Wunee keesuq Tribal family,

Our Tribal Operations and Indian Health Services have continued to take a very proactive approach to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and we are seeing the results of those efforts. Testing in our community is up and the spread of the virus is relatively low in large part due to the contact tracing and communication.

When this pandemic hit, we had a solid plan in place. We’ve now followed that plan and have been able to address many of the communities needs. We’ve overcommunicated the importance of wearing masks, social distancing and what to do if you or someone you come in contact with contracts the disease.

At the onset we had to ensure our Tribal members had a safe place to quarantine, had food and access to medical services. We were able to accomplish this quickly thanks to the wonderful work of our Emergency Management, Housing, Food Pantry, Elder Services, Indian Health Services, Finance and Enrollment Departments.

Once we had these critical areas covered, we were able to then expand our reach to providing Personal Protective Equipment to our front-line workers. We also expanding testing and contact tracing. Our Tribe provided the first drive-thru testing site in the region that provided tests to all tribal households regardless of symptoms.

Many of these resources required funding and we’ve continued to lead the way in Covid-19 grant funding as well. Just over the past few weeks our Tribe received over $2.6 million in additional funding to allow us to further expand our reach.

The financial impact this pandemic is having on tribal households is growing. Last month our Housing Department provided mortgage and rental assistance to ease that burden. We are now rolling out a new financial assistance program that will provide each adult tribal member with direct financial support from the CARES Act funding we have received.

I continue to urge our Tribal citizens to be cautious in their interactions and follow the latest recommendations put out by our Emergency Management Department. It’s our responsibility to ensure to protect our family and those most vulnerable to this disease.

Kutâputunumuw;

Chairman Cedric Cromwell
Qaqeemasq (Running Bear)