Not too late to stop Sioux San takeover

RAPID CITY— Many times, critical influences in major stories are not covered by the major news outlets. Narratives are normally slanted to favor the perspective of the involved parties, and mainstream media tends to rely on the narratives of the more vocal and visible participants. The following story, exclusive to NSNT, offers an intimate perspective from long time Rapid City Indian Community advocate, Mark Lonehill, on the recent controversy over the Indian Self Determination Act 638-contract takeover of the Rapid City Indian Hospital, or Sioux San, and explains why it is still not too late to stop the 638 takeover.

Mark Lonehill is the son of Hobart and Poxy Lonehill. Hobart was perhaps the greatest amateur boxer the state of South Dakota ever produced. Poxy (nee Estelle Walking Elk) was instrumental in getting the first Rapid City Community Health Board started. During those decades, the 56-year-old Lonehill got a chance to see up close the day-to-day struggles to defend the quality of health care in the Indian community. Few people have had such a comprehensive participation, and understanding of the histories and issues over and about the Sioux San.

Lonehill explained what the initial strategy was when the 638 takeover was first proposed: “The main goal was to get the word out and inform the people. During the first meeting, I was overwhelmed by the people who didn’t want it, and the only people that wanted it seemed to be people who worked for Great Plains or their families. We decided to have a public meeting at the Mother Butler Center since that was the usual community meeting place where Native Americans go. The Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association (GPTCHB), offered more money to have their meeting (after Mother Butler had already contracted a meeting paid for by Lonehill). After they didn’t get their way, they still tried to claim it was their meeting, they posted flyers, stating that it was their meeting. It was my meeting but they were trying to claim it was their meeting. You got to remember Jerilyn (Church, GPTCHB director) never had one meeting about trying to takeover the San until I had my first meeting.”

Lonehill said that at that meeting, Charmaine White Face, a fellow community advocate, and Church discussed that each would have ten minutes to talk, but Lonehill said “Jerilyn didn’t like that format and refused to participate, to tell her side of the takeover. She gave a brief introduction about herself but that was about it.”

Three resolutions were needed from the three tribes designated as managing partners of the Sioux San, Cheyenne River (CRST), Pine Ridge, (OST) and Rosebud (RST), for the GPTCHB to take over the operation of the Sioux San via 638 contract. After GPTCHB got all three resolutions, White Face decided to take the OST to to court, and she was heard before their tribal court.

ML: “(OST) said they lacked the jurisdiction to rule on this matter. The point Charmaine wanted to make was if their courts have no authority off the reservation, then neither do their resolutions, because it says in the tribal constitution, that their power ends at the tribal borders, and I still believe she’s right on that.”

That belief, however, had no impact then or now on eventual Indian Health Service (IHS) approval of any 638 takeover plans.

The GPTCHB plans at that time were to move out east of Rapid City to the Shepherd Hills location, relocating the Rapid City Indian Hospital. But if even one of those resolutions was rescinded, Lonehill and White Face rightly reasoned the Shepherd Hills move would be denied by James Driving Hawk, director of the IHS in Aberdeen. Kathleen Woodenknife spearheaded the RST council move to rescind the resolution. Before that rescinding there was another community meeting at which a representative of Senator John Thune was present, and according to Lonehill, Jerilyn was not restricted from attending this meeting in any way, and the representative was puzzled why she was not present. Woodenknife was present, and the very next day she took her concerns back to Rosebud and the RST rescinded their resolution. By midafternoon of the same day, IHS had denied the Shepherd Hills plans, also citing concerns over the qualifications of a health care advocacy agency, GPTCHB, to manage a hospital like Sioux San, something at which they had zero expertise or experience.

Far from defeated, Church moved ahead with a plan to divide the hospital between IHS control and 638 contract control, getting the CRST and the OST to amend their resolutions to proceed without RST involvement.

This plan was eventually approved by IHS. But a meeting was held, Lonehill and White Face present, with Thune’s people. Some background information is needed to understand the nature of that meeting. In the early 1950’s the Transfer Act authorized the transfer and maintenance and operation of hospital and health services for Indians to the Public Health Service. In 1973, an amendment was added that allowed for Indian communities off the reservation to consult directly with the Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary. Only the HHS secretary had the authority, with the consent of the Indian community served, to determine any health care changes for that community. The 1973 Amendment was later further amended to replace the HHS secretary with the IHS director, (currently Rear Admiral Michael D. Weahkee, an enrolled member of the Zuni) for consulting purposes, but the wording of the amendment remained otherwise the same, and it was this wording that Lonehill brought to the meeting with the Thune people. According to Lonehill, the wording impressed the Thune people and they wanted the representatives of the Indian community present, to draft a simple letter, detailing the wording calling for Weahkee’s amendment obligated involvement.

On this, Lonehill said, they left in agreement. Lonehill: “A lot of people are depending on (White Face) that she’s gonna do the right thing. But all this time, this thing could have been stopped, because (Thune’s representative) was going to bring Weahkee here, I know that, because he stated it right out, just bring me a one-page letter, keep it simple, send me that document you have on your phone and we’ll do something about this. But, instead, two days later we had a meeting and Charmaine comes in and says, ‘We’re not gonna ask for Weahkee to come here, we’re going to ask for an investigation. That just shot the whole thing, she just handed the reins over to Jerilyn when she did that, because it was an issue we all needed to be in agreement on. When I talked to Thune’s people about a week later, they said, ‘What happened, Mark? That letter that was sent in by Charmaine and them wasn’t even what you guys talked about. I go, yes, I know. She’s asking for an investigation, that’s nothing like what you guys talked about.”

Lonehill suggests: “(GPTCHB) know they will not get the consent of the Indian people served in Rapid City.” He speculates that GPTCHB intended to get their way anyway, by manipulating a system in cahoots with the three tribes designated to manage the Sioux San.

The Rapid City Indian Hospital website identifies the hospital as an urban Indian hospital, and yet, the hospital is not a part of the Urban Indian Health Network, which has clinics in Pierre and Sioux Falls. No reason is ever given why the three tribes are in charge of the Sioux San, given the hospital is well off the reservation, not on trust land, and the enrolled tribal members of these three tribes, also members of the Rapid City community served, have no vote or say on any reservation matters, yet the tribes have the power to determine their health care without their input. Lonehill also points out that the Tribes cannot run their own hospitals, and so why should they have any say how an urban Indian hospital far from their reservations is run?

Representatives from Thune’s office are still open to community representatives bringing them the simple request letter that was initially agreed upon. There is still time to stop the 638 take over before July 21. Although otherwise gracious in their cooperation with NSNT, Thune’s office was unable to be quoted on these matters as they involved private conversations with constituents which cannot be shared.

Although feeling a bit roughed up by his experiences, Lonehill says he is still available to help protect the health care of the Rapid City Indian community and that there is still time to get Weahkee to come out to Rapid City and directly receive the consent of the community served.

(James Giago Davies is an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota tribe. He can be reached at skindiesel@msn.com)

 

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