The US Army doctors who recently visited the reservation reported a successful turn out of patients.

During the full board meeting Monday, July 8, 2024, the Indian Health Service Chief Medical Officer Dr. Robert Donlick and Service Unit Director Marjorie Spotted Bird reported that during Operation Walking Shield, the doctors saw so many patients they were able to reduce the patient demand to be seen by providers for their medical needs.

Totally, IHS was able to provide 7,920 services for patients when the Army doctors were on the reservation for a couple of weeks, Spotted Bird said.

Staffing of all IHS positions is slowly improving. Each month they continue to progress through, right now there are two additional pharmacy workers and a nurse practitioner who was starting July 8, Spotted Bird said.

She invited the Tribal Council to the governing body meeting at IHS coming up. They will be working will all departments to prepare reports right now.

An External Optometrist is available for IHS to use. The doctor has serviced 2,791 patients, and fitted 164 for glasses. This was canvased throughout the entire reservation.

The national IHS office gave the Fort Peck IHS a certificate of achievement for first and foremost service to the patients.

The resolution recently passed by the TEB has raised eyebrows among workers at the local IHS.

According to the resolution, the Tribes plan on taking over IHS and it was stated in the resolution October 1, 2025 is what is set.

Councilwoman Roxanne Gourneau said the resolution was written wrong. The process of turning all of IHS under tribal control could take at least two years just to gather the required information and another few years after that going through the process of making IHS into a 638 program.

Some doctors saw this and were concerned, Dr. Donlick said. They don’t want current providers quitting and leaving because they think they won’t have a job when the Tribes take over.

Spotted Bird said the IHS met on this and are requesting to meet with the right tribal people about this tribal takeover of the facility. She requested a formal update on this, to have a continuity of care going for the patients and to keep the IHS staff informed.

Gourneau said the bureaucracy is the problem with IHS. Because it’s a federal agency, it follows strict guidelines with everything from medical procedures to paying bills. It’s so weighed down with bureaucracy it hinders the full potential there for serving the people.

Fort Peck is the ninth largest tribe in the nation, and there are only two doctors to serve everyone, she said.

The following are highlights from the July 8, 2024 full board meeting. Absent was councilman Jestin Dupree, who was away on travel.

Travel

The anniversary of the Battle of Little Bighorn was recently held on the Crow Reservation in southeast Montana.

To commemorate the occasion, two Fort Peck tribal leaders went to the ceremonies and re-enactment of the battle at the Little Bighorn battlefield national monument.

Chairman Justin Gray Hawk and councilwoman Stacey Summers both went to the event for the Fort Peck Tribal government.

Chairman Gray Hawk said he wrote a speech for the occasion, but when he arrived he spoke from the heart about the day and it’s importance in tribal history.

On that day, there was a fight that happened that the Indians didn’t ask for but they won. It was a way of the government trying to shut down the Indian way of life, and they may have taken so much from Indian people one of the things they could not take away was their prayer. Through that prayer and spirituality the people were able to survive and be here today. By being here, we are showing the world we are surviving.

There was discussion of trophies from the battle, and one of the most prized was the war drum the cavalry carried. It was taken from the field, and it became a part of the heritage of the Fort Peck Tribes, as well as cavalry and cowboy hats recovered from the field.

Work Recognized

Councilwoman Gourneau said she would like to mention the over the top performance of his duties by the Chief Financial Officer of the Tribes.

Randy Redpath went above and beyond when the Tribal programs refused to pay summer youth workers their wages, mainly the west end workers. The Tribes closed early, and the payroll checks for these workers were nto processed the same way the rest of the employees and TEB were processed. All of them were paid before they left, so it makes sense to pay the summer youth workers.

The tribal workers were using the excuse that they couldn’t print and hand out checks until 4 p.m., and this is something that needs to be addressed, she said.

Councilman Terry Rattling Thunder agreed. If they are going to do payroll at 4 p.m., there is something wrong. The summer youth director should be doing this, waiting and making sure the workers are paid.

Gourneau said nobody in that office deemed it important enough to keep this office open. They treat the children working for the Tribes bad.

Tribal leaders voted to appoint a special prosecutor until September 30, 2024.

The Tribes, through the Tribal Court, were approved to enter into an Tribal Professional Services Agreement and appoint Majel Russell as a special tribal prosecutor for the Fort Peck Tribes until September 30, 2024.

