While people suffer, IHS reserves funds

By David Melmer Indian Country Today

RAPID CITY, S.D. - Some IHS-reliant Great Plains tribes question whether the regional office's withholding of ''residual funds'' has harmed the quality of their health care.

The Great Plains Tribal Chairmen's Association resolved to require a full accounting of expenditures and asked for monthly financial reports.

IHS' Great Plains Area Office confirmed that $6 million is in the residual fund.

Rick Sorenson, at the IHS area office, said the fund was to cover expenses for duties performed by federal officials. Some duties are federally inherent functions, he said. Sorenson could not speak on record about how the residual fund works. He did say the funding was negotiated with the tribes.

In addition to the $6 million residual fund, there is an additional $6 million which the area office identified as unavailable for distribution.

''In reality, there are not many functions the federal officials have to do by law,'' said Lloyd Miller, attorney with Sonosky, Chambers and Sachse.

Detailed questions e-mailed to the area office were not returned.

The tribal chairmen were not aware of the amount in the fund or how it worked. Charles Colombe, president of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, said a series of meetings should be scheduled to set up a protocol on the funding issue with the IHS.

The chairmen's association passed a resolution that would require a consultative process to identify resources within the area office that could be released and transferred to direct health services. The tribal chairmen also want the review of the additional, unavailable funds and that the IHS disclose to the tribes all area office funds.

Colombe said the chairmen should require the IHS to provide the funding information on a monthly basis.

The $6 million residual fund held by the Great Plains Area Office is double the size of the Phoenix Area's residual fund of approximately $3 million. The Alaska Area residual is less than $2 million. The argument by the chairmen is that if the Great Plains Area reduced its residual fund to $2 million, it would have $4 million to spend on direct health care.

The chairmen said they want the IHS to pay attention to what is going on, that people were suffering and dying; and that bureaucrats in the IHS are more interested in protecting their position. The accusation went unanswered by the IHS.

''They don't hear the cries of our people and they have the money up there. It makes a person angry,'' said Richard Sully, council representative from the Yankton Sioux Tribe.

''What makes them think they need to hold on to that money when it can be used for health care?'' asked Miller.

The tribes have the option of using the Indian Self-Determination Act as a basis for a lawsuit against the IHS, Miller told the chairmen. Tribes in the Billings, Mont. area and in the Southwest have challenged the IHS concerning funding.

Michael Jandreau, chairman of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, said it might appear that the tribes don't need the funding because they don't work the system. He said there was money available. The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe has a new solid waste project that was funded by the IHS, the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency.

''There are funding sources available, but we need to put a process in place to make the projects work. If the funds go untapped the funding is flat, and it will continue that way. The congressional people will say the money went unspent,'' Jandreau said.

''We got money for a detention center, but none for longevity. It takes time and effort and a lot of beating on people's doors,'' he said.

The construction budget for a proposed hospital on the Cheyenne River Reservation was cut to 26 percent of what the need is, therefore the project is on hold, said Harold Frazier, chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.

''We don't have a clue on what is happening at IHS,'' Frazier said.

The Great Plains tribes, among the largest in terms of population and land base, are often not properly represented when hearings on health issues and budget matters are held at the congressional level. On the suggestion by Cecilia Fire Thunder, president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, the Plains tribes will be more aggressive in getting people on the hearing witness list.

''We represent a large number of clinics,'' Fire Thunder said.