November 2016 - Page 2 of 4

Men urged to think healthy and get checked

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

The Karen I. Fryberg Tulalip Health Clinic is reminding men to take charge of their health as the upcoming Men’s Health Fair is right around the corner. Scheduled to take place on Friday, December 9, from 9:00a.m. – 3:00p.m., the annual health fair is all about raising awareness for men’s health, with a particular focus on preventative measures.

“Getting men to understand their own health, to think about their health, and then getting them to show up and take advantage of the all the preventative health screenings we offer could make a big difference in their lives,” says Jennie Fryberg, Health Information Manager for the clinic. “Our Tulalip men are so used to putting family first, making sure their kids and loved ones are taken care of, that they forget to make themselves a priority when it comes to their own health.”

Some of the health prevention measures offered will be a cholesterol screening, blood pressure checks, prostate screening (via a blood draw), hearing and vision tests, diabetes screening, as well as many informational booths.

Hypertension (high blood pressure) and high cholesterol are two of the most frequent diagnosis for Native men. Both can be easily screened for and detected with the simple prevention screenings offered that the health fair. If detection occurs, follow-up appointments can be schedule right on the spot.

In recent years at the health fair, Jennie says there are typically three or four men who, based on their screening results, decide to schedule follow-up appointments.

“Prevention is the best kind of medicine. That’s why we have our Men’s Health Fair, to help our men be as healthy as possible. If we do detect something like hypertension or possible diabetes, then we can start the treatment process right away.”

Along with all the preventative screenings and informational booths there will also be demonstrations by Haggen Northwest Fresh meat department and Klesick Farms. The demos will focus on healthy eating made simple, along with detailing the various health advantages of eating local and organic.

For those who still require that extra incentive to attend the health fair and make their health a priority, let’s not forget about the raffle giveaway. All men who attend and participate in the screenings will be entered into a raffle that includes various prizes and goodies. Highlights raffle prizes include chainsaws, tools, and a stand-up freezer. As a reminder, you do not need to be in attendance at the raffle drawing to win. All winners will be contacted through phone and/or e-mail to collect their prizes.

“This building is named after [my] mom and one of her messages she always said was, ‘Our health fairs are a one stop shop.’ You can come in, get all your screenings done at once, no need for multiple appointments sitting in the office,” Jennie concludes. “By taking advantage of our one stop shop health fair, our men can make sure they are healthy and in best condition to take care of their families for years to come.”

Tulalip hosts First Annual MOA Training with Washington State’s Children’s Administration

By Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News

Dr. Stephanie Fryberg, keynote speaker for the first annual tribal training under the MOA.

In January 2016, the Tulalip Tribes and the State of Washington signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that would allow the two entities to collaborate on government-to-government issues regarding child welfare and Tulalip youth. Tulalip wants to ensure that the youth of the community remain connected to their culture and their people.

Previously, in the event that a Tulalip child was taken out their home, the child would enter the system and often would be placed in the home of non-natives. This practice caused a disconnect between the youth and their families and culture. Tulalip has long worked on a resolution, and at the beginning of 2016 the resolution was presented in the form of the MOA. The agreement involves the Tulalip Tribal Court, beda?chelh, and Child Protective Service caseworkers uniting together to ensure that when a Tulalip youth is removed from the their parent’s guardianship, that child will relocate but remain with family. If family is unable to take the child in, alternate families throughout the community are considered and are the next option for placement. Once the child is relocated, beda?chelh team members remain involved, often assisting the families with guidance and informing them when cultural and community events are occurring.

Recently, in the month of November, caseworkers and team members of Washington State Children’s Administration traveled to the Tulalip Administration Building for the first annual Tribal Training Under the MOA. Tulalip’s goal for the first training was to make sure the trainees had a clear understanding of how a tribal community operates.

The trainees had the opportunity to meet the teams they will be working with including, Judge Whitener and the Tulalip tribal attorneys, the beda?chelh team, as well as Tulalip Tribes General Manager Misty Napeahi and Kinship Coordinator Verna Hill.

