Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Photo: Native American Development Corporation clinical laboratory scientist Stephanie Uffelman with “Joey”, one of the lab’s two analyzers. (Kayla Desroches / Yellowstone Public Radio)
An Indigenous-led laboratory is open for business in Billings, the largest city in Montana.
The lab is starting small with plans to scale up.
Yellowstone Public Radio’s Kayla Desroches reports, the Native American Development Corporation recently cut the ribbon on its new lab in downtown Billings.
The lab officially opened in July and is capable of processing blood and urine for drug content.
Native American Development Corporation CEO Leonard Smith says this facility answers the need for more testing capacity and is also unique in the region as a Native-led laboratory.
“We felt that it would bring the kind of return that we need to become sustainable, and continue to offer good services to our community.”
Following the ribbon cutting, clinical laboratory scientist Stephanie Uffelman shows Smith and other NADC leadership the one-room laboratory, located inside a St. John’s United building for seniors.
Uffelman stops in front of a boxy white machine labeled “Joey” and opens a drawer to reveal a tray of empty tubes.
“So each patient will sit in a vial.”
Uffelman named both of the lab’s analyzers after characters from the TV show Friends.
She gestures over to the second machine, named after Joey’s fake identical twin.
“And this guy in the beginning was actually giving me a lot of problems, so he’s my problem child, my Carl. [laugh].”
She says the machines can turn results within a period of 24 to 72 hours.
“These are what’s gonna produce the most revenue for us.”
Native American Development Corporation CEO Leonard Smith says the capabilities of the lab will grow.
He says the lab will be available to the NADC’s Urban Indian Health and Wellness Center in addition to the community at large, with plans to expand its services from substance use testing to other metrics.
“We hope to be able to market to the tribes as well as the private sector entities. I just take great pride in seeing at this point.”
Professor Patty Ferguson-Bohnee. (Courtesy Arizona State University)
Native voting-rights advocates contend two Arizona laws have made it more difficult for Native voters to be civically engaged, despite already existing structural barriers.
Alex Gonzalez reports.
Patty Ferguson-Bohnee (Pointe-au-Chien) with the Indian Legal Clinic at Arizona State University says House Bills 2492 and 2243 will unfairly impact Native voters.
HB 2492 mandates that voters present evidence of a physical mailing address, which Ferguson-Bohnee says will present problems for many Native people who simply don’t have one.
HB 2243 requires county recorders to terminate a voter’s registration if they suspect someone is not a US citizen.
The pieces of legislation are being challenged in court, but Ferguson-Bohnee says education and outreach are also key.
“So trying to translate to tribal people in their own terms, in their own communities, why it’s important to participate in voting can already be a challenge when you’re dealing with a legal infrastructure that has tried to deny your existence.”
Ferguson-Bohnee says that when it comes to Native voting, there have been steps forward and then backwards.
“There is some feeling within Indian Country and among some Native people is ‘Why should I be participating in this process?’ But when you recognize that people who are elected actually have touch points in your everyday life, even if you’re in a remote location, because of this federal trust relationship.”
Ferguson-Bohnee adds that realities on reservations are often very different than off the reservation, and contends that is something that should be taken into account by elected officials when creating policy.
Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily and stay up-to-date on the 2024 Native Vote. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.
