Author: Ed Nephler

I am a senior at Grand Valley State University. I am researching Native Americans and utilization of health care. A part of this research is to ask Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians community members: What is your opinion about your health care? The answers are completely anonymous.
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As you may all know, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians has been extremely fortunate to be partnering with GLITEC (Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Epidemiology Center) for a grant sub-award from the CDC’s Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country program. This is a great opportunity for the Community Health Department to continue our efforts in providing the necessary education to live a healthy life! There are numerous opportunities within this sub-award to improve the well being of our community!
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UPDATED
Government operations has extended Phase II of the reopening plan to Saturday, May 29th, 2021.
The extension was made due to an increase in COVID-19 cases in our area and the State of Michigan. It continues to be our priority to protect the health and welfare of our citizens, staff, and community.
Although we continue in Phase II, government services continue to be available to the community via electronic, via phone, via postal mail, and in-person by appointment.
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Our LTBB Vaccine Clinic was a great success!
Our team of staff and volunteers vaccinated 60 people with their primary dose of Moderna vaccine.
It was great to see LTBB Tribal Citizens, descendants, other Native Americans, and Lansing area community members come in say hello and to get their vaccine.
We received positive press coverage for this event via the Lansing State Journal, WLNS TV, and the Michigan Advance (an online publication).  Our thanks to the State of Michigan for spreading the word to help this coverage happen....

The Derrer (BP) gas station located in Petoskey has switched to a “prepay only” station.
LTBB Citizens are still able to pay for their fuel after pumping in order to get the fuel tax exemptions, however you must go into the store first and let the cashier know what pump you are on and that you will need to come back in and pay after pumping in order to receive your exemption....

The Primary Election for 2021 Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson will be held on Monday, May 3, 2021.  The Primary Election results will determine which two candidate teams will move on to the General Election.

The General Election will be held on Monday, June 28, 2021....

The 2022 Proposed Tribal Government Budget can be found in the Citizens Portal, Legislative/Tribal Council, Committees/Appropriations and Finance Link. Also, a reminder that on  April 7, 2021 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. there are Executive and Election Board Budget Hearings; April 9, 2021 is  Legislative, Judiciary and any additional Executive departments as needed; and April 13, 2021 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. is the Public Budget Hearing....

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought overwhelming grief to many families. At FEMA, our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters. We are dedicated to helping ease some of the financial stress and burden caused by the virus. Under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, FEMA will provide financial assistance for COVID-19-related funeral expenses incurred after January 20, 2020. FEMA will begin accepting applications for Funeral Assistance on Monday, April 12, 2021 through their dedicated call center. More information can be found at: https://www.fema.gov/disasters/coronavirus/economic/funeral-assistance.   Who is Eligible? To be eligible for funeral assistance, you must meet these conditions: The death must have occurred in the United States, including the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia. The death certificate must indicate the death was attributed to COVID-19. The applicant must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien who incurred funeral expenses after January 20, 2020. There is no requirement for the deceased person to have been a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien.   How to Apply COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Line Number Applications begin on April 12, 2021 844-684-6333 | TTY: 800-462-7585 Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central Time If you had COVID-19 funeral expenses, we encourage you to keep and gather documentation. Types of information should include: An official death certificate that attributes the death directly or indirectly to COVID-19 and shows that the death occurred in the United States, including the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia. Funeral expenses documents(receipts, funeral home contract, etc.) that includes the applicant’s name, the deceased person’s name, the amount of funeral expenses, and the dates the funeral expenses happened. Proof of funds received from other sources specifically for use toward funeral costs. We are not able to duplicate benefits received from burial or funeral insurance, financial assistance received from voluntary agencies, government agencies, or other sources.   How Funds are Received If you are eligible for funeral assistance you will receive a check by mail, or funds by direct deposit, depending on which option you choose when you apply for assistance....

Aanii all. After careful consideration and with input from our emergency management team, the LTBB Pow Wow Committee sadly must cancel this year's Odawa Homecoming Pow Wow. With the ongoing pandemic and the high COVID positive numbers in Michigan, we feel we must continue to protect our tribal community and the community in general. It would be extremely difficult to limit the crowd and to enforce social distancing practices. Please stay safe, and together, we will get through this. We look forward to the future when we can safely gather at our annual pow wow and renew kinship. Miigwetch. Annette VanDeCar, LTBB Pow Wow Committee Chair ...