By CHRIS AADLAND, The CUJ
MISSION – Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center unveiled an expanded facility Oct. 4 that its leaders say will allow the tribal health provider to meet demand for its services and increase the types of care it offers to patients.
The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) health care provider began construction in the spring on a 9,200 square-foot expansion meant to better meet the needs of its patients and provide more room for services and employees at the clinic after outgrowing the existing facility – which opened only in 2018 – near the Nixyáawii Governance Center.
Yellowhawk hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 4 and dozens of members of the public heard from CTUIR leaders and tribal health officials about how the project will help the clinic better serve the community before being given an opportunity to tour the expanded facility.
“We have outgrown a lot of things and we’re going to continue to grow,” said General Council Chair and Health Commission member Alan Crawford.
Work is mostly finished, with final touches expected to be completed in the coming weeks, project contractors told event attendees.
In addition to a new entrance for elders at the building’s west end to give them easier access to services, the expansion includes new exam and procedure rooms, office and storage space, a lab and a mammography room, among other features.
Health Commission Chair Althea Wolf said the additions were the result of comments from the commission and patients, such as complaints about long distances elders had to walk from the clinic’s parking lot to where they received their services.
“This new entrance is meant to not only reduce the stress but show our patients that we listen to them; we are open to improving the care they receive,” she said.
The project, which was paid for mostly with federal COVID-19 relief funding, was dedicated to CTUIR tribal members who died because of the illness.
The expansion also comes about two years after the tribe celebrated Yellowhawk’s 50th anniversary.
During the Oct. 4 event, tribal leaders acknowledged the vision and work of past generations that established Yellowhawk and worked to improve health care options for tribal members, while adding that the expansion will allow the clinic to meet a growing CTUIR community’s need into the future.
“It’s a great day to see things successfully moving forward for our people,” said Board of Trustees Chairman Gary I. Burke, adding that he was pleased to see so many young people working at the facility and hoped to see more young tribal members pursue health care and serve their people. “I’m very proud of what’s going on here.”