Dr. Stephanie Fryberg, keynote speaker, shared her experience growing up on the Tulalip Reservation. She explained that the modern society praises an independence lifestyle, which is introduced at a young age. Independence is based on the decisions an individual makes, meaning a person’s successes and failures are placed entirely on that individual.

She then explained to the group the opposite of independence, interdependence. Dr. Fryberg explained that the majority of the world adapts the interdependence lifestyle. Interdependence is the reason why many cultures including, Native American, have strong, deeply connected communities. With interdependence, each individual has a role to play within their community. If a person fails they are supported by their community, allowing the individual the opportunity to learn why they failed. Not only does this present the opportunity for the individual to learn from the mistake but also the chance for more experienced members to pass down advice and knowledge to the individual, therefore making a stronger connection amongst community members.

Dr. Fryberg spoke of the importance of growing up in an interdependence based community. She informed the group that she has taken in two Tulalip tribal children, the youngest an infant boy who was born prematurely.

She states, “He’s really had a big impact on the way I think about what we are doing in our community. The idea of focusing on promoting our people is really helping others see the strength in our people. This is something that has been really important and it will help move us away from the systems that have continued to hold people down. In particular the systems that have kept some families of our communities in foster care. And what we’re trying to do is interrupt that cycle. In our community there’s a real desire for well-being, there’s a real desire to help us move forward. What we’re doing is trying to be very purposeful in this work we are doing, as we continually think about how do we get better.”

She continued, “In that process we realized that change is hard, but it is hard because we are fighting against all of the mindsets people have. We’re trying to be purposeful in understanding that it’s not just about individuals. They exist in a system. We can try to change the system to make it easier for our people. To help scaffold what it means to take those steps, to help improve them. And by improving them, we improve the next generation in our community.”

Dr. Fryberg stated that the young boy in her custody was born drug exposed. She researched different methods that would give the child in her care the greatest future possible. She stated, “I don’t know what the drugs did to his brain while he was in his mother’s body. I can’t know. But what I do know is that I will do everything for this little boy every day of his life to give him the best chance possible. And he is so loved! There are many families like mine in our community. There are many people who’ve taken in these babies and children, and said they are going to commit to these little souls with every ounce of energy they have.”

Wrapping up her speech, Dr. Fryberg addressed the trainees, “What we want you to walk away with today are three things. Number one, we want to approach our families, especially our most vulnerable families, from a place of promotion. They’re already in a terrible place. Most of them didn’t get there because they were awful people, but because they had awful experiences. So, we want to start from a place of promotion, and we want to put families back together. We have to find a way to empower people when they are most vulnerable because a lack of empowerment will never lead to change. Number two, we have to understand that there is more than one good legitimate way to be. There are different ways of existing in the world, there’s different ways of expressing, of thinking, and being motivated. And third and lastly, we have to know what our bias is and be willing to confront it in every interaction in the community and at home. Our objective is to make sure we do our best by our families and by our children.”

Contact Kalvin Valdillez, kvaldillez@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov

Tulalip Heritage Day at Quil Ceda Elementary, Nov. 23

In Memory of Leota Lynette Pablo January 25, 1935 – November 11, 2016

Leota Lynette (Price) Pablo, 81 of Tulalip went to be with her Lord on November 11, 2016 surrounded by her loving family.
She was born January 25, 1935 in Tulalip, WA to William and Elsie Price. She worked for 35 years doing a number of jobs for the Tulalip Tribes including, Land Lease Administrator, Recording Secretary for the Tulalip Board; Tax Exempt File Clerk; Port Master at the Marina; and she was on the Tribal Enrollment Committee. She was an ordained minister, third elder and bishop in the Tulalip Full Gospel Shaker Church. Her side jobs were owning and operating a frybread stand, and selling fireworks, all while raising five boys. Some of the things she loved to do were weddings for people; praying for many people; as well as going to garage sales; getting apples and peaches from Wenatchee and Yakima for canning; playing bingo and going to the Casino. She was also a fill-in and extra for the CBS series – the Northern Exposure.
She is survived by her special auntie Lorraine Joseph; brother Gary Price; sister Sheila Price; children, Danny Sr. (Stephanie), Louie Sr., Jimmy, and Roger (Maxine) Pablo; daughter-in-law, Lori Parks; numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren in both Washington and Montana; special grandchildren Dan Pablo Jr., and Michael Pablo Sr. whom she helped raise. She is preceded in death by her husband, Louis Pablo Sr.; her parents; son, Eddie; sister June Ione Pablo; grandsons Louie III, Desmond Paul Pablo; great-grandson, Dontae Wayne Jones; and two children at birth; as well as all her 13 of her siblings.
Visitation will be Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016 at 1:00 PM at Schaefer-Shipman Funeral Home with an Interfaith service to follow at 6:00 PM at the Tulalip Gym. Funeral Services will be held Friday at 10:00 AM at the Tulalip Gym with burial to follow at Mission Beach Cemetery.

