Sicangu News

The Native Governance Center celebrated Native American Heritage Month by naming 22 tribal citizens from the MN-SD-ND region to Cohort 13 of Native Nation Rebuilders.

The new Rebuilders include Lakota representatives SummerRose Last Horse, Dawn Moves Camp, Faith Moves Camp and Ernest Weston Jr. from the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Also named was Alexis White Hat-Kayonnie from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. Other South Dakota Rebuilders include Burt Dillabaugh (Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe), Marquel Holiday (Yankton Sioux Tribe) and Feather LaRoche (Lower Brule Sioux Tribe).

“This cohort of leaders is remarkable and committed to positive change in their communities. Participating in this program will allow them to forge new connections, gain valuable insights and knowledge, and learn about the rebuilding framework needed to support their nations,” stated Jessica Glidden. She serves as the Native Governance Center Leadership Development Program Manager.

Cohort 13 of Native Nation Rebuilders represents 22 of the 23 Native nations located in Native Governance Center’s three-state region (MN, ND, and SD). Rebuilders cohort 13 shares a common desire to use seventh generation thinking (care for future generations) throughout their work. Many of them also are passionate about working with youth, reinforcing their commitment to the future of their nations.

Cohort members have backgrounds in entrepreneurship, corporate ventures, community infrastructure, cultural revitalization, education, health, government relations, and more. Native Nation Rebuilders are leaders who are passionate about strengthening their nations. Indigenous-led and grounded in Indigenous values, the two-year program helps future Rebuilders develop skills around community engagement, movement building and Indigenized governance practices. The curriculum provides participants with a Native nation rebuilding framework they can use to solve problems and jumpstart their leadership journeys. Rebuilders also design and carry out community action plans that demonstrate what they’ve learned and positively impact their communities. 

Native Governance Center (NGC) staff have made extensive updates to the Rebuilders curriculum over the last few years, ensuring that the content reflects feedback from previous cohorts, NGC’s organizational values, and a variety of learning styles. The curriculum now features updated and regionally focused governance case studies, experiential learning opportunities grounded in community, new speakers, and hands-on activities honoring cultural match. The goal of the Rebuilders program is to equip changemakers with tools and frameworks they can use to help rebuild their nations.

Also named to Cohort 13 were Shelly Davis, Zachery King, Jade Malaterre, Cynthia Poitra and Cedar Savage all representing the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. Téa Drift and Jaylen Strong represent the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa. Cyndy Milda and Carrissa Pickit, both from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. Wendy Spry, Angela Vig and Rita Walaszek Arndt from the White Earth Nation. Andrea Reese will attend from the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. And Tawnya Stewart will represent the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.

ROSEBUD – The Rosebud Sioux tribal council heard an update on a Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) proposal which would allow tribal citizens and businesses better access to capital.

Michael LaPointe, of the Sicangu Co. economic development office, shared statistics and other information about the proposed UCC at Rosebud. The proposal will also be presented to the economic development committee for further consideration.

A UCC Financing Statement is a legal document that gives a creditor a security interest in a debtor’s property. It is used to protect the creditor in the event of bankruptcy or other financial hardship. A UCC financing statement is also required for many businesses to obtain loans from banks and other financial institutions. Rosebud does have a commercial code in place under Title Fourteen, but a UCC financing statement with the state has never been approved.

LaPointe also shared statistics which show that a half a billion dollars leaves Todd County every year. Most employed tribal citizens must shop at off reservation businesses to buy the items they need for their household and family. If nothing changes, estimates are that this export of dollars to off reservation businesses will continue to grow at four percent per year.

A goal is to find out ways to keep that money from leaving the reservation and that cannot be done without retail stores and other businesses. Most tribal citizens regularly travel to off reservation business such as restaurants, large variety stores (Walmart, Target), clothing and other stores to buy what they need because these products and services are not available locally. Developing local businesses to serve the needs of tribal citizens in Todd County alone would create over six hundred new jobs.

In addition, statistics from 2019 showed the Rosebud Sioux Tribe having 30,203 people registered as citizens with the enrollment department. An estimated 11,510 of these tribal citizens between the ages of eighteen- and sixty-five-year-olds were unemployed. This put the tribal unemployment rate for 2019 at 75.02 percent.

Also, if Rosebud’s population continues to grow at the current rate, in the year 2040 there would be an estimated 70,513 tribal citizens registered with the enrollment department. If nothing changes, the number of eighteen- to sixty-five-year-olds who face unemployment would be an estimated 31,478 or 88.44 percent.

