With the COVID-19 pandemic, Seattle Indian Health Board has had to make changes in our daily operations, but we have been able to continue to put our relatives first by providing services to our community and helping to ensure they remain healthy and educated about COVID-19. However, we are not alone in our efforts to keep our staff and relatives safe; we’ve had help from so many wonderful people and organizations in our community.

What we are doing

Our clinic now offers our relatives telehealth services and COVID-19 testing, as well as on-site appointments. Relatives can access medical, dental, WIC/nutrition, behavioral health, domestic violence, and substance use disorder services over the phone. We want our relatives to know they still have access to the best possible care and support—from a safe distance.

We’ve also been able to set up a testing site at Chief Seattle Club on Tuesdays and Thursdays to assist our relatives who are currently experiencing homelessness.

We couldn’t do this without support

We have received many monetary and PPE donations from people and organizations in our community.

• Louie Gong and Eighth Generation donated surgical masks, N95 respirator masks, and face shields to the clinic.
• The City of Seattle donated PPE to the clinic from small, local donors.
• Operation Sack Lunch donated boxed lunches—sandwich, chips, fruit, a drink, and dessert—to the entire staff.
• We have also received monetary donations from organizations including Seattle Foundation, Group Health Foundation, Healthier Here, and Nia Tero.

Because of this support from our generous community and despite the nationwide shortage of PPE, we were able to donate some of our supplies to organizations in need including Chief Seattle Club, SeaMar Community Health Centers, Country Doctor Community Health Centers, and the Navajo Nation.

We are grateful for all the support and are thankful we are able to keep our clinic open and operational during this time of great need.

If you would like to help support Seattle Indian Health Board in our efforts to battle COVID-19, please consider a donation. Contact Sabine Talaugon, Development Director, at sabinet@sihb.org or 206-898-8629.