Sault Tribe opens primary care health center in Marquette – Upper Michigan’s Source

Report on the Inauguration of the Marquette Tribal Health Center and its Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians has inaugurated the Marquette Tribal Health Center, a significant development in advancing public health and sustainable development within the community. This initiative directly addresses several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily focusing on health, equality, and institutional strength.

Alignment with SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The center’s core mission is to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for tribal members, a community disproportionately affected by various health ailments. By providing accessible primary healthcare, the facility is a critical resource in achieving universal health coverage targets.

• Comprehensive Care: The center offers a range of services designed to improve health outcomes.

1. Primary medical care
2. Traditional medicine services
3. Referrals for specialized care, with costs covered by the tribe

Contribution to SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

The establishment of the health center is a direct action to reduce health inequalities faced by the indigenous population. It addresses disparities in both access and outcomes.

• Economic Accessibility: In accordance with treaty rights, services are provided at no charge to tribal members, removing financial barriers to essential healthcare.
• Geographic Accessibility: The new location in Marquette provides a crucial service hub, as the previous nearest facility was in Munising, thereby reducing travel burdens for members in the area.
• Sustainable Funding Model: While services are free, the center can collect third-party revenue from insured members. This revenue is reinvested into the Indian Health Services to improve and expand care, creating a sustainable model that supports broader access and reduces systemic inequalities.

Fostering SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

The initiative demonstrates the role of effective and inclusive institutions in delivering public services. The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, as a governing body, is fulfilling its mandate to its members by investing in critical infrastructure.

• Upholding Treaty Rights: The provision of healthcare is explicitly linked to treaty rights, representing an act of justice and the fulfillment of historical agreements.
• Institutional Capacity: The establishment and operation of the health center showcase a strong institutional capacity to identify community needs and implement effective solutions.

Operational Information

• Location: 1210 S Front St., Marquette, MI
• Operating Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Contact for Appointments: (906) 225-1616

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Article

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

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: This is the primary SDG addressed. The article focuses entirely on the opening of the Marquette Tribal Health Center to provide primary healthcare services to the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. The stated goal is to combat the disproportionate health ailments affecting tribal members, directly aligning with the SDG’s aim to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The article explicitly highlights a health inequality, stating that “tribal members are disproportionately affected by health ailments.” The establishment of a new, accessible health center is a direct action to reduce this inequality by providing a targeted community with essential services they previously lacked, thereby promoting social inclusion and ensuring more equal access to healthcare resources.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The article mentions that access to these health services is a “treaty right.” By establishing the health center, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians is acting as a strong and effective institution, fulfilling its responsibilities to its members and upholding these rights. This demonstrates the development of an accountable institution that provides access to essential services for its community.

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

• Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services… The article directly relates to this target by describing the opening of a center that provides essential primary care. It explicitly addresses financial risk protection by stating that “tribal members will not be charged for services.” The plan to expand to dental and pharmacy care further supports the goal of comprehensive health coverage.
• Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of… ethnicity, origin… or other status. The health center is a clear initiative to promote the social inclusion and well-being of an indigenous community. By providing accessible healthcare, the tribe is empowering its members and addressing systemic disadvantages that lead to health disparities.
• Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome… The center is a concrete policy action aimed at reducing the “inequalities of outcome” in health. The fact that it was established specifically because tribal members are “disproportionately affected by health ailments” shows a direct effort to create more equal health opportunities.
• Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels. The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians is functioning as an effective and accountable institution. It identified a critical need within its jurisdiction (lack of a health center in the area), invested resources (“the dollars that we spent on this facility”), and established a service to meet that need, demonstrating institutional capacity and responsiveness.

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

• Implied Indicator for Target 3.8 (related to Indicator 3.8.1: Coverage of essential health services): The existence and operational status of the new health center is a direct indicator of increased service coverage. The article details the services provided (primary care, traditional medicine, specialist referrals) and its operating hours, which can be used to measure the availability and accessibility of essential health services for the tribal community in Marquette.
• Implied Indicator for Target 3.8 (related to Indicator 3.8.2: Proportion of population with large household expenditures on health): The article provides a clear measure for this indicator by stating that services are free for tribal members (“tribal members will not be charged for services”). This implies a zero-cost burden for members, directly indicating the achievement of financial risk protection.
• Implied Indicator for Target 10.3: The number of new health facilities established to serve specific, underserved ethnic or indigenous groups. The opening of this single health center serves as a data point for this indicator, showing a tangible action to reduce health access inequality for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

Summary Table

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article.

Source: uppermichiganssource.com