Partners in Performance (PIP) worked with Sicangu Co to develop a ten-year economic development roadmap focused on plans to expand in the areas of wind energy, bison ranches and local construction. If successfully implemented the roadmap could (1) double the economic growth rate from 2 percent to 4 percent, (2) create 3,000 or more new jobs and (3) increase economic diversification and create economic resilience. PIP also developed a partnership and capability development plan to support the tribe in successfully implementing the economic development roadmap.

Two South Dakota tribes have adopted Uniform Commercial Codes, improving access to financial capital. The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe has created programs to support financial access and tribal business development. Also, the Oglala Lakota Nation provides loans, micro loans and financing on their tribal lands. The memorandum of agreements these tribes have with the state does not waive tribal sovereignty as all disputes are settled in tribal court. Both tribes now have improved their access to capital and some Rosebud tribal citizens have gotten financing from them to operate businesses in Todd County.

UCC filing requirements for special housing projects and new business in South Dakota are: (1) must be filed with the South Dakota Secretary of State’s Office, (2) must include name and address of the debtor, (3) must include name and address of the secured party, (4) description of the collateral, (5) statement indicating that the financing statement is being filed to perfect a security interest in the collateral, (6) must be signed by both the debtor and the secured party and (7) is effective for five years from the date it is filed.

The November 22, 2023, Rosebud Sioux tribal council meeting can be viewed in it’s entirely on YouTube.

ROSEBUD – The RST Health Administration has a few weeks left to hear any feedback from tribal citizens about the compact assumption of the Rosebud IHS hospital.

The tribal council approved RST Resolution 2023-143 on May 17, 2023, creating the tribally chartered entity Sicangu Oyate Health System. The resolution states in part that the tribal council “has decided to pursue entering into an agreement with the Indian Health Service (I.H.S.) under a Title V Compact under the Indian Self-Determination Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA)…”

The tribal council subsequently approved Resolution 2023-239 which appointed a board to oversee the compacting process. Board members include Dr. Donald Warne (Oglala Lakota), Dr. Allison Kelliher (Athabascan), Dr. Darrell Plumage, Bill Snyder, Dr. Monte Bechtold, Scott Herman (RST President) and Lisa White Pipe (Chairwoman of RST Health Board).

Community meetings were held during October and November to hear any concerns tribal citizens have about the tribal pursuing a 638 compact to assume health services provided by Rosebud I H S Hospital. This week, meetings are scheduled for Butte Creek (7pm on 11/20/23), Ideal (7pm 11/21/23) and Upper Crut Meat (7pm 11/22/23). Next week, meetings are on the calendar for Soldier Creek (7pm 11/27/23), Horse Creek (11/28/23 at 7pm) and Sicangu Village (11/29/23 at 6:30pm).

Antelope Community will host a meeting on 12/4/23 at 7pm. The meeting in Parmelee will be held at 7pm on 12/12/23. No additional meetings are on the schedule. All meetings are held in the community buildings.

A handout with potential questions and answers was distributed at past meetings. Tribal officials are present at the meetings to offer a short presentation and to hear concerns from residents. Most of the sessions already completed in other communities were mainly listening sessions with no additional answers to questions posed by people in attendance.

Several Indian Health Service employees who currently work at the Rosebud Hospital have stated they are not being offered any explanation or timeline as to when the tribe will take over health care operations. Some employees have attended the community meetings to be informed about what to expect regarding their jobs and came away with more unanswered questions.

In 2014, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Oglala Lakota Nation and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe decided to compact health care services in Rapid City. The move saw the Great Plains Tribal Leaders’ Health Board eventually assume operations of the health care contract in 2019. The hospital which served Rapid City residents was recently demolished and the new Oyate Health Center replaced it.

The Oyate Health Center offers urgent care, primary care, optometry services, dental clinic, behavioral health, radiology, pharmacy, physical therapy and laboratory services. Tribal citizens living in Rapid City must now seek emergency and in-patient health care at the Monument Health Center.

For more information on the Sicangu Oyate Health System, please visit with your tribal council representative or call the RST Health Administration office at 605-747-5100.

ROSEBUD – The Rosebud Sioux tribal council approved legislation recently to allow a Point In Time count to gather data on houseless citizens on the Rosebud reservation.