Currently, there are two prosecutors available: Adrienne Weinberger and Lafon Copenhaver. Russell’s appointment will cover special cases, such as the one involving former tribal prosecutor Marvin Youpee being charged with attacking a defendant in court.

Tribal prosecutors must pass a tribal bar exam before they can be allowed to represent the Tribes in court.

Deputy

Tribal leaders approved of cross deputizing Roosevelt County Deputy Wyatt Miller.

With this, Miller now has the authority to arrest tribal members on the reservation.

Carry over

The council approved the Head Start Administration to submit carry over application and budget revisions of $1,173,638.00 from the Fiscal Year 2023 upon approval of the granting agency.

In a related motion, the Head Start Director was allowed to apply the Head Start C.F.R. Part 103 supplemental facilities application for the FY24 in allocation of additional Head Start funds for facility purposes.

Lunches

The Summer Lunch program was approved for $80,422 in budgeted funding.

This program is meant to provide food for children who may not have access to it at home.

Contract

The council approved the Tribes contract proposal to IHS including the FY 2025 Advance Funding Agreement, scope of work budgets including pre-award and start up, salaries and fringe benefits packages for the full time equivalent and part time positions for the optometry and audiology programs and related PFSA’s that support those programs and further authorizes the Chairman or vice Chairman to transmit the proposal to IHS for the agency’s prompt consideration and negotiation in accordance with requirements.

Buffalo

The Tribes have lots of buffalo.

Tribal leaders approved of a buffalo donation to the Red Eagle Church congregation in Fort Kipp for feeds and fundraisers.

Before the vote, councilman Bryce Kirk asked if they are opening up to all churches. Can the council add in there if they want it they can get it for feeds and fundraiser because they can’t do just one church and ignore the rest.

Chairman Justin Gray Hawk said it’s open to all churches, they just have to ask.

IT

The Tribes approved the Information Technology Department to update and amend the Tribes IT policy for personal use of IT resources with the attached risk management section, table of contents, glossary, and further updates it’s policy to improve the Tribes procedures in regards to cyber security.

It didn’t come without scrutiny.

Councilman Terry Rattling Thunder said he saw this when it was put together. If you transfer from tribal to regular email you are transmitting vital information. If they are start going to be that specific, I don’t want no email with the Tribes if you are doing that you are messing with our privacy.

Councilwoman Gourneau said she is on the verge of giving Tribes cellphone back. I know our phones and computers are open but I don’t want personal information on there, she said. I too want to know what is being said. At home, I request over and over a printer I want to stand. I’m not avoiding anything but I want to protect myself before its put into law, she said.

The motion was approved.

Oswego

Another improperly worded resolution led to a community organization getting money without having to pay it back.

A motion came before the council to approve to advance the Oswego Community Organization $3,000 for tickets to the fair and swimming passes for the children to be paid back when Oswego Community Organization draws down funds from their trust accounts with the Bureau of Trust Fund Administration.

During the discussion, councilwoman Gourneau asked why they couldn’t draw the money themselves.

Rattling Thunder said the docket money is set up that way put into certificate of deposits and invested. The council would be able to let them draw it out and they could put in out for their communities.

However, Rattling Thunder said nowhere in the resolution was it written that this was a loan to OCO. It needs to be added there. A resolution went out before but the word loan wasn’t written in it and they never repaid, he said.

Chairman Gray Hawk told the minute takers to take out the word “ADVANCE” and replace it with “LOAN.”

Bus Drivers

A new Visa Card was approved for Fort Peck Tribal Transit employees.

Jail

The council approved the Tribes Adult Jail to advertise for a financial technician.

According to the minutes, Jerica Olson from the Adult Jail said there were 62 people in jail, 21 of them in the Rosebud Tribal Jail in South Dakota and three in Roosevelt County Jail.

Currently, Jennifer Standing is their finance technician but she may be requesting for a transfer from corrections to efficient data departments, which is why the jail needs to advertise the position.

Farming

The council approved including an additional 80 acres to an on and off grazing permit for rance unit 38 for the 2023-2032 permit period.

Tribally enrolled operators are now able to sign up for the CRP Hay cutting on the Tribes CRP for the 2024 haying season.