Indian Township health center, leader honored

INDIAN TOWNSHIP – A social workers’ organization has honored the Indian Township Community Health Center as agency of the year, and its director has been named public citizen of the year by the same group.

The Maine chapter of the National Association of Social Workers recognized the health center in a ceremony last week, citing its excellence in promoting a comprehensive approach to health care.

Elizabeth Neptune, the director, was singled out by the same group for her “personal action to help people.”

In presenting the awards, Gail Werrbach of the University of Maine School of Social Work said the health center was recognized for its commitment to the well-being of the Indian Township community.

The health center offers a number of services including medical care, home health care and emergency services as well as diabetic education and prevention programs. Other professional services at the center include a full-line pharmacy, dental service and a nutritionist.

“I would like us to join in recognizing all of the health center staff, administrators, billing staff, direct-service providers, basketmakers and artisans, pipe carriers, transportation folks, support and clinical staff for their commitment … You make remarkable things happen,” Werrbach said during the ceremony.

Neptune said the center is considering improvements.

“We will be focusing on all those programs that we’ve developed, making sure they can sustain themselves after the grant money is gone. That’s important,” she said.

Once that is assured, she said, there are several long-term goals, including enlarging the size of the building to enable the center to offer more programs. She said her staff also has talked about developing a 24-hour detoxification program to run in tandem with its substance abuse program.

She said she envisions a program that would be open to everyone, including people who are not Passamaquoddy.

Washington County is faced with a serious drug and alcohol problem, and medical professionals have complained that there are no local treatment options. Those with substance-abuse problems must travel to Bangor or Portland for treatment.

In addition to focusing on substance abuse, Neptune said, her staff is exploring development of a domestic violence program for the reservation. “One of the ideas I’ve had is to have a batterers’ house,” she said. Her theory is that, rather than disrupting the mother and children of a family and removing them from their homes, she favors removing the batterer. “Have the batterer go into a mandatory treatment program, and let the family stay intact at home,” she said.

Besides meeting the health needs of the nearly 900 people on the reservation, the health center also offers mental health services, early intervention and child mental health programs, substance abuse counseling and cultural services as well as transportation services.

Neptune, 33, said she was pleased the health center received the recognition. Although the award was a first for the center, it was Neptune’s second award. In 1992, Indian Health Services named her outstanding health administrator of the year.

She began working at the health center in 1985 as a full-time secretary-statistician. In 1996, she was appointed health director.

Under her leadership, the health center began to expand its services. “We have more than doubled our operating budget since we started here,” she said. The health center employs nearly 50 people.

Neptune praised the staff and said the health center would not have received the award if not for their collective effort.

She said another goal for the center is to hire as many Passamaquoddy tribal members as possible. Six years ago the entire human services staff was non-Passamaquoddy. Today, tribal members make up 87 percent of the staff.