* Photograph by Shane Van Boxtel / Image Studios
Oneida Comprehensive Health Division
Growing up in Oneida Nation, Debra Danforth’s experience with health care was “you didn’t go to the doctor unless it was something really bad,” she says. Racism, cultural insensitivity, lack of resources and underfunded facilities defined the health care experience for many tribal members. The legendary Dr. Lillie Rosa Minoka-Hill, the second Native American woman ever to earn a medical degree in the U.S., treated previous generations of Danforth’s family for free or barter; the family was extremely fortunate to even have access to a Native physician.
And even though her high school guidance counselor doubted and discouraged her, despite the fact that she held a 3.9 GPA and was nominated to participate in the Encampment for Citizenship, Danforth became determined to pursue a career in nursing.
“When I graduated from nursing school, I invited my counselor to my graduation,” she says. “I was determined to make sure that I made a change in our community. I did everything that I possibly could, because our community is underserved.”
Since 2006 Danforth has led the Oneida Comprehensive Health Division, which she has helped grow from 23,000 to 67,000 square feet and 125 to 388 employees. It has expanded from a clinic to now also include long-term care, employee health, dental, imaging, optical, laboratory and behavioral health services. Oneida was the first tribe in the U.S. to receive Veterans Administration accreditation and just the second to achieve PHAB accreditation, all under Danforth’s leadership and all despite the fact that the Bemidji area (Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan) is funded at only 42% of its level of need by the Indian Health Service, Danforth says.
“The rest of it we make up through maximizing third-party revenues, seeking out grants wherever we can, and just making sure we’re efficient in terms of our operation,” says Danforth, who adds that Oneida Comprehensive Health Division serves patients from as far away as Door County, Madison and Milwaukee. “We’re one of the only facilities that maintains an open-door policy, so we provide services to any Native American. We feel that it’s important to be able to allow individuals from other tribes access to care, so that they get good quality care, culturally sensitive care.”
Danforth says respect for culture and tradition is critically important in tribal health care, and she is proud that her division has implemented a cultural sensitivity training course for all staff. (Her goal before retirement is to also hire a Native American doctor, she adds — something the division has never had.) The division has also implemented highly successful preventative medicine initiatives for stroke and diabetes, which she says are among the leading causes of death and illness in her community.
“Through her leadership, she has helped shape and guide the transformation of health care for the Oneida Nation,” said nominator Chris Christenson, “creating greater access to care and implementing new services to meet the evolving needs of the community she serves.”
A 20-year veteran of the Oneida Nation school board, Danforth prides herself on advocating for the health, wellness and education of her community, which now includes grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
“We want to instill in kids the opportunity to see their faces, see somebody familiar from their community encouraging them,” she says.
It’s similar inspiration that her parents instilled in her, Danforth says.
“My parents have always taught us you need to be out front. You can’t stand behind,” she says. “One of the inspirations I had growing up was that you can’t sit back and wait for somebody to hand you something. You have to seek what you want and get out there and do it.”
