Author: Tim Novotny

Coquille Tribe seeks health board member

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HEALTH AND WELLNESS EXECUTIVE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OPPORTUNITY
DESCRIPTION
The Coquille Indian Tribe’s Health and Wellness Division was created to offer integrated health
with primary care, behavioral health, dental, pharmacy, public health, opioid and substance use
disorder programs. Our health services promote a holistic approach to healing in a comfortable,
inclusive environment. We serve our Coquille Tribal family, other American Indians and Alaska
Natives, tribal employees, and the public. The main clinic is situated on the beautiful Oregon
coast of the Coquille ancestral homelands. We are expanding our services in Eugene and have a
vision to provide services within the five-county service area. Tribal Council has delegated health
and wellness operational authority to the Tribal Health and Wellness Division. The Division is
governed by a Health and Wellness Executive Board of Directors serving at the pleasure of the
Tribal Council and performing its duties in accordance with the Health and Wellness Division
Ordinance and the related Division policies.

The Health and Wellness Division’s aim is to:

1. Provide comprehensive, high-quality and culturally competent health and wellness services that
are sensitive to Tribal historical trauma, while maximizing revenue, minimizing expenses, reducing
the Tribe’s General Fund subsidy and creating financial reserves.
2. Maintain high quality and stable workforces in safe and clean work environments.
3. Maintain well trained, well educated, competent and ethical Executive Board members, CEO and
staff.
4. Achieve health-related goals identified annually by the Executive Board and the Tribal Council.
5. Complete projects, achieve outcomes and attain goals assigned by the Tribal Council.


The Health and Wellness Executive Board of Directors consists of five members appointed by the
Coquille Indian Tribal Council, usually for staggered terms of three years. One member will be a
voting Tribal Council Representative. The Chair of the Executive Board is selected by the Tribal
Council from among the Board.


Pursuant to the Health and Wellness Division Ordinance and related policies, the Executive
Board duties include but are not limited to:


1. Providing oversight and advice to the Health and Wellness Division CEO to include an annual
recommendation to Tribal Council of measurable goals and objectives for the CEO as well as an
evaluation of the CEO’s performance;
2. Overseeing prudent and accountable use and reporting of the Division’s resources,
recommendation of annual budgets to Tribal Council for approval, establishing the Division’s
operational priorities, recommending eligibility criteria for services and long range financial and
strategic planning goals;
3. Evaluating the Division’s activities including services, quality of care metrics, utilization
patterns, productivity, patient satisfaction, achievement of objectives, and ensuring that the
Division adopts and implements an effective and safe quality improvement program that includes a
patient complaint process;
4. Providing oversight for effective, efficient health and wellness services authorized by the
Tribe, which may include medical, urgent care, lab, mental health and substance abuse, alternative
and complementary services, pharmacy, dental, and other disease prevention and health promotion
services as needed to promote, foster and maintain good health;
5. Providing a high quality, accessible, responsive, and well-coordinated delivery system of
health education and health and wellness services, for the benefit of current and future Tribal
members and other eligible persons;
6. Serving as the governing body of the Health and Wellness Division, which satisfies the
requirements of accreditation or licensing authorities;
7. Maintaining fiscal accountability by closely monitoring revenue and expenditures, implementing
cost control policies and procedures, obtaining and reviewing comprehensive monthly and year-end
fiscal reports and providing Tribal Council with an accurate financial overview at quarterly
combined meetings. The annual budget will be developed in conjunction with the Tribal Council’s
budgeting process;
8. Communicating effectively with the Tribal Council regarding the Executive Board’s work and the
achievement of goals and any other outcomes or requirements identified in the Health and Wellness
Division Policies;
9. Other tasks and duties associated with the governance of the Board such as attending meetings,
recording minutes, working with the CEO to provide reports both orally and in writing to Tribal
Council and other duties necessary to effectively lead the Division.

QUALIFICATIONS
1. Previous leadership experience in a related field or high-level management experience with a
proven record of accomplishments and an ability to work effectively and professionally with others
to reach goals.
2. High level management experience which includes expertise in at least one of the following:
• Providing comprehensive health care services
• Providing comprehensive opioid treatment services
• Tribal or Indian Health Services outpatient health care
• Federally qualified Health Center matters
• Law, finance, social services, business or tribal operations
• Other areas that would enhance the expertise of the Executive Board
3. Demonstrate behavior that preserves and enhances the mission and commitment of the Coquille
Indian Tribe and the Tribal Health and Wellness Division.
4. Promote fairness and integrity in all internal and external business practices and preserve
and enhance the reputation and values of the Coquille Indian Tribe.
6. Possess a high level of integrity and a professional reputation. Must be able to pass a
reference and background check.
7. Abide by a strict policy regarding recusal and transparency for conflicts of interest.
8. Attend meetings as necessary, either in-person or remotely. Regular meeting dates and times
will be established to include an annual meeting with Tribal Council. The attendance requirement
for Health and Wellness Executive Board Members is the ability to attend meetings regularly.
Absence from (i) two consecutive board meetings, or (ii) more than 50% of the board meetings in a
calendar year, without a valid excuse accepted by the Tribal Council Chair or Secretary, may
subject a board member to removal.
9. The Executive Board reports to the Coquille Indian Tribal Council.

COMPENSATION
At rates approved by the Tribal Council, the Executive Board (except the Tribal Council
Representative and CEO) will be paid a stipend of $7,500 per quarter. In addition, Executive Board
members are reimbursed for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses associated with their service on the
Board.


