Moldy PPE reportedly used at Oyate Health Center

When Aaron Circle Bear entered an underground cellar on the Sioux San Hospital grounds, he found a cache of N-95 masks, purple top sani-wipes, gloves, and other personal protective equipment (PPE) that he said was “all covered in mold.” Some of the moldy PPE is now being used by hospital staff.

Circle Bear was a security officer detailed to the Oyate Health Center which is under Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board, and had entered the cellar and first saw the moldy PPE during the transition from IHS to Oyate.

“At that time it was in that transitional time and everything had kind of stopped,” he said. “We couldn’t do anything.”

The cache of PPE was bioterrorism equipment from nearly 10 years ago. Oyate had not continued the bioterrorism practices and relocated the equipment to the cellar from a large building on the grounds known as the Lakota Lodge. The Lakota Lodge was climate controlled.

All of the bioterrorism equipment can be identified by an orange stripe painted across the top, and a manufacture date of 2009 or earlier.

The cellar “is where everything became moist and moldy,” Circle Bear said. “There is no ventilation down there.”

Circle Bear went on a mission trip in March and returned when the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing. After his return, he noticed empty, moldy N-95 mask cases in the maintenance shop while on his security rounds.

Circle Bear said “I asked one of the maintenance guys that were there ‘where did you get these [masks]?’, and he said ‘from the underground cellar’ and I said ‘they aren’t using these are they?’ and he said ‘they are using these.”

At that time, Circle Bear went to the cellar and all of the N-95 masks had been removed. The moldy boxes of gloves and purple top sani-wipes were still there.

Circle Bear conveyed what he found to a few fellow co-workers, and those co-workers discontinued the use of the masks. He contacted Senator Thune’s office, and filed a complaint with the Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

When he went back to the cellar days later to take photos of the remaining moldy equipment, the orange striped purple top sani-wipes and gloves had been removed. One of Circle Bear’s co-workers said that they had observed employee’s removing the gloves.

Photos obtained by the Native Sun News show hundreds of orange striped purple top sani-wipes and gloves being stored in the South Duplex of Oyate Health Center waiting for distribution for use. More photos show the orange striped purple top sani-wipes in several work spaces. The photos show that a majority of the PPE awaiting distribution or in work spaces has mold on the packaging.

Circle Bear watched the orange striped purple top sani-wipes being used at a COVID-19 screening station and in the urgent care department.

Other photos of the cellar after the PPE was removed show extensive damage to packaging of the remaining bioterrorism equipment.

The sani-wipes are officially named Super Sani-Cloth. PDI, the sani-wipes manufacturer, states on their website that “Sani-Prime Spray, Sani-Cloth AF3, Super Sani-Cloth, Sani-Cloth Plus and Sani-Cloth HB products have a shelf life of 24 months from date of manufacture.” The purple top sani-wipes do not only have moldy labels, but are also nearly 10 years expired since they were manufactured in 2009.

Circle Bear also spoke with a maintenance employee who was wearing a mask that he stated was from the cellar. That same maintenance employee stated that most of the masks from the cellar were ‘saved’, but some had to be thrown away.

A source that Circle Bear spoke with stated that they had attended a supervisors meeting where Melinda Sieveke, the housekeeping supervisor, proposed to take the masks home, wash them, and then return them to the hospital for use.

Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board issued a statement to the Native Sun News in regards to using the unfit PPE. It says “The Oyate Health Center is disappointed to learn from Native Sun News that a recently terminated employee has made allegations regarding distribution of defective of PPE to OHC employees. It is difficult to respond in detail to any allegation without having first reviewed the material used to support it. The Oyate Health Center’s number one priority is the health and wellness of our patients and staff. Any assertions that we have lapsed in our safety practices are false.

Following the Presidential declaration on March 13th, of an emergency for COVID-19 under Section 501(b) of the Stafford Act, OHC conducted an assessment of Emergency Holding PPE that had been held in long term storage. That assessment by OHC’s infection control department determined that several supplies stored were not suitable for use and were disposed of appropriately. OHC has worked with the GPTCHB Emergency Operations Center to secure appropriate PPE through the State of South Dakota and FEMA, we have been fortunate to be the recipient of exceptional local cooperation with Monument Health and generous donations from around the country. As a result, OHC has met or exceeded CDC guidelines to ensure the safety and well-being of all its employees and will continue to do so. -Oyate Health Center”

Circle Bear was hired by the United States Public Health Service, but detailed to Oyate and still remained a federal employee. His contract allowed IHS, Oyate, or himself to terminate his employment. Oyate terminated his employment on June 11.

A week before his termination, a human resources director from Aberdeen had called Circle Bear’s office and asked to speak with him. An investigator with OIG called his office a few days later. Circle Bear gave the names of witnesses who would be willing to give a statement, and all of them were contacted. This is when Circle Bear believes that some supervisors began connecting dots, and he lost his job less than a week later.

Circle Bear believes the reasons stated for his firing were erroneous, but found it interesting that one of the reasons listed was telling employees of possible exposure to moldy PPE.

In the past weeks, Circle Bear has had other clashes with administration. When he was asked to transport equipment and patients to Travelodge, he expressed concern about going. Little PPE was provided to him, and Travelodge is private property which means he has no authority as security. When he expressed concerns, he was told to carry out his duties, and then told not to, and then told to carry them out again. Cecil Means, the facilities director for GPTCHB, ultimately told Circle Bear that he would be going to Travelodge. In fear of losing his job, he carried out his duties at Travelodge.

Furthermore, IHS provided Oyate Health Center with the funds to provide hazard pay to its federal employees like Circle Bear, but Oyate did not dole out any of the funds because its non-federal employees would not receive any extra pay.

Circle Bear spoke with his union, LIUNA, about the issue of not receiving hazard pay, and the union is conducting an investigation into the mismanaged funds.

The COVID-19 response from Oyate Health Center provides a telling narrative of the administration’s turbulence that Circle Bear refers to as “this mess.”

“No pun intended, but there are too many Chiefs, and not enough Indians,” he said. “You have a lot of people in positions that don’t know what to do, they don’t know what they’re doing.”

(contact Travis at travisldewes@gmail.com)

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