Eagle Seeker Clinic breaks ground, expanding healthcare for urban Native Americans in Billings – KTVQ

Report on the Development of the Eagle Seeker Clinic in Billings, Montana

1.0 Introduction

A new healthcare facility, the Eagle Seeker Clinic, is under development in Billings, Montana, to serve the urban Native American population. This report details the project’s scope, objectives, and significant alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those concerning health, equality, and sustainable communities.

2.0 Project Overview and Scope

The Eagle Seeker Clinic is an expansion of the existing Billings Urban Indian Health and Wellness Center. The project commenced with a groundbreaking ceremony attended by community and tribal leaders. The development addresses the rapidly growing demand for services that has surpassed the capacity of the current facility, which opened in 2023.

• Facility Specifications: A two-story, 3,500-square-foot building.
• Location: Adjacent to the Billings Urban Indian Health and Wellness Center at 1125 Broadwater Ave.
• Projected Completion: Construction is scheduled to conclude in 2027.

3.0 Expanded Services and Contribution to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The primary objective of the Eagle Seeker Clinic is to enhance healthcare access and outcomes, directly contributing to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being. The clinic will provide a holistic model of care that integrates physical, mental, and spiritual health, recognizing the importance of culturally appropriate treatment for the Native American community.

Expanded services will include:

1. Primary Medical Care: Broadening general health services for the community.
2. Mental and Behavioral Health: Offering specialized support to address mental wellness.
3. Optometry: Providing essential vision care services.
4. Culturally Grounded Healing: Integrating traditional practices to support the “mind, body, and soul for complete healing,” as stated by CEO Leonard Smith Jr.

4.0 Addressing Systemic Disparities and Advancing SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

A core function of the clinic is to mitigate the significant healthcare disparities faced by Native Americans, a direct action towards SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities. The project highlights and seeks to rectify a major funding imbalance.

• Funding Disparity: Urban Indian health centers in Montana receive approximately 1% of the federal funding allocated through the Indian Health Service (IHS), despite serving nearly half of the state’s Native American population.
• Per Capita Inequality: According to State Senator Cora Neumann, healthcare funding for an individual Native American is about one-thirteenth of that for the average American.
• Treaty Obligations: The initiative underscores the need for the U.S. government to honor its treaty obligations to provide adequate healthcare services to tribal nations, which is fundamental to achieving justice and reducing inequality.

5.0 Fostering Sustainable Communities and Economic Growth

The Eagle Seeker Clinic project supports the development of an inclusive and resilient urban environment, aligning with multiple SDGs.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: By establishing an accessible and culturally competent health center within Billings, the project makes the city more inclusive for its urban Native American residents. It reduces the need for long-distance travel for care, making essential services readily available.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: The clinic is anticipated to create local employment and training opportunities in healthcare, construction, and administration. This contributes to local economic development and provides valuable career pathways for community members.

6.0 Future Outlook and Self-Sufficiency

The long-term vision for the Billings Urban Indian Health and Wellness Center, including the new clinic, is to achieve operational self-sufficiency. This strategy involves developing revenue-generating services, such as an on-site pharmacy and laboratory, to supplement grant funding and insurance payments. This sustainable model aims to ensure the continuity and expansion of services for the community, reinforcing the project’s commitment to long-term health and well-being.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article on the Eagle Seeker Clinic addresses several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by focusing on improving healthcare access, reducing systemic inequalities, and fostering community development for urban Native Americans.

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The core subject of the article is the construction of a new health clinic to provide medical, mental, and cultural care. This directly aligns with the goal of ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The article explicitly highlights the significant disparities in healthcare funding and access for Native Americans. The clinic is a direct response to these inequities, aiming to provide better-resourced and culturally appropriate care for a marginalized community.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: The project is expected to create local jobs and economic opportunities. A resident is quoted expressing excitement for “employment and teaching opportunities” in construction, healthcare, and behavioral health that the new clinic would bring to the community.
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: The article details the construction of a new physical infrastructure—a “two-story, 3,500-square-foot” clinic—designed to provide essential services and support the well-being of the community.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the services and issues described, several specific SDG targets are relevant:

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being. The article emphasizes that the new clinic will offer “expanded mental health” and “behavioral health services,” directly contributing to this target.
   • Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all. The clinic’s mission is to provide accessible primary care, optometry, and culturally grounded services to the urban Native American population, many of whom face barriers like long travel times and high out-of-pocket costs.

2. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status. The clinic is specifically designed to serve and empower the urban Native American population, a group that has faced historical and systemic exclusion from adequately funded healthcare.
   • Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory policies and practices. The article points to the “historical inequities” and the failure of the federal government to honor treaty obligations, resulting in a massive funding gap. The clinic is an initiative to counteract these inequalities of outcome in health.

3. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men… and equal pay for work of equal value. The article mentions a resident’s hope that the clinic will “open up more opportunity, as in teaching, construction, health care, behavioral health,” which aligns with the goal of creating local employment.

4. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

   • Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure… with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all. The construction of the Eagle Seeker Clinic is a direct development of quality health infrastructure aimed at providing equitable access for the urban Native American community in Billings.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article contains both explicit data and implicit metrics that can serve as indicators to measure progress:

• Healthcare Funding Disparity: An explicit indicator for SDG 10 is the funding gap. The article states that urban Indian health centers receive “only about 1% of the federal funding allocated through the Indian Health Service (IHS)” and that per-person funding for Native Americans is “about one-thirteenth of what the average American gets.” Progress could be measured by a reduction in this disparity.
• Access to Services: An implied indicator for SDG 3 is the improvement in access to care. The article notes that a resident currently has to “drive more than an hour for care” and face waits of “months” for services like dental. The new clinic’s proximity (“right here so close to home”) provides a measurable reduction in travel time and wait times.
• Range of Services Provided: The expansion of services to include “mental health, optometry, and primary care,” as well as “culturally appropriate treatment,” serves as an indicator of progress toward comprehensive health coverage (Target 3.8).
• Infrastructure Development: A direct indicator for SDG 9 is the physical construction and completion of the “two-story, 3,500-square-foot space” by its scheduled 2027 wrap-up date.
• Job Creation: An implied indicator for SDG 8 would be the number of new jobs created in construction, healthcare, and teaching as a direct result of the new clinic, as anticipated by a community member.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: ktvq.com