Arrangements under the direction of Schaefer-Shipman Funeral Home, Marysville, WA.

Tulalip Tribal Employment Rights Office Family Day

On Friday November 4^th the Tulalip Tribal Employment Rights Office (TERO) held a “Family Day” at its vocational training center. Children, parents, and uncles and aunties gathered together at the training center to paint the bookshelves this years students have built as their first construction project. The school year started in September. Families enjoyed the painting and then had a wonderful hot lunch of fried chicken and salad.

Tulalip Employment Rights Office (TERO) provides training, hiring, and contracting to Tulalip members, their families, and spouses. The Tulalip Vocational Training Center (TVTC) was open in 2014 to provide an opportunity for students to learn a variety of trade skills in order to enter into the construction trades. TVTC trains Native Americans in the trades but offers so much more. After receiving a grant from the Kellogg Foundation two years ago TVTC has been implementing a new philosophy with additional services. That philosophy looks at the individual seeking training but also offers services to the larger family in order to help create success for the next generation.

TVTV staff interacts with students and help to build a foundation of trust and communication. It is through this process that the student’s family needs are identified and the program is then able to identify obstacles that may be interfering with student success. They may help pay for childcare, the education needs of the student, as well as help identify education barriers their children may have; they create linkages and bridges to address these barriers. An adult is not going to have success if they are overwhelmed by worry for their children. Basically, the idea is that in order to create a healthy and productive employee means identifying, and assessing the family stressors, wand then provides the extra services, which in turn creates healthier families; thus, the second generation model.

The training program is accredited through South Seattle Community College and Renton Technical College; all the students taking this program earn 24 college credits.

Teri Gobin, director of the Tribal Employment Rights Office (TERO): “What we do is enforce preference of hiring and contracting. A part of that is getting the work force ready. We created the TERO vocational training center back in 2001 to respond to this need. The Washington State Apprenticeship Trades Council now recognizes it as the only pre-apprenticeship program for Native Americans, and the only program of its kind in the nation that is recognized by a state.”

Lisa Telford, the family career navigator, explains the different types of certificates students receive: “First Aid, CPR, AAP, Flaggers, Forklift, Boom Lift, Scissor Lift, OSHA 10; they get all those certifications at the end of the program. The students think about what unions or trades they are interested in and we work on filling out applications towards those places.”

Mark Newland, TERO Vocational Training Center instructor, talking about projects they work on during the 13 week course: “The students get introduced to all the facets of the trades: safety, blueprint drawing and reading, what the construction business is all about, building a personal project to scale with cut list. We do all the ground up, building footing, foundation wall, framing, they learn how to frame windows and walls. They build rafters, calculate scales, and learn about plumbing and electrical.

Lynne Bansemer, TVTC program coordinator, says: “Students will be able to take the information they learn and apply it into their own lives and houses.” We want to start working with Heritage High School, bringing in the students to start helping build Tiny Houses. It would be empowering to the kids who come and work on a project like this to see there is more things going on in life, be a part of people thanking them for building these houses.

What other local projects have TVTC been involved with? “We do a lot of projects for the tribe right now, the gardens you see at the Boys and Girls Club, the Clinic, and we built those. The students help build the garden structure and get an idea for what it’s like to grow your own food.”

Family day is about kids coming in and seeing what their parents are doing every day, how they are bettering their future, being truly focused, and successful people.

