Overseeing the delivery of Health Care to Native American people in the Northwest

Nooksack Tribe Historically, the Nooksack people relied on fishing, hunting, clam digging, root gathering and trading with neighboring village peoples for their subsistence. Wealth and prestige within the Coast Salish system were closely allied with the expansion of a family's network of kinship, trading and ceremonial ties. The Nooksack language was predominant in much of the upper Fraser River Valley in British Columbia. In the spring and summer the village groups would split up to fish, hunt, dig clams, gather roots and herbs and to trade with neighboring village peoples. In 1873 an effort was made to remove the Nooksacks to the Lummi Reservation. However, the Nooksacks returned to their upriver sites as they were not closely related by linguistic or kinship ties to the Lummi. In the mid-1930s the Nooksack tribe voted to accept the Wheeler-Howard Act and began working on a tribal constitution. Since they lacked a tribal land base they were not given Federal recognition by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. In 1971 the Nooksack Tribe received full federal recognition and reservation status was established on one acre of land in Deming, WA. Since that time, the Tribe's land holdings have increased to 2,500 acres including 65 acres of tribally owned trust land. Tribal Health and Prevention Programs Alcohol counseling & mental health services Public health nursing, nutrition, WIC, CHR and dental care Clinic staff includes one full-time nurse practitioner, one licensed practical nurse, three community health representatives, one full-time alcohol counselor and one part time mental health counselor/social worker Dental services are provided by a joint venture with a private provider The Nooksack Tribal Health Center is located in Everson, Washington, with a user population of 949 in 1998. Primary health care services are provided in a 5,000 SF tribally owned clinic. Contact Information: Nooksack Community Clinic 6760 Mission Rd Everson, WA 98247 Phone: 360-966-2106