Greetings Relatives/Frens/Humans!
It is now 1:27 pm, 8.20.21, and I’m finally Posting what Navajo Health Dept Director Jill Jim, Ph.D., reported to Navajo Council Budget & Finance Committee during their Budget Hearing on Jim’s proposed 2022 budget for Health dept.
Jill says that nEZ&li-zer are planning to TAKE OVER the U.S. Indian Health Service to IMPROVE HEALTH CARE on the Navajo REZ. I vote RED/NO!!!!! Jill/nEZ&li-zer CANNOT EVEN PAY their TRASH BILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Health, Education & Human Service Committee vice chairman carl slater is sponsoring LEGISLATION 0168-21 for the nEZ&li-zer/Jimm TAKE OVER of IHS. LEGISLATION 0168-21 states: “An Action Relating to Law and Order, Health, Education and Human Services, Budget and Finance and Naabik’íyáti’ Committees; Approving and Authorizing the Navajo Department of Health, Division of Public Safety and Division of Social Services to Pursue Entry into the Indian Health Service Self-Governance Program per Title V of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, 25 U.S.C. §§ 5301-5423 (P.L. 93-638, as Amended) by Conducting the Required Planning Process and Applying for Funding Resources Available from the Indian Health Service,” which means that the NAABIK’IYATI COMMITTEE and, not the COUNCIL have FINAL APPROVAL over LEGISLATION 0168-21, which is in the Five-Day Review Process.
The Five-Day review process ends Aug. 22 and that means LEGISLATION 0168-21 goes before Law&Order, then HEHS, B&F and Finally the Naabik’iyati. To submit COMMENTS on LEGISLATION 0168-21, email to Office of Legislative Services at legislation@navajo-nsn.gov and the address for the Navajo Nation Office of Legislative Services is 200 Parkway Blvd, Bldg. #3 | PO Box 3390 Window Rock, AZ 86515, P: 928-871-7236 | F: 928-871-7259 | E: legislation@navajo-nsn.gov
I couldn’t attach LEGISLATION 0168-21 to my FB post and so I’m post it here on my website, Marley Shebala’s Notebook,
Navajo Council Budget & Finance committee member Amber Kanazbah Crotty questioned Health Division Director Jill Jim about her proposed 2022 budget for health dept and one of Crotty’s questions to Jim was why Jim is asking for money to pay past bills…I wonder if Jim, who serves at the Pleasure of nEZ&li-zer FINALLY paid the Trash Bill for the Navajo Nation’s ssnior citizens centers and Navajo Nation food distribution program.
Here’s a story I did about Jim/nEZ&li-zer not paying their Trash Bill on June 22, 2021. I DID ASK for an Update from Jim,nEZ&li-zer and I’m still WAITING for an ANSWER:
CROWNPOINT (6.22.21) — The nonpayment of trash pickup services by the Nez-Lizer administration closed all Eastern Agency Senior Citizen Centers as a heat wave hit the Navajo Nation and U.S. Southwest last week.
The Independent learned of the closure of the Crownpoint senior citizen center from Carol Dolan, a member of the Navajo Nation Council on Aging and New Mexico Council on Aging since 2004, late Thursday.
It was also on Thursday that Jill Jim, who was appointed to head the health division by President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer, reported to the Navajo Nation Council Naabik’iyati Committee that Nez and Lizer have been monitoring the weather for several weeks, which is why Jim issued a public warning regarding the physical signs of heat exposure Wednesday.
Jim did not inform the Naabik’iyati about the closure of senior citizen centers across the Eastern Agency in New Mexico.
All centers closed
It was on Saturday that the Independent learned from that all senior citizen centers in the Eastern Agency had been closed due to non-payment of trash creating a health hazard from a Saturday email from Navajo Nation Division of Health Department of Aging and Long-Term Care Services Director Valerie Jones to Jim, Speaker Seth Damon, Council delegates Daniel Tso and Mark Freeland, and Nez-Lizer Chief of Staff Paulsen Chaco.
There was no response from Jim and Chaco as of print time Tuesday morning regarding the status of the Eastern Agency senior centers.
Jim stated in a Saturday email to Jones, Damon, Tso, Freeland, and Chaco that meals are being provided by specific centers in the Eastern Agency.
“Crownpoint Agency senior centers remain in operation,” she stated. “At this point in time, Mrs. Juanita Dennison, Crownpoint Agency Program Supervisor, has established the following plan until Navajo Sanitation removes the trash.
“Per Mrs. Dennison, ‘Standing Rock/Nahodishgish/Crownpoint: will serve cold packs from the Crownpoint Agency Office. Casamero Lake and Baca will utilize Casamero Lake Chapter. I spoke with the Chapter President George Tolth and he supported the two centers serving hot meals and cold packs. Lake Valley will serve out of Lake Valley Chapter-cold pack. Thoreau will serve from Smith Lake Senior Center-cold packs.’”