Talking to a student, Ralph Flores, about why he joined the program “It was definitely something I was interested in and I had to go for it; I couldn’t pass it up.”

Nicholas Brown and Caleb Hatch, two students in the TERO program, traveled far to be in this program “We came from Wyoming to take this program. We traveled and are staying at a relative’s house, trying to find opportunities that we can take advantage of in Washington. I lived here before, I grew up in Washington, I enjoy it here.”

When asked why they took this program they responded, “You get to learn the basic knowledge of construction trades, power tools, and learning the process of soft skills. I’ve learned presentation skills like proper dress codes; you don’t want to go in wearing a suit and tie. You want to go into an interview ready to work, steel toe boots, here I am, let’s go work.”

Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians Winter Pow Wow

Information about Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM)

Submitted by Jason McKerry, MD, FAAP, Karen I Fryberg Tulalip Health Clinic

Many of you may have heard about the recent cases of acute neurological illness seen in kids at the Seattle Children’s Hospital. I know that a child’s health is the most important thing in every parent’s life. I want to share some important information about the illness, Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM), a rare condition that affects the nervous system.

Below are common questions and answers provided by the State Department of Health:

Q: What is Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM)?

A: AFM is a rare condition with sudden onset of weakness of one or more limbs, sometimes accompanied by weakness of the muscles of the face and eyes. In severe cases, the breathing muscles can be involved. In all cases, there are distinctive lesions in certain areas of the spinal cord seen with an MRI.

Symptoms of AFM vary in severity and range from mild weakness of a limb to absence of movement in all limbs.
Unlike most other diseases, suspected AFM are only reports.
The cases receive a final classification as confirmed or probable AFM, or are ruled out, only following a review by expert neurologists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Q: How common is AFM?

A: AFM is quite rare. Last year, Washington state had no cases, and in 2014 there were only two, so this number of suspected cases within about a six-week time span is unusual. Clusters similar in size to the one we are currently seeing have happened elsewhere in the US, for example, in Colorado and Arizona.

Even with an increase in cases in 2016, AFM remains a very rare disease. Less than one in a million people will ever develop it.

Q: What causes AFM?

A: AFM can be caused by a variety of germs, such as enteroviruses, which typically cause milder illness in children such as respiratory infections. Other causes may be West Nile Virus, autoimmune disease or environmental toxins. For most reported cases across the US, the cause has not been identified.

It can also be mistaken for conditions that cause inflammation of the nerves such as transverse myelitis and Guillain-Barré syndrome.

However, when enteroviruses get into the central nervous system, they can cause more serious illnesses like inflammation of the brain. Polio virus, which is not being considered as the cause of these children’s illnesses, is a cause of AFM that is rare now in the US due to vaccination.

Q: Do you know what caused any of these potential cases?

A: At this point we do not know what has caused these potential AFM cases.

Oftentimes, despite extensive laboratory testing, a cause for AFM is not able to be identified.
It’s not known why some people develop AFM while others don’t.

Q: Is AFM contagious?

A: AFM is a syndrome, which is basically a group of symptoms caused by many different things. Many of the germs that cause AFM are contagious, such as enteroviruses, which typically cause milder illnesses in children such as respiratory infections. Enteroviruses can get into the central nervous system and cause more serious illnesses like inflammation of the brain, although this is uncommon.

Some of the germs known to cause AFM are contagious between people while others are not. West Nile Virus for example is only transmitted by mosquitos while common cold germs are transmitted between people.

Q: Are these cases connected to each other?

A: At this point we don’t know if these cases are connected in any way.

They came from four different counties (Whatcom, King, Pierce and Franklin).
Their age ranges between 3 to age 14.
And while we can’t discuss specific cases, some have unique symptoms from the others.

Q: Could this be something else?

A: AFM is one of a number of conditions that can result in neurologic illness with limb weakness. Such illnesses can result from a variety of causes, including viral infections, environmental toxins, genetic disorders, and an abnormal immune response that attacks the body’s nerves.

Q: How is AFM diagnosed?

A: AFM is difficult to diagnose because it can look nearly identical to other conditions or syndromes. It is diagnosed based on a combination of symptoms and a type of imaging test called an MRI or laboratory results.