According to the HUD Exchange, “The Point-in-Time (PIT) count is a count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January. HUD requires that CoCs [Continuum of Care] conduct an annual count of people experiencing homelessness who are sheltered in emergency shelter, transitional housing, and Safe Havens on a single night. CoCs also must conduct a count of unsheltered people experiencing homelessness every other year
(odd numbered years). Each count is planned, coordinated, and carried out locally.”

“One of the areas where we really want to improve our coverage is tribal communities,” stated Joseph Tielke, who serves as the Continuum of Care Administrator at the South Dakota Housing Development Authority. “Tribal nations and their housing entities are eligible to receive CoC funds.”

“The survey would count anybody who is in a public or private shelter, a transitional housing facility, sleeping outside or in a vehicle, or anybody who is living in a home that lacks the critical utilities,” Tielke said. The survey is mandated to be completed every year during the last ten days in January. An additional survey could also be conducted at the same time to gather information
on reservation homes where one, two, three or more families are living in one house.

The South Dakota Housing Development Authority has never done the Point In Time count on Rosebud. “We’re trying to create meaningful partnerships,” continued Tielke. “In getting the count done in all communities, we need new partners.”

Other tribes who have partnered to do the Point In Time count are Lower Brule, Yankton, Sisseton and Cheyenne River. The count would be organized by the tribe. Interviewers going door-to-door would be tribal citizens who live on the reservation. Also, there are many tribal citizens who worked for the
census in 2020. They have been trained to interview respondents and could potentially be hired to do the Point In Time count. The survey would likely be done on a smart phone app.

“The only people who can do the count on Rosebud are tribal members because they will be the only ones who can build that trust,” Tielke told the council. “This survey is not mandatory and any personal identifying information (PII) is removed.”

“The tribe will be able to get the information from every survey done on Rosebud,” Tielke said. The tribal council approved a resolution to do a partnership with the Housing for Homeless Consortium to do the Point In Time count in January 2024. For more information, please speak to your tribal council representative. Tribal council contact information can be found online.

ROSEBUD – The Rosebud Sioux Tribe successfully negotiated revisions to the Gaming Compact with the State of South Dakota to increase slot machines at the Rosebud Casino.

“Gaming, hospitality and tourism equals economic activity, economic activity means jobs,” stated RST President Scott Herman. “The Rosebud Sioux Tribe is in a position to grow our equity and community value through the new opportunity. One thousand (1,000) gaming machines means equal opportunity for
our people in terms of new jobs.”

Despite the onset of COVID19 virus restrictions in 2020, tribal and state officials worked hard to negotiate the terms of the new compact over the past three (3) years. The negotiation team held several meetings discussing terms of the compact. The sessions were held both virtually and in person at the State
Capitol building in Pierre.

Under the previous compact, which approved the Class III gaming operation, the tribe was limited to a total of two hundred and fifty (250) slot machines at the main property, located on US highway 83 at the South Dakota/Nebraska line. The groundwork for the Rosebud Casino began when the tribal council approved initial Ordinance 87-03, which was amended and adopted on December 6, 1990, to pursue a gaming operation.

On April 4, 1994, the tribe approved Resolution 94-63. On April 11, 1994 the National Indian Gaming Commission approved the legislation, which opened the doors of Rosebud Casino. The Ordinance was subsequently adopted as Title 13 of the RST Law and Order Code.

The RST Gaming Ordinance was again amended in 2006. The amended Gaming Ordinance 2006-04 was approved by NIGC on March 12, 2007. The tribe has a Gaming Commission to oversee regulatory issues at the Casino. The Casino General Manager reports to the Casino Board of Directors.

In addition, last May the tribe opened a Class II gaming facility located at the Prairie Hills Golf Course south of Mission. Patrons must be eighteen (18) years old to enter the facility at Prairie Hills.Rosebud Casino also features a hotel, buffet and fuel plaza at the South Dakota/Nebraska border. Bingo and Table Games are also offered to patrons. Regular specials are offered to customers who have a
Player’s Club card. Visit the Rosebud Casino website for the latest promotions.

PARMELEE – The Holy Innocents Episcopal church burned to the ground over the weekend, devastating many local families who were baptized, married and received holy sacraments there. 

“We are confident it was not an electrical fire, because although electricity was attached someone would have had to be inside to turn it on to create a short to start a fire,” stated Mother Lauren Stanley of the Rosebud Episcopal Mission. “At the moment we are leaning toward arson.”

