Weahkee met with staff and received an
update from members of the Healing Lodge Board of Directors.

The NATIVE Project and Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations continue to be
valuable resources for the greater Spokane and the entire Washington state
area. These site visits were a great opportunity to see, first hand, some
of the positive work they are doing in the community.

Related content:

The 2019 IHS Partnership Conference highlights quality of care and customer-focused service

Recognizing the positive impacts of Youth Regional Treatment Centers during Alcohol Awareness Month

IHS Acting Director Weahkee Visits New Tribal Health Care Facilities in Arizona

IHS Announces New Program to Support Youth After Successful Substance Abuse Treatment

Principal Deputy Director Rear Adm. Weahkee and IHS representatives toured the NATIVE Project in Spokane, Wash. on June 11, 2019.

Principal Deputy Director Rear Adm. Weahkee and IHS representatives were greeted by a welcome song from the Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations youth drum group before touring the facility in Spokane Valley, Wash. on June 11, 2019.

The group was gifted hand drums made by youth from the Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations, after touring the facility on June 11, 2019.

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