PHOTO BY CLARE JENSEN

Elder Lorraine Joseph looks at a nutritional display table at the PTHA’s first ever Elder Health Fair Nov. 20 open to Puyallup members 55 and up. This is the second in a series of outreach health fairs targeted at serving the Puyallup membership.

Health fair opens clinic services to Puyallup elders only, for a day

By Clare Jensen

Tribal members and elders have voiced their concerns about service at the Puyallup Tribal Health Authority (PTHA). Long waits at the clinic and appointments scheduled for months out at a time have caused some frustration for patients.

On Nov. 20, the clinic addressed this frustration by offering an Elders Health Fair, strictly for Puyallup Elders over the age of 55, and closing the clinic for the day to the rest of the tribal population.

“This is the first time we’ve closed our doors to the clinic” that wasn’t a holiday, said director of Kwawachee Counseling Center Danelle Reed-Inderbitzen. “We’ve heard their concerns, and we want to be able to let our elders know that we care about them deeply.”

At the daylong health fair, elders could get medical health screenings, check ups and dental work – services that could otherwise span the course of the year for the patients.

Informational and educational tables on health topics such as nutrition facts, improving oral health, breast health, quitting smoking and depression awareness was also available to the tribal members to peruse.

Since the PTHA is open to members of all federally recognized tribes, Puyallup patients only comprise about 20 percent of the clients the clinics serve each year.

Because the Puyallup is the host tribe for American Indian health care in the area, the PTHA directors and staff wanted to show their appreciation for the tribal members who would otherwise be shuffled between the 80 percent of clients who are non-Puyallup.

“We put this event together as a way to show our respect to our host tribe and especially to honor our Puyallup Elders.  It is one way we have of saying thank you,” said Chris Henry, Executive Director of PTHA. “We intend to have more such events in the future.”

Earlier this year, the PTHA hosted a back-to-school health fair targeted at young patients to get them screened and ready to go back to school. That day, the pediatric department was only open to Puyallup children.

The Elder Health Fair is just the second in a series of Puyallup-only health fairs that will in time serve the entire membership population.

A women’s health fair and a men’s health fair are two other ideas that are planned throughout the coming months.

“Because of the high volume of patients, getting in for a check-up can be a challenge,” said Jennifer LaPointe, Health Planner and coordinator for the event. During a daylong health fair, a patient could get all their healthcare needs at once day, and without an appointment.

That’s exactly why elder Lorraine Joseph came out to the Health fair Nov. 20.

“I don’t really like to go to the doctor,” she said, stating that she could get her check-ups all out of the way at the health fair in one stop.

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