Rising to the Challenge of Keeping Tribal Communities Safe and Informed

Host Leah Lemm explores how Indian Country in MN is responding and adapting to the current pandemic health crisis.

On today’s show, Host Leah Lemm (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe) looks at how tribal leaders and health care providers are ensuring tribal community members are getting the care and information they need.

Joining Leah is Community Health Nurse Teri Morrison, who has lived and worked on the Bois Forte Reservation for 18 years. Teri shares how the tribe’s emergency response team has been preparing for crises, including viral outbreaks, for years. And Teri emphasizes the continued importance of battling COVID fatigue, by providing timely and accurate information.

We also hear from Daniel Frye, Director of Indian Health Services in the Bemidji Area, which includes Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the urban center of Chicago. Melissa Townsend reports on how the Indian Health Services works with tribes in the region to manage the complex logistics of COVID testing, as needs shift and change. 

At the beginning of the pandemic, we heard from Stacy Hammer, the Director of Community Health at the Lower Sioux Health Care Center, who spoke about how this crisis will reveal both strengths and areas that need improvement.  We reflect on her words, and on our gratitude to all the health care workers helping to keep us informed and safe as we continue to encounter all the unknowns of this COVID-19 pandemic.