Wilson Health Planning Coop meets on Fort Berthold
Wilson Health Planning Coop meets on Fort Berthold
Regional effort linked to Elbowoods Healthcare Facility
By SUE ERICKSON
STAFF WRITER
In 2002 a group of people came together to form the Wilson Health Planning Cooperative, including former Fort Berthold doctor Dr. Herbert Wilson.
At the time, they found there was a large need out there with many talented and smart people willing to put their time and effort into this project, said Bill Patrie, executive director of Common Enterprise Development Corp., who has seen this project develop.
Wilson came to this area and worked with two cultures and saw how they could come together and envisioned them working together to form a group working toward the betterment of the area. Forty people were there to begin the process and 11 were elected to become a board.
At one point, Jim Foote project manager of the Elbowoods Healthcare Facility project, remarked that two of the people who had a vision were no longer with us on this earth Claire Aubol and Nathen Hale. Both, like Wilson, were instrumental in putting the wheels in motion.
According to Foote, 15 percent of the health center is complete, and staff will be partnering up with the New Town Ambulance within a short time. In the future planning, there will be work on the housing for the staff. The opening will be sometime in August of 2011.He also said that they are working on a resolution to open the facility up for all people, native and non-native, of the area.
Patrie said he is hoping to see efficiency and good service when Elbowoods opens and that the coop will be there to assist in that endeavor.
“They are not a group to tell people how to run a health facility but would work with the agency to make it the most efficient run a center in the area,” Patrie said. “The hope is that if you have a Wilson card all facilities in area will accept them. ”
