Cherokee Nation can deliver a “wellness dividend” to citizens now and for generations to come. We just need to strengthen the Public Health and Wellness Fund Act.

In 2021, we were all in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cherokee Nation was leading. We were addressing the immediate health and economic impacts of the pandemic. We also focused on long-term strength. We understood that once the pandemic receded, we needed to build toward a world-class system of not simply health care, but wellness.

Todd Enlow, my then-chief of staff and my current senior advisor and leader of housing programs, brought Deputy Chief Bryan Warner and me an idea: set aside 7% of third-party health revenue and dedicate it to the broader mission of mental and physical wellness without relying on a penny from the federal government.

Todd’s idea was more than simple mathematics. It was an opportunity to declare a true wellness policy. We would invest not only the programs and infrastructure we rely on when we get sick, but focus on leading healthier lives in healthier communities. Todd’s idea became the Public Health and Wellness Fund Act.

PHWFA generates tens of millions of dollars annually — some spent annually, some held in a reserve surplus. PHWFA funds have made a huge and positive impact.

The investments are big and small, but all are important. Examples abound, too numerous to fully catalog here. But odds are you have felt the impact.

If you use or simply enjoyed seeing us open the Carson Wellness Center in Stilwell — a state-of-the art, $21 million hub for exercise, nutrition and positive social interaction for Cherokees and non-Cherokees alike — you can thank PHWFA. Our public health investments in our capital of Tahlequah, as well as communities like Kenwood, Salinaand Marble City, funded in part by PHWFA, mean safer places for kids, elders and families to gather, learn about healthy lifestyle choices, exercise and play. We need more of that.

If you or a loved one struggle with drug or alcohol dependency, PHWFA helps fuel the expansion of behavioral health and recovery programs that save lives. PHWFA even locked down opioid settlement funds to do even more to address these issues.

If you have seen more walking trails at Cherokee Nation facilities, odds are PHWFA made those possible. PHWFA is funding a much-needed public sidewalk projectconnecting miles of Tahlequah to our Capitol complex.

PHWFA empowers our Community and Cultural Outreach-participating community organizations, including at-large organizations, with $25,000 wellness grants. We recently issued grants totaling $1.8 million in Wellness Partners grants to schools, local governments and nonprofits for capital projects. These two grant programs will continue annually.

PHWFA helps elders buy food at farmers markets, helps Cherokee households sign up for discounted family plans at local nonprofit gyms, and built water lines for Cherokees in need.

With tens of millions of dollars at our disposal in the PHWFA surplus, we are making a concerted effort to reach the most underserved parts of our reservation and plan with those communities on how their best days can be head of them, not behind them. Places like Sally Bull Hollow deserve it.

In these communities, which have seen little or no public investments in generations, we can build playgrounds, community buildings and affordable housing, and improve public safety using PHWFA funds. We can take inspiration from our success in Kenwood and Marble City, where gyms, playgrounds and exercise spaces have brought a new sense of optimism and hope, along with new jobs.

There is a good chance you or someone you know “paid” into the PHWFA fund. Each time a patient uses our health system and has public or private health insurance, we bill it. By earmarking seven cents of every dollar of those funds for PHWFA programs and projects, we build toward a more comprehensive system of wellness without relying on a single penny from the federal government. (The rest of the third-party health revenue is used to build and operate our expanding network of health facilities.)

In my recent State of the Nation address, I urged us to go further. Deputy Chief Warner and I are proposing amendments to PHWFA to do just that.

Our proposal calls for increasing the PHWFA earmark of third-party health revenue from 7% to 10%. It expands and clarifies eligibility of programs, services, capital projects and grants. It creates a special $1.7 million annual fund for members of the Council of the Cherokee Nation to direct toward wellness capital projects in their districts. It puts requirements on me (and my successors) for more planning and transparency.

PHWFA has served our nation well. This month, the Council will consider our proposed legislation to make the law stronger. It makes a pool of tens of millions of dollars available annually. If approved, we will not really “spend” a penny. We will invest all of it and realize a wellness dividend for generations to come.

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