1958-04-01 Char-Koosta News

              William Walter McDonald St. Ignatius, Mont.
CHAR-KOOSTA
PUBLISHED BY CONFEDERATED SALISH AND KOOTENAI TRIBES, FLATHEAD AGENCY, MONT. Vol. 2 — No. 6 April, 1958
Public Health Service Paying For Office Calls to Doctors
On May 15, 1958, the Public Health Service started paying for visits made to doctors' offices in Hot Springs, Poison, Ronan and St. Ignatius for members of the Flathead Tribe.
In the past, the Public Health Service has paid for hospital care only. Now they will pay for medical care in your doctor's office. This care includes cost of the examination, medicine and laboratory service prescribed by your doctor.
Out-patient medical care in a doctor's office is available to all tribal members living on the reservation who need a doctor's care and who do not have money to pay the doctor. Members who can pay for their medical care will be expected to do so. •
How do you get this medical service?
1. You must first go or call Mr Arnold Dupuis at Dixon or Dr. David Duncan at Poison and tell them that you or a nember of your family need to see a doctor. , U   1
2. Public Health records will be checked to see if you qualify for medical care. If you are eligible, Mr Dupuis or Dr Duncan will give you a letter to take to your doctor. This letter authorizes the doctor to treat you for one illness only.
3. When you get to your doctor's office, you will give him the letter. After the doctor has examined you, he will tell you if he wants to see you agin for this same sickness and when to come back. The doctor will also tell you if you should see Mr Dupuis or Dr Duncan to get another letter before coming back to see him. It the doctor thinks you should be in the hospital, he will make the arrangements.
4. Emergencies will happen and it may not be possible for you to see Mr Dupuis or Dr. Duncan in person. In this case, you should call Mr Dupuis on the telephone. He will give you a Letter of Referral number that you will give to your doctor.
Remember: You should have either the letter or Referral or the number, in in case of emergency, before you go to the doctor.
If you need Medicine?
If the doctor thinks you need medicine, he will give you a prescription. You will take the prescription to a drugstore in your town and the druggest will give you the medicine. The durggist will keep the prescription so that he can fet paid for the medicine.
1. You must get a letter from Mr Dupuis or Dr. Duncan before you see the doctor. Your doctor will not arrange to get the letter for you. This is your responsibility if you want the Public Health Service to pay for you medical care. The Public Health Service will not pay
the doctor unless you follow this rule.
2. The letter does not authorize you to go to the hospital. You must go to your doctor's office first. If your doctor thinks you should be in the hospital, he will make the arrangements.
3. An expectant mother should select a doctor to care for her as soon as she knows she is going to have a baby. She get authorization for pregnancy care. Mr Dupuis will issue her one authorization that will cover office calls to the doctor and hospital care. The expectant mother should select her doctor carefully. Once the authorization is issued, she will not be able to change doctors if she wants the public health service to pay for her care.
The Public Health Service is pleased to make this new health service available to the Flathead people. We expect you to help make the program a success by following the rules stated in this letter. If you do not understand the rules, see Mr Arnold Dupuis at Dison. He will explain them to you.
Forestry, Grazing and SMC Notes
On April 11th the M & I Timber Company of Plains, Montana resumed logging on the Letzen, Finley, Pablo, Youstah Logging Unit. This sale is predominately Ponderosa Pine and will be completed this year. The Letzen unit is located west of the lower Dry Fork Reservoir, and due west of Lonepine, Montana. Forestry crews have been busily marking timber to be cut on this sale.
William E. Gefeller, completed logging on Arlee Sale NO. 2. This sale was a small one of 300,000 board feet.
Dupuis Brothers started logging operations in the Bassooo Logging Unit on April 15th. 5 million board feet will be cut on this sale during this year. This unit is a large one and will be logged during the next four years. Forestry Crews are also busy on this unit marking trees to be cut.
By the time this issue of the Char-Ko-osta is printed it is hoped that four Fire Control Aids will be employed in presup-pression work here on the Reservation. Many fire trails and roads must be opened up and several lookouts repaired and two fire weather stations must be completed before the fire season arrives.
102 grazing permits have been issued so far this spring. Nearly all of these permits have been for a three year period. It will soon be time to turn the livestock
Hearing on Third Unit
DIXON — The Federal Power Com-mssion has scheduled a public hearing on the Kerr Dam third unit controversy in Washington, D. C, at 10 a.m. on June 24 in the commission hearing room, Walter McDonald, St. Ignatius, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Council Chairman, has announced.
The hearing involves a disagreement betweon the Tribe which owns the Kerr site and the Montana Power company over the rental of a third generation unit at the Dam. FPC is hearing the case under provision of the license issued for the dam.
The council intends to have representatives at the hearing and they will be selected later.
McDonald Appointed To Health Board
As a member of the Flathead Tribal Council, from the Arlee District, it is with great satisfaction that I make the following announcement.
Surgeion General L. E. Burney, United State Public Health Service, recently appointed Walter McDonald, Chairman of the Flathead Tribal Council and chairman of the Inter Tribal Policy Board, to become a member of the nine man advisory committee to the surgeon general on Indian Health. The members of this Indian Health Board will represent all the Indians in the United States and help formulated the policies of the United Public Health Service on problems affecting Indian Health. Ii is a.tilsllilCl honor to the Flathead Tribal Council to have its chairman represent the northwest Indians in important decisions pertaining to their welfare. After working with Mr McDonald on the Flathead Tribal Council I am sure that he*"thoroughly understands and sympathizes with the health problems that confront the Indians and that he will conscientiously work to improve the Indian health program in the light of related welfare and cultural considerations. Signed: Victor Matt, Arlee, Mont.
out on the ranges. Many of the permits do not allow cattle on the range until May 15th or later. This permits the grass to become quite plentiful before the cattle are allowed to graze it down.
The J. Hofert Christmas Tree Co. has planted 40 acres of Christmas trees on land east of Arlee. This is on private land. These seedlings are planted on a 5' x 5' spacing and there are about 1700 of the seedlings per acre.
The forestry department has recently placed an order for additional shortwave radios for use in fire detection and control. The new equipment will probably not arrive in time for use this fire season. When the new equipment is installed all of the lookouts on the reservation will be on 24 hour radio communication as will the Ranger Stations at Hot Springs and Poison. Equipment already installed are 4 mobile units, main station at the Agency, and 3 power pack units for lookouts. The additional units of equipment will provide a modern up-to-date communication system for use during the fire seasons and any other periods of need.