IHS DIRECTOR ROSELYN TSO TOURS WASSAJA MEMORIAL HEALTH CENTER
By Harrison J. Bahe
On August 28th, 2024, Indian Health Services (IHS) Director Roselyn Tso visited the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and toured the Wassaja Memorial Health Center. The tour started with a conference at the We-Ko-Pa Hotel and Conference center in which members and representatives from IHS sat with the Tribal Council and employees from the Wassaja Memorial Health Center (WMHC) to discuss how they help the community and its members. Vice President Paul Russell beguiled our visitors with an often unheard of story about our very own medical legend Carlos Montezuma. “In his letters, he was somewhere in the Dakotas. They found that a lot of the Natives up there were having problems with chest congestion so he invented this mentholated rub. It worked very, very well so, he took that formula and he sent it to Dr. Vicks who patented that and that’s how we have Vicks VapoRub but we like to say that it was invented by a Yavapai.”
The conference continued with each department within WMHC who explained what they do for the community. Acting Medical Director Francesca Baile presented a slideshow detailing what her department does for the FMYN. “It’s a comprehensive outpatient healthcare facility that is dedicated to delivering exceptional primary care services to the community.” Baile went on to share the various programs offered to the community such as management of chronic diseases, illness treatment, wellness exams, sports physicals, WWE/pap smears, health promotion, disease prevention, and vaccines for children. Baile also went on to the various types of lab testing WMHC offers such as STD, TB, UA, rapid flu, COVID, RSV, and strep. Along with those, they also offer abscess care, laceration repair, wound care, sutures and suture removals. Specialty services the WMHC offers include an optometry clinic (bi-monthly), podiatry clinic (½ day a month), dietician services (weekly), a fitness specialist, acupuncture (twice weekly), and a Mental Health provider which is coming soon.
Fitness Specialist Andrew Gonzales described the Healthy Future Diabetes Program and all of the things they do such as one-on-one consults, fun runs, the growing of the community garden, cooking demos, water aerobics, a health fair, fitness classes, and biking. Afterwards, Wassaja Family Services Director Tamara Tuia shared their mission statement. “The mission is to provide services that promote healthy lifestyles to individuals, couples, families and groups of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation.” Wassaja Family Services (WFS) is a dual department under one roof which, in a traditional setting, doesn’t normally happen. “We do house behavioral health services and we also do social services, which is CPS, APS, ICWA and foster care.” The WFS has 5 licensed therapists that provide therapy within their department. They also provide groups for Substance Abuse and Grief Counseling which actually starts today on August 28th and will happen every Wednesday from 12-12pm at WFS. To finish off the presentation, CEDD Director Orlando Moreno shared the details of the Arsenic Water Treatment Plant which is now under construction. Members of the IHS then went on a van tour of FMYN where they visited the construction site of the Arsenic Water Treatment Plant and the Wassaja Memorial Health Center.
