Red Lake Band announces partnership to secure medical care for Franklin Hiawatha Encampment

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - The Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians is partnering with the Native American Community Clinic (NACC) and Livio Health Group to secure health services and medical treatment for occupants of the Franklin Hiawatha encampment. Following the recent approval of a resolution by the Red Lake Tribal Council to implement a delivery model, service provision began today with nurse practitioners and community health workers identifying and treating patients directly at the camp location. These health professionals will maintain a regular presence at the camp.

"There is a critical need for health care for all homeless residents of the Franklin Hiawatha encampment, most of whom are American Indian," said Samuel strong, Tribal Council Secretary of the Red Lake Nation. "We wanted to reduce barriers for getting that health care by bringing services directly to people where they are."

The partnership between the Red Lake Band, NACC and Livio marks the first coordination of medical care for encampment occupants made by a Native American Tribe. All people living near the Franklin-Hiawatha corridor now have access to regular on-site medical services provided by Livio, a Minneapolis bases mobile health care provider that specializes in addressing common, urgent and complex medical issues in onsite settings. Livio, the Red Lake Nation and NACC also will collaborate to ensure Medicaid eligibility and enrollment. The partnership has been endorsed by the Minneapolis Urban Indian Directors (MUID).

"This is a very important first step," said Dr. Anthony Stately, chief executive of NACC. "We are connecting very vulnerable people to the care they need without asking them to leave the camp, their belongings and the people they trust to keep them safe. This model will give us the tools we need to stem a growing health crisis."

For more information:

Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians: http://www.redlakenation.org

Native American Community Clinic: http://www.nacc-healthcare.org

Livio Health Group: http://www.liviohealth.com