Tribal leaders to attend health care meeting in Shawnee

About 150 representatives of Oklahoma Indian tribes and several state agencies are expected to attend the third annual SoonerCare Tribal Consultation July 15 at the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center, 1899 S. Gordon Cooper Drive, Shawnee. The meeting will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
All 56 Indian health facilities in Oklahoma contract with the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, and almost 85,000 Oklahomans who are tribal members get all or part of their health care through SoonerCare, Oklahoma’s Medicaid.
Participating speakers will include leaders from the Chickasaw Nation, Sac and Fox Nation, Otoe-Missouria Tribe, Osage Nation and Choctaw Nation. Presentations from leaders of OHCA, the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Department of Health, Department of Health and Human Services and Indian Health Service also are on the agenda.
“The tribal consultations allow us to bring many groups together to openly discuss how we can work together to improve services to American Indians and Indian health care providers,” said Dana Miller, OHCA Indian health analyst.
The annual meeting addresses SoonerCare program changes, strategic planning and legislation affecting Indian health care, as well as an open forum in which attendees may openly converse with state health officials on a variety of issues about SoonerCare and the Indian health system.
There is no cost to attend, and registration is open to everyone. For a registration packet or more information, contact OHCA, 522-7695.