Message #133502

[Bianca]

Health benefits



During a visit to the health center, De La Torre answered a series of questions about her health and medications as she waited to see a podiatrist. Her community health representative jotted down notes in De La Torre's file about her weight, cholesterol and blood pressure.

Each tribal member is assigned a health representative who keeps track of his or her health. The representative also keeps track of medical appointments, calling members to remind them of visits and, in some cases, picking them up.

The transportation component is a blessing for De La Torre, who lives three miles from the reservation just outside El Paso.

"I have a hard time getting around," she said. "If you can't go, they come to you."

The tribe receives about $2.6 million a year from the federal government to operate the health center. The center also houses the tribe's social services, alcohol and substance abuse program, mental health and youth program.

Most of the center's programs are targeted to prevent many of the health issues plaguing tribal members -- diabetes, heart disease and hypertension.

To identify health problems earlier and bring down expenses, the tribe requires members to have a mandatory screening before their membership is recertified each year. No screening means no access to tribal benefits.

The policy was implemented three years ago.