As Festival 2015 approaches, Potawatomi from across the world will visit our clinics and meet with our health providers. With that in mind I wanted to provide an update on what may have been added to the CPN Health Services since many last visited.

In the last two years our dental program has doubled in size, making it the best of the best in terms of staff and dental technology. We have three full time and two contracted dentists along with our dental hygienists and office staff. Our recently renovated CPN Dental Clinic has top of the line equipment, allowing our equally top of the line staff perform every type of procedure available at a private clinic.

We have added a physical therapy clinic, which as a result of our last governing board meeting in March, will also double in size. This means we will add an additional physical therapist as well as expand their facilities inside the CPN Wellness Center with new equipment for our patients use.

Our optometry program is fully operational with one full time optometrist and two assistants. If you live in Oklahoma, we want to serve you. Our clinic staff can examine your eyes with the latest medical devices, fit you for new glasses and then put them in the mail to your Oklahoma address. Our glasses, which are at no cost to patients, once a year at a limit of $250, have an average price range of $175. In private clinics, many of these frames and lenses would be priced closer to $400-500. For a second pair of glasses or a set of prescription sunglasses, we sell them at cost plus 40 percent. The Health Aids Program has some modifications, with a $250 minimum for eye glasses for those living outside of Oklahoma.

In the winter we also added the mammography program, with one of the premier mammography machines in the country offering 3D tomosynthesis. It is one of two of its kind in the state of Oklahoma.

Our normal operations continue as well, while we offer our growing list of services to a wider array of patients. Non-Indian employees and non-Indian spouses of Tribal members can now be seen at the East and West Clinics, while our streamlined billing system has resulted in an increase in third-party collections, thus allowing us to increase service to all we care for.

I am also pleased to announce that a pilot project between CPN, Andreini and Company of Oklahoma and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma has been a success in helping some of our most in-need healthcare patients. Through this collaboration we have helped several access insurance plans through the federal healthcare exchanges. A more detailed article on this project will follow in future Hownikans.

All of these services and offerings would be impossible if not for steady and progressive leadership from the very top. Chairman Barrett and Vice-Chairman Capps pragmatism and experience are why our staff and health service offerings are as good as anywhere in the country, private or public. Their single vision, which is to look out for what is best for the people of this Tribe, is why our clinics are among the best.

I thank you all for your choice to utilize our great healthcare offerings and look forward to seeing you in June.