{"id":27903,"date":"2022-09-08T18:33:37","date_gmt":"2022-09-08T22:33:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=27903"},"modified":"2022-09-08T18:37:16","modified_gmt":"2022-09-08T22:37:16","slug":"weve-been-at-the-table-tribes-in-virginia-join-forces-with-indian-health-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/09\/08\/weve-been-at-the-table-tribes-in-virginia-join-forces-with-indian-health-service\/","title":{"rendered":"‘We’ve been at the table’: Tribes in Virginia join forces with Indian Health Service"},"content":{"rendered":"
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IHS Mobile Health Units Improve Access for Tribal MembersText of press release from Indian Health ServiceOn September 7, 2022, the Indian Health Service anno…<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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Indianz.Com Video: Indian Health Service expands services for tribes in Virginia<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n
‘We’ve been at the table’<\/div>\r\n
Tribes in Virginia join forces with Indian Health Service<\/div>\r\n
Thursday, September 8, 2022<\/div>\r\n
By Acee Agoyo<\/div>\r\n
Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n

<\/P>\r\nCHARLES CITY, Virginia — Tribal nations here are ushering in a new era in health care after securing recognition from the federal government.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nSince re-establishing their government-to-government relationships with the United States, seven tribes have been working closely with the Indian Health Service<\/a>. The efforts include two health centers and three mobile units that will bring long-overdue care to people across a broad region in the state of Virginia.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n“You know, often times tribes get called in to consult — after decisions have been made,” Chief Stephen R. Adkins of the Chickahominy Tribe<\/a> told Indianz.Com.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n“What makes this project in my view extremely unique is we’ve been at the table with Indian Health Service from day one,” Adkins said following an event on his people’s homelands.\r\n

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Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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Michael Bibbo: Indian Health Service Mid-Atlantic Mobile Health Services<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nWith partners from the federal agency at his side, Adkins on Wednesday showed off the mobile units that represent the emerging chapter in the federal-tribal relationship. The three state-of-the-art vehicles will provide primary, behavioral health and dental care<\/a> to citizens of the Indian nations whose sovereign status had long been overlooked despite their proximity to the U.S. capital.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n“We knew that there had to be an innovative way to do health care for this area,”\r\n Dr. Vickie Claymore, the director of field operations for the Nashville Area Office of the IHS<\/a>, said of the unique approach the agency has taken in Virginia.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nAt the event on Wednesday, the three mobile health units were parked on land owned by the Chickahominy Tribe in Charles City, located only about 20 minutes from Richmond, the capital of Virginia. The vehicles, which feature waiting areas, service rooms and an advanced air filtration system to address COVID-19<\/a> and other concerns, will soon be deployed at reservations and tribal sites across the state in the coming weeks.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n“One of the goals of Indian Health Service is to be able to provide comprehensive and culturally aware and culturally sensitive health care to our Native American communities,”\r\nsaid Kara Kearns, the Chief Executive Officer of the Mid-Atlantic Service Unit<\/a> that was established by the IHS to benefit the seven tribes.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n“A big piece of that revolves around accessibility and availability,” Kearns added.\r\n“And we really thought hard about how that availability would fit into this model.”\r\n

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Today, the Indian Health Service announced three new mobile health units to serve patients in the Mid Atlantic Service Unit’s service area in Virginia. The mobile units will each provide primary,…<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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<\/p>\r\nAs part of the ongoing work, the Charles City location will soon host another landmark event. The tribes and the IHS are planning to break ground on the Mid-Atlantic Tribal Health Center at the site to bring even a greater level of care and programs to the region.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n“This is just awesome, seeing what Indian Health Service is bringing here to Virginia Natives,” said Chief Robert Gray of the Pamunkey Tribe<\/a>.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nThe forthcoming center and the mobile units are designed to serve the Chickahominy Tribe<\/a>, the Eastern Chickahominy Tribe<\/a>, the Pamunkey Tribe<\/a>, the Rappahannock Tribe<\/a>, the Nansemond Nation<\/a> and the Upper Mattaponi Tribe<\/a>. The tribes are located primarily in the region surrounding Richmond in eastern Virginia.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nElsewhere, the IHS already broke ground on a facility that will serve the Monacan Nation<\/a>, whose homelands are in another region of the state. The Monacan Health Center in Virginia Heights, located about two hours west of Richmond, is expected to open by the end of 2023.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n“We knew that making, availability was key in establishing a clinic on that side of the state but it was also very important that we have one here that would be centralized for these tribes,” Kearns said of the two IHS facilities that will debut in the coming years.\r\n

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