The Independent emailed questions on Friday to Jim, Chaco, Acting Controller Elizabeth Begay, Finance Manager Robert Willie, Tso, Freeland, and Delegate Carl Slater regarding the closure of the Crownpoint senior center because trash that was not picked up by a sanitation business. The trash was not picked up because the Nez-Lizer administration didn’t pay the trash bill for Crownpoint, according to Saturday emails from Jim and Jones.
Jim, Paulsen, Begay, Willie, Slater and Freeland did not respond by print time Tuesday morning.
Office of Environmental Health
Tso, who is chairman of the Health, Education and Human Services Committee, reported in a late Thursday email that senior citizen center staff from two of his chapters in Eastern Agency informed him that trash dumpsters are overfilled.
He stated that the Indian Health Service-Office of Environmental Health cited two senior centers for closures and four centers that are in Freeland’s District.
Tso also informed Jim, Chaco, Begay, Willie and Freeland, “to my understanding, invoices have not been paid for April, May and June,” Tso stated. “As such meal services and water delivery during this high heat weather aren’t occurring. This is very concerning. Please focus your attention to this in an utmost urgent manner.”
Valerie Jones, who administers the Navajo Nation Department of Aging and Long-Term Care Services, stated in a Saturday email to Jim, Chaco, Tso, Freeland, and Speaker Seth Damon, “DALTCS is making every effort to ensure the service contract is processed and payment is made to Navajo Sanitation. DALTCS has the funds available. I made an emergency procurement request to OOC (Office of the Controller) on Wednesday, 6/17/21.”
Nonpayment of trash services
“Payment has not been made to Navajo Sanitation, perhaps all documents required by OOC and OMB (Office of Management and Budget) will be approved by Monday, 6/21/2021,” Jones stated. “As mentioned by Dr. Jim, DALTCS is currently without an accountant. Due to the many levels of required review and approval by various Navajo Nation departments/divisions, including the various administrative requirements, DATLCS was not able to secure the Navajo Sanitation service contract in time.”
Jones’ email was in response to a Saturday directive by Jim to Jones to provide answers to Tso, who represents the New Mexico chapters of Baca/Prewitt, Casamero Lake, Counselor, Littlewater, Ojo Encino, Pueblo Pintado, Torreon, Whitehorse Lake, and Ojo Encino, and Freeland, who represents the New Mexico chapters of Becenti, Crownpoint, Huerfano, Lake Valley, Nageezi, Nahodishgish, Standing Rock, and Whiterock.
Jim also emphasized, “At this moment, the senior centers are not closed and are providing services from other centers in the meantime.”
She added, “In this administration, I hope we can address the manual processing of documents of any sort at DPM (Department of Personnel Management), OMB, or OOC, especially the 164 process (review process). I’m aware that OOC can activate certain packages within Oracle to handle some of the work that currently is being done manually.
Duplicating document review process
“During this pandemic, handling of documents has become more difficult as divisions are implementing their own requirements for electronic or not and there is even variability of these requirements within divisions,” Jim stated. “Some are still not wanting to handle documents and I believe that with the low numbers and possible low risk, documents can be handled manually. These type of additional and variability of requirements to submit documents cause more confusion, there is less follow-up through from established division emails and assignments at drop-off are unknown when documents are submitted.”
She noted, “The reason for the delay also relate to what is mentioned above, as well as the internal accountant transferring to another job in another division.”
Jim also thanked Damon, Freeland and Tso, whom she copies in her Saturday email to Jones. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention,” she stated. “I hope we get this resolved quickly so we don’t further impact services.”
It was about 98 degrees in the shade at the Crownpoint Senior Citizen Center on Father’s Day. The center was closed and there were no announcements on the center’s door regarding services during the heat wave.
The Following is a Story from the ROLLING STONE magazine about the Heat Wave. Jim/nEZ&li-zer has not issued a Report on the Health/Medical Impact of June Heat Wave. “WHAT HIT THE PACIFIC Northwest in late June was one of the most sudden and extreme heat waves ever recorded. It melted power lines, buckled asphalt, cooked a billion sea creatures. According to mortality data analyzed by The New York Times, the heat wave was responsible for more than 1,000 deaths, including 600 in Oregon and Washington, and another 440 in British Columbia. The actual count is likely even higher — heat-related deaths are notoriously difficult to tabulate, in part because heat often contributes to deaths that are attributed to other causes, such as heart attacks or strokes. One indicator of the toll the heat wave took on people’s health: On June 28th, one of the hottest days ever recorded in the Pacific Northwest — the temperature in Portland hit 116 F, nearly 40 degrees above average for that day — there were 1,038 heat-related ER visits to area hospitals. On the same day in 2019, there were 9 ER visits.”
May Peace Prevail on Mother Earth!
