Mayer named health center CEO

By ELOISE OGDEN, Regional Editor, eogden@minotdailynews.com
NEW TOWN – The Three Affiliated Tribes will hold a ceremony Monday at 11 a.m. in the Minni-Tohe Health Center, west of New Town, to mark the tribes taking over health-care delivery from Indian Health Service.


Dr. Monica Mayer, New Town, has been named the CEO of the health center. She will be seated in that new position during the ceremony. Mayer, a family practice physician, is an enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes.


The new six-member health board of the Three Affiliated Tribes will also be recognized during the ceremony.


The ceremony is open to the public.


Aileen Jackson, tribal health director, said the Three Affiliated Tribes are the first tribe in the Aberdeen Area of IHS to complete the 638 contracting process to take over health care from IHS.


The tribal health board also will meet Monday. During that meeting Mervin Packineau, Parshall representative to the business council, will be added to the board. Other members of the board are Marcus Wells Jr., tribal chairman; V. Judy Brugh and Evelyn Hale, tribal business council representatives;  and Dr. Biron Baker, Mayer and Jackson.


The tribal health board will be in place until the transition is completed in December and then a new board will be seated.


On Monday, the health board also will pick the building design engineers for the tribes’ new health center to be constructed on Fort Berthold Reservation.


Jackson said the majority of IHS health center employees have stayed on with the now tribal facility. She said others with IHS have relocated to other facilities.


Taking over health care from IHS is being done by the tribes “to provide better health services to tribal members,” Jackson said.