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New Town doctor to help with new tribal health-care delivery plan
By ELOISE OGDEN, Regional Editor eogden@minotdailynews.com
POSTED: May 6, 2008
NEW TOWN – When Dr. Monica Mayer finished her last day with Trinity Community Clinic in New Town Friday, it also was the start of her part in a new chapter in health care for the Three Affiliated Tribes on the Fort Berthold Reservation.
Mayer will sit on the new tribal health board being established to oversee the tribes’ new health-care delivery program to tribal members. The health board was scheduled to meet Monday.
The Three Affiliated Tribes’ business council has been making plans over the past months to take over the delivery of health care on the Fort Berthold Reservation from Indian Health Service. The takeover of the health care from IHS is referred to as 638 contracting. The 638 contracting refers to Public Law 93-638, the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975.
IHS, an agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has provided health care to the Three Affiliated Tribes for the past 50 years.
When Mayer, an enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes, entered medical school at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine, Grand Forks, she said she told officials there that her goal was to provide health care “for my people.” After finishing her medical education, she returned to her home community of New Town and became the family practice physician at the Trinity Community Clinic, a position she’s had since the 1990s.
“But the change in this is the Three Affiliated Tribes have gone forward with the 638 process,” Mayer said. With her knowledge, skills and services, she said she wants to help tribal leadership improve Indian health care.
Mayer said her decision to leave her full-time practice with Trinity was also influenced by the health of her mother, Avis Mayer. Mayer also will be providing emergency room on-call coverage during specified times each month at the Indian Health Service Hospital in Belcourt.
As for Trinity Community Clinic in New Town, Mayer said the clinic will remain open with the staff there and a replacement for her is being sought.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity Trinity’s administration gave me when I signed on 10 years ago – for allowing me to come home and build this clinic out here,” she said. “The obvious thing I’m happiest about most is the clinic is in significant better shape than when I came here.” She said the clinic has a great staff and will carry on the work.
“As it sits now, the 638, which I was in favor of, will not only allow us to care better for Indian people but for non-Indians in our community as well. I’ve always thought medicine should be like that and should not be a segregated medical providership, so I think this is good.”
Mayer said there’s an extreme shortage of physicians in rural areas in North Dakota while the western part of the state is growing in population, particularly because of the oil boom.
She said that building a new health-care facility on the Fort Berthold Reservation is a priority. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., who is chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, said last month that he and others are working on getting the funding to build the new facility. Late last year, Congress approved an annual spending bill that included $2.95 million for planning and design of the new Elbowoods Memorial Health Center.
Mayer noted that Indian health care is in crisis, as well as rural health care and health care nationwide. As for the Three Affiliated Tribes taking over its health-care delivery from IHS, Mayer said she feels there is no turning back, the tribe needs to move ahead on it and they can do it.
Mayer will sit on the new tribal health board being established to oversee the tribes’ new health-care delivery program to tribal members. The health board was scheduled to meet Monday.
The Three Affiliated Tribes’ business council has been making plans over the past months to take over the delivery of health care on the Fort Berthold Reservation from Indian Health Service. The takeover of the health care from IHS is referred to as 638 contracting. The 638 contracting refers to Public Law 93-638, the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975.
IHS, an agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has provided health care to the Three Affiliated Tribes for the past 50 years.
When Mayer, an enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes, entered medical school at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine, Grand Forks, she said she told officials there that her goal was to provide health care “for my people.” After finishing her medical education, she returned to her home community of New Town and became the family practice physician at the Trinity Community Clinic, a position she’s had since the 1990s.
“But the change in this is the Three Affiliated Tribes have gone forward with the 638 process,” Mayer said. With her knowledge, skills and services, she said she wants to help tribal leadership improve Indian health care.
Mayer said her decision to leave her full-time practice with Trinity was also influenced by the health of her mother, Avis Mayer. Mayer also will be providing emergency room on-call coverage during specified times each month at the Indian Health Service Hospital in Belcourt.
As for Trinity Community Clinic in New Town, Mayer said the clinic will remain open with the staff there and a replacement for her is being sought.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity Trinity’s administration gave me when I signed on 10 years ago – for allowing me to come home and build this clinic out here,” she said. “The obvious thing I’m happiest about most is the clinic is in significant better shape than when I came here.” She said the clinic has a great staff and will carry on the work.
“As it sits now, the 638, which I was in favor of, will not only allow us to care better for Indian people but for non-Indians in our community as well. I’ve always thought medicine should be like that and should not be a segregated medical providership, so I think this is good.”
Mayer said there’s an extreme shortage of physicians in rural areas in North Dakota while the western part of the state is growing in population, particularly because of the oil boom.
She said that building a new health-care facility on the Fort Berthold Reservation is a priority. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., who is chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, said last month that he and others are working on getting the funding to build the new facility. Late last year, Congress approved an annual spending bill that included $2.95 million for planning and design of the new Elbowoods Memorial Health Center.
Mayer noted that Indian health care is in crisis, as well as rural health care and health care nationwide. As for the Three Affiliated Tribes taking over its health-care delivery from IHS, Mayer said she feels there is no turning back, the tribe needs to move ahead on it and they can do it.
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