A doctor can rule out other neurological disease by careful examination, for example, looking at the location of muscle weakness, muscle tone, and reflexes. An MRI is essential to diagnose AFM.

Q: Can adults get it?

A: Yes, but it may be more likely to affect children, perhaps because they typically haven’t built up as much immunity to germs as adults.

Q: Is there a treatment?

A: There is no specific treatment for acute flaccid myelitis, other than what doctors call supportive care, which means treating the symptoms. A doctor who specializes in treating brain and spinal cord illnesses (neurologist) may recommend certain interventions on a case-by-case basis.

Q: Do people who get it get their movement back?

A: According to the CDC some do. The CDC did a survey of patients from cases in 2014 investigation and got 56 responses. A small number had complete recovery of limb function after about 4 months, but some had no improvement. Right now there is no long-term information available, but the CDC is working with states to collect the information.

Q: Is there any way to prevent it?

A: Because being infected by any one of a number of viruses are possible causes of AFM, steps to avoid infections include good hand washing and avoiding contact with people with respiratory and diarrhea infections may help.

AFM can be caused by different things, and because doctors know so little about the cause, there are no known specific preventative measures to recommend.

You can help protect yourselves from some of the known causes of acute flaccid myelitis by:
Washing your hands often with soap and water,
Avoiding close contact with sick people, and
Cleaning surfaces with a disinfectant, especially those that a sick person has touched.

Q: What is the investigation looking at?

A: We’ve worked to make sure that tests are being done that might point to a cause – these tests are now being reviewed by us and the CDC and we hope to have some preliminary information back soon.

We are investigating whether the cases have any links to one another and are reviewing other information including if they had recent illnesses. While the types of tests are really comprehensive, sometimes no direct cause is found.

I want to reassure all of our families that we are aware of the cases of AFM in our state and we want to provide our expertise and offer information to concerned individuals and families as requested. If your child is acting ill or unusually, please don’t hesitate to come see us at the clinic or contact us with any questions or concerns, 360-716-4511.

It’s all about the buckets

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

From November 4-6, the Tulalip Youth Center hosted the 1^st annual Rep Your Tribe basketball tournament. Sponsored by Tulalip Youth Services, this tournament put a unique spin on the idea of reppin’ for your tribe. There was a men’s and women’s bracket, and in order to qualify as a team all players had to be from the same tribe.

Tribes from across Washington State made the journey to Tulalip in order to rep their tribe and do battle on the hardwood. Lummi, Muckleshoot, Puyallup, Colville, and of course the hosting Tulalip Tribes were among those who participated.

After a weekend’s worth of inner-tribal battles, it was the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation who stood tallest, having a team on both the men’s and women’s side reach the Championship game.

On the men’s side, Colville defeated Lummi in the Championship game. While on the women’s side, it was Puyallup earning the victory over Colville.

“This tournament was a very exciting one. We had a lot of very close games, but overall the sportsmanship between the teams was awesome,” says Lonnie Enick, Activities Specialist for Youth Services. “I think also it brings all the tribes closer to each other and, as a team, it brings family and friends together. Looking forward for the 2^nd annual Rep Your Tribe, as of now Colville has the bragging rights. Also, great job to the Youth Service staff Darcy Enick, Shawn Sanchey, Sheena Robinson and Josh Fryberg.”

Lady Hawks historic season comes to an end

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

The Tulalip Heritage Lady Hawks volleyball team (11-7) earned their first ever Tri-District tournament berth after an amazing showing at the NW1B District tournament. The team traveled to Tacoma on Thursday, November 3, to face-off with the (12-5) Eagles of Evergreen Lutheran High School.

In the 1^st game, Tulalip went down early, trailing 4-12 at one point, and weren’t able to get any momentum going. They dropped the opener 10-25.

The momentum continued to be elusive in the 2^nd game as the Lady Hawks again went down big early, trailing 2-12 before calling a timeout. Following the timeout, they ladies showed some fight and got some rally points going, but they weren’t able to overcome the early deficit. They dropped the 2^nd game 18-25.

