'We are here for you,' says Tribal Council Chairman Vern Finley

CSK Tribal Councilman Len Twoteeth started the proverbial ball rolling for the first-ever CSKT Tribal Health Fair held at Joe McDonald Gymnasium on the Salish Kootenai College campus on June 3. 

Twoteeth told the Tribal Council Chairman this spring that he’d like to see the Tribes offer men a special health event similar to the Women 4 Wellness event held in May.

Men have health concerns too, Tammy Matt, Community Health Director and organizer of the first-year event, said at the fair. 

Matt only got the Tribal Council direction about a month ago, she said. But the Tribes and their staff jumped right on board, helping Matt fill the cafeteria with table after table of men’s health information, offers and services.

Once registered, participants – men or women, Tribal or non-Tribal – could visit different tables and get screenings for a variety of health-related problems. Leaders offered free blood pressure, blood sugar, complete blood panels and plenty of free professional advice on the spot. 

Tribal Council Chairman Vern Finley wandered around the tables, chatting with staff members, sharing stories and laughter.

Finley said he came to the fair to take care of his own health, something he said is a priority.

Finley said the Tribes are an invaluable support system to members and their descendants.

“We are here for you,” Finley said. 

At the end of one row, Tribal Physical Therapist Jason Krumbeck gave away custom screening and handed out advice to everyone who asked.

Dwight Billedeaux, of Ronan, and his grandson Taariq Billedeaux participated in the fair and found valuable help from the physical therapist.

Krumbeck tested Billedeaux, found his problem and offered him an easy-to-do exercise.

Krumbeck said that many area men suffer from various forms of limited flexibility because they spent their lives working in hard, manual labor positions.

But along with joint problem, many men suffer from the same problems that plague women, like osteoporosis.

Medical booths were complemented by a variety of non-medical booths of interest to men.

Laurence Mahseeleah, who runs the Montana Department of Transportation Safe on the Roads program handed out educational materials to help men remember to take their driving safety seriously. Mahseeleah also gives free child car seats to anyone who needs one, five days a week from the St. Ignatius Fitness Center.

“It feels good to give back to the community,” Mahseeleah said about his work at outreaches and the Fitness Center. “The best part is that I can be a voice for children.”

Members of the federal “Women with Children” program presented information. Their mission is to be a voice and assistance for children, born and unborn.

Michael Tryon played with a bean-bag toss game all day. 

Tryon attended to remind men to get physical, work out and take an active, healthy position in life. 

Tryon said his job is to make men and women more aware of the massive collection of problems that accompany obesity. On the Flathead Reservation, he said that awareness was low. 

So Tryon stood at his table full of sports equipment waiting for participants to stop by and chat. When Tryon knew what that participant enjoyed for exercise, Tryon was prepared to supply the equipment.

Three representatives from the Tribal Defense Office were on hand to share their philosophy on criminal offender re-entry. The holistic health model they follow addresses reformation in a transformational way.

The brightest smile in the room, however, belonged to Nancy Grant, Tribal Health Diabetes specialist, who sat at her table beaming with joy as she showed off her special gift for creative marketing and handed out tiny vials of yellow play dough she called “urine samples.” 

Grant’s marketing mission was to educate attendees about diabetes and kidney issues specific to men.

Matt said now that the first-ever event is finished, it is time for her to get started on next year’s, an event she hopes will be even bigger.