HOW TO APPLY
If you are interested in serving on the Executive Board of Directors, please send a resume
detailing your experience with a letter expressing your interest. Packets should be submitted no
later than January 13ᵗʰ, 2025 to Mike Frost, HR Director at [email protected] or by mail
to Mike Frost, Coquille Indian Tribe, 3050 Tremont St., North Bend, OR 97459. If you have
any questions, please contact Mike Frost at (541)297-7501.

Coquille Tribe and State of Oregon come together for emergency preparedness exercise

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Tribal, county, state and local partners gathered for an emergency preparedness exercise and demonstration. These partners worked together to set up components of an Evacuation Assembly Point (EAP). An EAP is a short-term, designated location used after emergencies like the Cascadia earthquake and tsunami. It serves as a staging area where people can gather while emergency responders work to access impacted regions and facilitate evacuation.

Oregon Department of Human Services newsroom  – November 21, 2024

KCBY-TV – November 21, 2024

KOBI-TV – November 22, 2024

The World Newspaper – December 8, 2024

 

Coquille Tribe retains Chair, welcomes Rep

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The Coquille Indian Tribe has voted to retain its chairman and secretary/treasurer, while welcoming a new representative following a recent election.

Chair Brenda Meade, who has served in that position since 2012, was sworn-in to a new three-year term on Oct. 25. Jackie Chambers, who has served as secretary-treasurer since 2021, and new 
Representative Shelley Estes, were also sworn-in by Vice Chair Jen Procter Andrews on the same day.

Meade will continue heading the seven-member Tribal Council, which oversees all of the Tribe’s governmental and business activities. Over the past 12 years, she has remained passionately engaged in state, regional and national organizations that work on Native American issues, including serving as chair of the Oregon Legislative Commission on Indian Services.

Some of her other leadership roles have been with the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, the National Congress of American Indians, the National Indian Gaming Association, the Governor’s Task Force on Oregon Tribal Cultural Items, and the University of Oregon’s Native American Advisory Committee.

“We have much more work to do,” Meade said. “Working to protect our sovereignty and create opportunities for self-sufficiency for our Tribe and Tribal citizens is something that requires constant effort but is worth it. A healthy and vibrant Coquille Tribe can only add to a healthy and vibrant community.”

Estes, who has been serving as chair of the Elders Advisory Council among other roles with the Tribe, takes the seat that had been held by Laurabeth Barton who did not run for reelection.

Native American students and supporters gather at UO to celebrate resiliency of Indigenous culture

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Monday across the U.S., Native Americans observed Indigenous Peoples Day. This included an event at the University of Oregon. 

About a hundred people gathered at the EMU Amphitheater to watch Native American dancing, and hear speakers talk about Indigenous culture, history, and issues including the Land Back movement and Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP).

Jason Younker also attended. He’s the Coquille Tribe’s Chief and UO presidential advisor on sovereign government to government relations. He said this is the tenth year that there’s been a ceremony to replace the tribal flags on campus.

KLCC News – Oct. 14, 2024

Coquille Tribe puts millions in federal funding to work

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The Coquille Indian Tribe will soon be putting nearly $8 million in federal grant funding to work on salmon recovery and watershed projects, the tribe said Monday in a media release.

The tribe received two major NOAA grant awards this year, including a $4.249 million Barrier Removal Grant and a $3.608 million Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery Fund Grant.

 

KCBY11 – September 9, 2024

KOBI-TV – September 10, 2024

KVAL-TV – September 12, 2024

Oregon governor outlines commitments to Native nations

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This story originally appeared on Underscore Native News.

This spring, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek promised to visit all nine federally recognized Native nations across the state. So far, she has visited eight and attended the annual Tribal-State Government-to-Government Summit in July. That time marked a span of months when Kotek heard from Native leadership across the state.

In an interview on Aug. 14, Underscore Native News + ICT followed up on those conversations, asking Kotek to clarify her commitments to Native nations and Indigenous community members in Oregon.

 

The Oregon Capital Chronicle – Sept. 6, 2024

Native American Issues Need to Be Part of Presidential Election Discussions

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Opinion. Last week, three tribal leaders penned an open letter to presidential candidates, debate moderators, consultants, political commentators, and the media to push for Native American rights to be part of the upcoming presidential debate on Sept. 10 in Philadelphia and the vice presidential debate on Oct. 1 in New York City.

Tribal leaders Coquille Indian Tribe Chair Brenda Meade; Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana Chairman Marshall Pierite; and Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians Chair Brad Kneaper wrote that millions of Americans are tribal citizens who grapple with centuries of disastrous policies designed to stamp out our people and way of life. 

 

Native News Online – Sept. 3, 2024

The Coquille: Logging Ancestral Lands on the Oregon Coast

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Natalie Wilson of the Coquille Indian Tribe has a boots-on-the-ground approach to logging that connects her to the land of her ancestors on the Southern Oregon Coast.

Wilson, a fish and wildlife biologist and the tribe’s subsistence harvest program manager, inspects every tree to determine which will remain standing and which will be cut down…

 

Capital Press – August 26, 2024

Washington Must Step Up to Protect Sovereignty

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Chair Brenda Meade writes in Newsweek: In the history of Native American tribes, there is a far too common theme—a court will issue a ruling or Congress will pass a law that reasonably protects our people or fairly guarantees our rights. And then as soon as those well-reasoned protections or rights become inconvenient, or political pressure dials up, those promises go out the window.

 

Newsweek – August 21, 2024