The Holy Innocents Church was established in 1890 when the area was known as Wososo Wakpa (or Cut Meat Farm Station). The area was a ration station for the Sicangu people who settled in the Upper Cut Meat, Lower Cut Meat, He Dog, Salt Camp and Ironwood areas. The town of Parmelee was named after a man who built a grocery store in the 1920s.

A small group of church leaders and community residents attended an abbreviated Eucharist service offered by Mother Lauren and Senior Catechist Erroll Geboe on Sunday. Another service will be offered on Saturday, November 4, 2023 at 10am at the guild hall. Everyone is invited to attend.

Prairie Rose DuBray-Chapin offered some history on the church in a Facebook post. “When the Episcopalians came, our great grandmother Crow gave this land for the church to be built and a cemetery to be established because her baby needed somewhere to be buried.”

The Parmelee Volunteer Fire Department, along with other emergency personnel, responded to the Saturday morning fire. The area is considered a crime scene and the fire is being investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe’s Criminal Investigators. There were no injuries in the fire. The church is a total loss, but was fully insured. The Fire Marshall was expected to visit the site this week.

The church was once located east of the gravel road. But when the basement began deteriorating, the late Olive Pretty Bird coordinated the project to move the church onto a new foundation. A guild hall was also built west of the church.

“It will be up to this community to decide about rebuilding and how,” stated Mother Lauren. “For seven generations Holy Innocents has stood on this hill and we’re going to have it for seven more because that’s who we are.”

Anyone with any information regarding the church fire in Parmelee is encouraged to contact the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Dispatch at 605-856-2282.

ROSEBUD – Evastine “Cowboy” Wright was sworn into office by President Scott Herman to represent Butte Creek as the newest member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribal Council.

Wright was named winner of the Special Election after votes were tallied and certified by the Election Board. He will serve a three-year term on the tribal council.

The reservation wide election saw a total of 641 registered tribal voters go to the polls on October 26th. Other candidates who ran for the open council seat were Brandi Bettelyoun (174 votes), Arnetta Rosie Montoya (131 votes) and Paul Joseph (75) votes.

The Special Election was scheduled when the tribal council seat for Butte Creek community, located within the reservation boundaries in Mellette County, was declared vacant after Travis Wooden Knife declined the position after winning the General Election. The public was not given a reason as to why Wooden Knife, an employee at the RST Court House, didn’t accept the position.  

In the General Election held in August, Wooden Knife received 1,191 votes over challenger Brandi Bettelyoun, who finished with 734 votes. Former legislator Steven Brave, who was initially elected to office in 2017, could not seek re-election because the Rosebud Sioux Tribe’s constitution limits council representatives to serving two consecutive terms.  

The General Election saw an estimated 1,977 registered tribal voters cast a ballot last summer. According to the 2020 Census, there are approximately 26,000 tribal citizens living on the Rosebud reservation. In order to be eligible to vote in local elections, citizens must be tribally enrolled, 18 years old and reside within the exterior boundaries of the reservation. There are no provisions set in the Election Ordinance allowing for absentee ballots or early voting. An estimated 7,000 tribal citizens are registered to vote.

The Rosebud Sioux Tribal Council will hold their next regular meetings on November 8 and 9, 2023 at the council chambers. Tribal Citizens who use Facebook can follow the Rosebud Sioux Tribal Council page for updates.

Tribal citizens can call the Election Office at 605-747-2381 for more information on how to register to vote.

ROSEBUD – The Rosebud Sioux Tribal Council recently heard a report on the funding received and expended under the American Rescue Plan Act from Director Jim Wike.

Wike reported on each line item by naming the council resolution or APRA Committee meeting dates approving the expenditures. Rosebud received $194,970,559.71 in ARPA funding. The amount of money spent through October 5, 2023 totals $157,059,818.24. The remaining balance of $37,910,741.47 will be used to fund already approved projects. All funds must be expended in full by December 31, 2026.

The APRA funding paid for goods and services to assist the tribe in several areas affected by the government declared economic disaster, which ensued following the onslaught of the COVID-19 virus. The biggest allocation from the ARPA funding totals over fifty three percent (53.21%) in direct financial assistance and vaccine incentive payments to enrolled tribal citizens, which totaled $103,750,000.00.