Down 0 games to 2, and with the season on the line, the Lady Hawks finally got their offensive game going. They played the Eagles seemingly point for point in the early stages. At one point the game was tied 3-3, then again tied at 14-14. This time it was the Eagles calling a timeout to regroup and talk over their strategy. Unfortunately, the Eagles just had too much firepower on this day and the Lady Hawks weren’t able to counter for a full game. Tulalip lost the very competitive 3^rd game 22-25 and the match 0 games to 3.

The brief appearance in the Tri-District tournament marks the end of the season for the Tulalip Lady Hawks (11-8). Looking back on the season it was full of firsts and surprising developments for the volleyball program led by coach Tina Brown. The eleven total wins is a new school record, as well as the undefeated start when they opened the season (5-0). All in all, it was a very successful season that saw the Lady Hawks grow as a team and find unprecedented achievement on the volleyball court that led them to make their deepest postseason run in school history.

“I am so very proud of our Lady Hawks volleyball team,” stated coach Tina Brown. “The girls made it to tri-districts for the first time, they played with pride and fought hard. What a great season.”

A look into TOCLA with Attorney Jim Kerney

By Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News

The Tulalip Office of Civil Legal Aid (TOCLA) provides assistance in civil legal issues to low-income tribal members who have to appear in front of the Tulalip Tribal Court. Attorneys are available to help tribal members navigate through the court system. TOCLA Attorney Jim Kerney breaks down the different levels of services the program offers.

“TOCLA offers three levels of services which are full representation, basic representation, and brief services,” Jim explained, “On the brief services level we offer guidance only. That guidance pertains to how the legal system and court process works. We discuss the legal issue and what type of documents they need, but we offer no legal advice.”

Jim explained that when TOCLA offers brief services, the attorney has the ability to speak to both parties and extend the same service to each side. However, Jim stressed that no legal advice is offered to the clients receiving brief services. “Once both parties are spoken to that’s the extent of services that can be offered, unless both parties can benefit from, or need, mediation. Then we can arrange mediation sessions between both parties.”

“The next level would be basic representation. On this level we speak to only one of the parties. The reason for this is because at this stage an attorney/client relationship is established and confidentiality comes into play. We also talk about strategy and what type of evidence is needed,” Jim stated. “We will assist with completing and reviewing documents and with further guidance through the court process.”

“And then we have full representation, that covers everything. These are cases that need more involvement,” said Jim. After explaining the three different levels of services, Attorney Kerney then spoke of the three programs within the TOCLA program.

Jim states, “TOCLA consists of three programs, the first is Civil Legal Aid. The client is referred to the TOCLA Staff Attorney, which is me, and I provide general civil assistance like Family Law Issues, Consumer Law, and Public Benefits, which is like Social Security Income appeals. The next is the Tribal Parent Advocacy Program, or TPAP. We have one and a half Parent Advocate Attorneys, Amy [Lettig] and Maya [Titova], and they represent parents of tribal children who are involved in dependency cases. They work closely with beda?chelh. The reason for the half time parent advocate is because in cases where both parents need representation, having two advocates available doesn’t cause conflict between the parties. The third program is VLAP, we’re fans of acronyms here at TOCLA. VLAP stands for the Victim of Legal Advocacy Project. Sylvia [Hanna] is the Victim Advocate Attorney and Stephanie Ancheta, our paralegal, works primarily with this program. What they do is work exclusively with the Legacy of Healing program. All of the referrals come from the Legacy of Healing and they work with victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. VLAP is grant-funded and income is not a restriction. Their work generally starts with protection orders and they have the ability to represent tribal members not only in the Tulalip Tribal Court but also in state courts. And that’s TOCLA in a nutshell. We are here to represent low-income tribal members in need of assistance with any civil legal issues.”

For further information and legal assistance, Jim has made himself available for drop-in hours twice a week. On Mondays he can be found at the Tulalip Administration Building in conference room 262 between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. and on Wednesdays he is available between 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. at the Tulalip Tribal Court, office 118. He can also be reached at (360) 716-4512.

Contact Kalvin Valdillez, kvaldillez@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov