George A. Vascellaro, D.O. – Chief Medical Officer for Citizen Potawatomi Nation Health Services and board-certified Osteopath gives an update on CPNHS and the coronavirus pandemic in fall 2021.
CPN Health Services’ expansions over the last decade include medical professionals, departments, & services, as evidenced by the increase in patients/visits. Also added: mammography, CT, MRI, optometry, urgent care, physical therapy and more.
Tribal member Dr. Wylie Briggs, D.C., joined CPN Health Services staff in mid-August as the Nation’s first chiropractor.
The Peltier family descendant found a renewed sense of purpose. She sought to improve the recovery process for others as the pandemic worsened in the United States; Dykstra-Tibbs learned her body’s response to the virus could benefit others, which prompted her to donate toward a new type of treatment in Oklahoma.
Though Oklahoma’s first COVID-19 case wasn’t identified until March 6, Citizen Potawatomi Nation Health Services (CPNHS) was already prepared.
Several CPN doctors and medical practitioners choose the Nation as their employer to serve other Native Americans.
After one year, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Safety Department has trained thousands of Tribal employees how to perform CPR and use an automated external defibrillator. The Nation’s goal remains to have every employee trained and ready to help.