Funding was also allocated to pay for school clothing assistance for tribally enrolled students attending Head Start and K-12 schools. Lisa White Pipe made the motion to pay for clothing orders out of the ARPA funds. Seconded by Lila Kills In Sight. Question by Jordan Rahn. Vote was 16-0-0. The motion also included language to set the deadline for adult/children direct financial assistance applications as November 15, 2023.

RST Treasurer Wayne Boyd explained the both the Vaccine Incentives and Direct Financial Assistance had no definite deadlines and the resolutions were amended to extend the deadline to allow everyone to apply. As a result, there are funds which can be used to cover a deficit in the Vaccine Incentive fund in the amount of $400,000, as well as allocate $400,000 for any remaining adult financial assistance and $100,000 for children’s financial assistance payments from the 2022 payout to process remaining applications. A line item was created to pay for the 2023 School Clothing funds.

School Clothing assistance checks will be issued to tribally enrolled students beginning on November 1, 2023. The Tribal Secretary’s office has scheduled time in all twenty communities to distribute the checks. Call 605-747-2381 to get the distribution schedule for your community.

The total financial report included line items for ARPA (remaining unbudgeted funds $2,717,403.52), Health Administration Tracers ($1,271,830.00), QS Security ($1,442,744.63), Youth Empowerment ($60,000.00), Youth Empowerment 2023 ($60,000.00), Vaccine Incentive ($15,000,000.00), Direct Financial Assistance ($88,750,000.00), Heat Assistance ($3,650,000.00), Burial Assistance ($1,000,000.00), CleanUp2022 ($90,388.68), School Clothing ($1,209,510.01) and Community Propane ($20,000.00).

Also, Clean Up 2023 ($25,000.00), Graduate Stipends ($63,750.00), SFIS Vocational HS ($500,000.00), SW FHL M2 ($222,720.00), EPP Emergency ($340,000.00), Roof Repairs ($3,380,000.00), In/Exterior ($2,880,000.00), ARPA PMO ($460,971.00), Home Purchase Rec ($22,250,000.00), SWA Home Renovation ($1,000,000.00), Construction Office ($5,754,644.57), SWA Furnace ($1,000,000.00) and SWA Roofing ($1,000,000.00).

Also, SWA In/Ext ($1,000,000.00), Premium Pay ($11,840,877.08), ARPA WS ($350,000.00), WS Non I H S ($100,000.00), Loss Revenue ($15,468,175.05), 50GenLossRev ($5,000,000.00), Veterans Aff ($225,411.08), GFP Armour ($13,151.04), ARPA Office ($2,720,382.70), IndirectCost ($3,782,910.60), Supple Pay ($56,457.79), CityPoolProj ($200,000.00) and IdealComBull ($64,231.92).

The Rosebud Sioux Tribe CARES/ARPA office was created in 2020 to support actions and plans to help with the Protection, Prevention and Response to the Coronavirus pandemic for the RST communities according to US Treasury Guidelines. For more information on the services provided by the office please call (605) 747-3185. Click here to view the council meeting discussion on the ARPA funds received by the tribe.

ROSEBUD – The Rosebud Sioux Tribal Council met with staff from the US Attorney’s office to discuss local crimes involving human trafficking, sexual abuse and drug use.

The meeting was the result of a motion approved last summer where the tribal council asked to speak with federal officials regarding the process of prosecuting sex trafficking and drug distribution offenders on the Rosebud reservation. In attendance was US Attorney Allison Ramsdale, US Attorney Troy Morley and US Attorney Gregg Peterman. Peterman is also a member of the Not Invisible Act Commission.

According to the US Attorney’s website, the Not Invisible Act Commission was created in 2022 to “make recommendations to the Departments of the Interior and Justice to improve intergovernmental coordination and establish best practices for state, Tribal, and federal law enforcement, to bolster resources for survivors and victim’s families, and to combat the epidemic of missing persons, murder, and trafficking of Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian people.”

Morley also serves as the Tribal Liaison for seven tribes in South Dakota, a position he has held since 2015. Most recently, he was also named the MMIP Great Plains Regional Coordinator. His office was responsible for the recent indictments for a 1991 murder on the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate reservation, as well as a sex trafficking crime committed by a tribal citizen from Standing Rock.

“There are agents out there and they are working hard to get these cases to where they belong and hold people accountable,” stated Morley, who works with law enforcement on seven reservations in South Dakota. “We’ve been doing cold case reviews since 1999 when the FBI looked at that list from Pine Ridge. Again, in 2012 we went back through that list and also included any case from any reservation in South Dakota. There were some cases from Rosebud that were reviewed and still remain on that list.”

