CTUIR strives for effective testing and tracing

Mission, OR. – Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center (Yellowhawk) continues to provide regular COVID testing to enrolled Tribal Members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). As testing has steadily increased, Yellowhawk has identified some challenges to ensuring testing is performed in a timely manner.

The CTUIR Incident Command urges patients to follow these protocols for testing:

• Schedule an appointment in advance. Testing is by appointment only.

Patients must schedule a testing appointment in advance by calling their patient care coordinator (PCC):

• LaShay Miller 541-240-8655
• Mihky Najera 541-240-8639
• Alicia Rosales 541-240-8637
• Yellowhawk’s main line 541-966-9830

When calling the main line, ask to be transferred to your PCC if you have questions or concerns about testing or would like to set-up an appointment for testing.

• Attend testing appointment alone.

It is highly encouraged that you attend your COVID testing appointment alone. If there are multiple people in the vehicle this increases the chance of spread among those occupants. If additional occupants need testing, please ensure they are scheduled for their own appointment times. The COVID testing machine can only run one rapid test every 15 minutes. If there are additional occupants that do not have appointments, this can cause appointment times to become backed up and delayed test results.

• Rapid testing versus Laboratory testing

Rapid testing is performed on site and results are completed in 15 minutes. Laboratory testing results return in 2-3 days. A Yellowhawk nurse will triage you for active symptoms, close contacts and risk status to determine which testing is appropriate for you. Enrolled Tribal Members of CTUIR, including those without symptoms or exposure to an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19, can be tested once every 14 days. If an individual develops symptoms or becomes a contact to a positive COVID-19 case, they can receive further testing even if it has not been 14 days since their last test. 

• Communicate with Yellowhawk Case Investigator

If you test positive, it is extremely important that you share vital information with your case investigator about who you have been around and where you have been. This information is confidential and remains a key tool in fighting the spread of COVID in our community. Our ability to contain the spread is only as good as your willingness to be open and honest with case investigators.

• Reminder on Family Gatherings

As cases have increased on the UIR, it has become clear that family gatherings are resulting in multiple cases. We continue to encourage gatherings are limited to 10 people or less - indoors and outdoors and continue social distancing, frequent hand washing and regular use of masks.

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation is made up of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla Tribes, formed under the Treaty of 1855 at the Walla Walla Valley, 12 statute 945. In 1949, the Tribes adopted a constitutional form of government to protect, preserve and enhance the treaty rights guaranteed under federal statute.