The purpose of the proposed funding request is to improve and increase capacity through a provision of extensive adequate resources to effectively strengthen the preparedness to prevent, detect and respond to positive COVID-19 cases and to maximize the effort to delay or contain the spread by mitigating the risk of transmission to community citizens and protect health care professional?s health and welfare.The outcomes are to 1) develop telemedicine capacity with health information technology; 2) utilize surveillance to rapidly trace, test and support quarantining of close contacts of identified cases using updated computers and software; 3) improve diagnostic laboratory testing capacity and become stocked with COVID-19 testing kits; 4) mitigate health care professionals cross contamination exposure risk with two-way internal communication devices and continuous vital monitors; and; 5) contract for surge staffing of nurses-registered and certified assistants and reimbursement of necessary 25% hazard pay for essential community health, security, emergency medical technicians and administrative staff. The continued support for and expansion of these public health responses early to COVID-19 is critical to these priorities for preparation and response to the pandemic.The Red Lake Tribal Council enacted three Executive Orders through Tribal Resolutions 77-2020 Curfew, 78-2020 Quarantine Order and 79-2020 Medical Marshall Law in response to the declaration of the national COVID-19 Pandemic. The Incident Response Team responded and identified we had limited capacity to respond to COVID-19 infection and minimize contamination of healthy Red Lake Nation (RLN) citizens. RLN is a rural isolated closed tribal community located 150 miles from the Canadian border in North Central Minnesota. RLN is home to 13,482 enrolled citizens. We manage the Red Lake Comprehensive Health Services (RLCHS) where many medical and ancillary services are provided in partnershi
p with the Indian Health Services Unit (IHSU). The IHSU provides direct service health care to 8,752 registered users. Of the registered users 6,798 are RLN enrolled citizens who live within the community. The remainder of the user population are either other Native Americans who live in the community, enrolled tribal citizens or other Native Americans who live in surrounding areas near RLN. All major medical services are provided through purchased and referred care for those who qualify. Many citizens, 89%, are eligible for public assistance but less than 25% carry Minnesota Medicaid and rely heavily on the public health services for their direct health care. We provide a self-funded tribal employees plan but the plan is the payer of last resort. Historically, we have documented numerous chronic health disparities from diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, stroke, obesity, accidental deaths from opioid or other illegal drug addictions and overdose. Commercial tobacco use is near 80% of the adults 18 and over contributing to upper respiratory conditions like COPD and asthma. Therefore, our community is at high risk for contracting COVID-19 that may result in death in a large portion of our population. The most concerning is among our most valuable and vulnerable population, 599 elders aged 55 and older. RLN is no exception to, in Indian country, exhibiting a high need for specialized services and equipment to combat any pandemic.