Steve DeNoyer, Jr., who serves as the RST Police Chief Administrator, told the tribal council that they “should be aware of what is going on in your communities and you know some of what’s going on but realistically you have no clue.”

“Our reservation is bad in some areas. It’s bad when you have people putting horse tranquilizers in drugs to have their way with women. Those women wake up in the middle of the pasture with no clothes on and no idea of what happened,” continued DeNoyer. “That makes our job tough. It makes your job tough. The federal prosecutors don’t hear about these cases because there isn’t enough evidence to send to them.”

DeNoyer also noted that over 90% of the crimes that happen on Rosebud are drug related. “Alcohol is still our number one problem. Meth isn’t far behind but alcohol is still our problem by far.”

US Attorney Ramsdale stated her office prosecutes cases referred by local police, the BIA, the FBI and other cases that come to them. “We do not take cases referred by the tribal president,” she said. “I came here to talk about human trafficking. I wanted to share with you that two months ago we indicted a man and woman from Winner for human trafficking.” She urged tribal officials to report any human trafficking crimes to her office.   The US Attorney and her staff are also available to speak to students in local schools. The entire meeting can be viewed on the RST YouTube channel.

ROSEBUD – The Rosebud Sioux Tribe hosted a consultant and lawyer to answer questions about the plan to compact the existing hospital into a tribal healthcare system.

Consultant Chris Walker (Cherokee), founder of the Tribal Health Alliance (THA), and attorney Elliott Milhollin, of the Hobbs, Straus Dean & Walker law firm, were both hired by the tribe to assist with formalizing the plan to compact the Indian Health Service hospital at Rosebud.

The consultant firm THA has been working for several years assisting tribes to improve health care delivery by helping tribes assume operations away from the IHS and turning existing facilities into tribal healthcare systems. Most recently, THA helped the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska compact their IHS facility in 2018.

The Rosebud Sioux Tribe has talked about compacting the hospital for several years. The process took a step forward on May 17, 2023, when the tribal council passed Resolution 2023-143 approving the charter forming the Sicangu Oyate Health System (SOHS).

The tribal council subsequently approved Resolution 2023-239 which appointed a seven-member board to oversee the compacting process. Board members include Dr. Donald Warne (Oglala Lakota), Dr. Allison Kelliher (Athabascan), Dr. Darrell Plumage, Bill Snyder, an unnamed pharmacist, Scott Herman (RST President) and Lisa White Pipe (Chairwoman of RST Health Board).

The difference between contracting and compacting the Indian Health Service is best answered by the federal agency itself. IHS has an Office of Tribal Self-Governance to oversee the contracting/compacting of health care facilities. The following is taken directly from their website:

“Both Title V and Title I provide for Tribal administration of programs formerly administered by the IHS. The major difference is a matter of oversight. Under Title V, a Tribe may redesign or consolidate PSFAs [Programs, Services, Functions and Activities] and reallocate or redirect funding without IHS approval in accordance with the ISDEAA [Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975]. In contrast, IHS must approve any substantial changes to a Title I Contract. The programs are not exclusive. Because Tribes can choose which PSFAs (or portions thereof) to assume, a Tribe may combine Title V, Title I, and direct services to best meet the needs of its community.” https://www.ihs.gov/selfgovernance/faq/

In addition, in order to be determined as eligible to participate in the IHS Tribal Self Governance Program (TSGP), tribes are required to (1) complete a planning phase, (2) request participation in the self-governance program and (3) provide evidence of three years of financial stability and management capability. In other words, the tribe must have three years of clean audits to be eligible to compact a healthcare facility.

The Rosebud Sioux Tribe has received grant funding for the planning phase and hired the Tribal Health Alliance to assist with this process. However, only two attempts were made to inform the public of the process in the compacting project. One was a virtual question and answer session held on August 18, 2023 (https://tinyurl.com/ed4untu7). The other public information session was held in Antelope Community.

The RST Health Administration is responsible for scheduling future public meetings in the reservation communities to share information with tribal citizens. To learn when a meeting is scheduled for your community, tribal citizens can call the RST Health Administration program at 605-747-5100.

Interested persons can listen to the all-day discussion on the Indian Health Service compacting process by viewing the October 12, 2023 RST council meeting on YouTube at https://tinyurl.com/hcrp25ry