Tribal Council formalizes partnership with Polk County for mobile crisis intervention services

By Danielle Harrison

Smoke Signals editor

Tribal Council approved a memorandum of understanding with Polk County to ensure that Tribal members experiencing a mental health crisis will have the care they need regardless of the day or hour of the week.

The agreement was approved at the Wednesday, Aug. 12, council meeting.

Under the agreement, Tribal members residing in Polk County “have access to timely, culturally appropriate mobile crisis intervention services and stabilization services.”

With the MOU, the Tribe agrees to provide crisis intervention through the Grand Ronde Health & Wellness Center during regular business hours, while Polk County will provide these services during evenings, weekends and holidays, ensuring that Tribal members receive support at any time.

“We’ve been working with Polk County for quite some time and they just stood up a new crisis center and we have crisis services during business hours but after hours, we do not have those services,” Tribal Executive Director of Health Services Kelly Rowe said during a Tuesday, Aug. 11, Legislative Action Committee meeting. “And we want to re-execute our MOU with them to have this available so that we can collaborate and if there are interventions with our Tribal members, we want to be able to make sure that we are getting that information back and forth between us…and that they’re communicating with us so that we’re able to take over that care and get them into our services.”

The MOU also outlines coordination procedures, including further steps when individuals are stable and follow‑up communication required within one business day when Polk County responds to a Tribal member in crisis.

“Both parties commit to protecting confidentiality, complying with all applicable laws, honoring Tribal sovereignty and meeting regularly to strengthen collaboration and improve service delivery,” the agreement states. “This MOU supports a unified approach to crisis care that promotes safety, cultural responsiveness and continuity of services for Tribal members.”

Rowe said the Tribe was also working toward developing an agreement with Yamhill County.

“These are our people and we can treat them and know how they should be treated,” Tribal Council member Matthew Haller said. “That’s the entire philosophy in a small nutshell of why we do these expanded services outside of Grand Ronde.”

In other news, Tribal Council:

• Approved an application to the U.S. Department of Transportation Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program grant for up to $300,000. If awarded, funds would be used to hire a consultant to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study that will provide the technical foundation for improving access and safety for current and future Tribal housing developments;
• Approved an amendment to a multi-year funding agreement with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to add a 105(l) lease to include Chachalu Tribal Museum & Cultural Center, which will bring the Tribe an additional $296,958 of unrestricted funds. The 105(l) lease requires the BIA or Indian Health Service to compensate Tribes for the operational costs of Tribal facilities used to deliver federal programs. Unlike a traditional lease, it acts as a cost-based reimbursement method, where Tribes can be compensated for expenses including rent, depreciation, principal and interest on loans, operations, maintenance and repairs, according to the BIA website;
• Approved an application to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Medication Assisted Treatment – Prescription Drug and Opioid Program grant for up to $750,000. If awarded, funds would be used for expanding access to evidence‑based medications for opioid use disorder and comprehensive behavioral health services for individuals with opioid use disorder across the Tribe’s rural and frontier service area;
• Approved limited waivers of sovereign immunity for Inmar RX Solutions Inc. and McKesson Corporation. Inmar provides pharmaceutical return and billing reconciliation services to pharmacies and McKesson provides wholesale drug and medical supply services to pharmacies;
• Approved an intergovernmental security and access agreement, as well as a limited waiver of sovereign immunity, with Oregon Health Authority;
• Approved an application to Business Oregon for its Regional Infrastructure Grant for up to $250,000. If awarded, funds would be used to offset some of the expenses for the Natural Resources Department expansion project;
• Approved an application to the Bureau of Land Management Rangeland Resource Management Grant for up to $250,000. If awarded, funds would be used to support the purchase of equipment necessary to establish a hazardous fuels reduction branch within the Natural Resources Department’s fire program;
• Approved an application to the Office on Violence Against Women Grants to Indian Tribal Governments Program for up to $900,000. If awarded, funds would be used to continue to sustain and strengthen the Warriors of Hope program’s response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking and stalking within the Tribal community;
• Approved an application to the Administration for Children and Families Family and Youth Services Bureau for the Tribal Personal Responsibility Education Program Grant for up to $3.25 million. If awarded, funds would be used to continue and extend the Tribe’s Tribal PREP partnership with the Sheridan and Willamina school districts to deliver evidence-based pregnancy, STI and HIV prevention education to Native youth;
• Approved entering into an agreement with the Oregon Wildlife Heritage Foundations for America the Beautiful Challenge Funds of approximately $650,000, which will be used to support habitat restoration on three Tribal conservation properties;
• Approved an application to the Administration for Native Americans Economic Advancement Grants for Local Empowerment Welders to Elders grant for up to $500,000. If awarded, funds would be used by the Tribe’s TERO program to expand Tribal economic advancement through a culturally grounded, community‑focused initiative that supports long‑term economic resilience;
• Approved an application to the Federal Transit Administration Public Transportation of Indian Reservation Program for up to $550,000. If awarded, funds would be used to continue public transportation contracts with Yamhill County and Pacific Crest Bus Lines to provide continued regular public transit services to the Grand Ronde community;
• And approved enrolling four infants, 14 non-infants and one emergency non-infant into the Tribe because they meet the enrollment requirements in the Tribal Constitution and Enrollment Ordinance.

To watch the entire meeting, visit www.grandronde.org and click on the Videos tab.