Where Heritage Meets Healthcare July 15, 2026 Partnering With Oregon Tribes to Improve Access While Honoring Culture & Tradition For Laurel Schwinabart, serving as the Tribal Liaison for InterCommunity Health Network (IHN-CCO) is more than a job title. It’s deeply personal. Schwinabart is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, based in North Dakota. “I really wanted to learn more about my background and what happened with my Tribe,” Schwinabart said. “It’s really made me love this job more, wanting to help tribal members and understanding the historical trauma they’ve gone through and how it affects them today.” Building Partnerships The role of Tribal Liaison was created in 2020, working with the nine federally recognized Tribes across Oregon. Locally, there are three Tribes located within IHN-CCO’s service area: the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians. Unlike other CCO partners, Schwinabart said the Oregon Health Authority maintains government-to-government relationships with the Tribes as their own sovereign nations. She meets monthly with the agency’s Tribal Advisory Council (TAC) to support best practices for culturally appropriate care and resolve any issues that arise between CCOs and tribal healthcare providers. Lauren is wearing a ribbon skirt, a sacred garment worn by Indigenous women and girls in North America. For example, Schwinabart said she recently heard about an American Indian/Alaska Native member who was having trouble getting dentures. That was on a Sunday, and by Tuesday they had referred him to CareOregon where he was able to schedule an appointment and secure transportation to the appointment. It’s just one case where Schwinabart said her role can help remove barriers that might otherwise leave people without care. “Just knowing who to turn to and how to get those issues resolved is a huge part of what I do,” Schwinabart said. “It may not seem like much overall, but I feel like these small gestures do make an impact.” Growing Trust Working with tribal communities comes with its own set of unique challenges, Schwinabart said, from the ruralness of tribal communities to systemic inequities and historical underfunding of services. Amid those factors, perhaps the biggest challenge, she said, is building trust. “When I first started in this position, I thought the relationship-building part was going to be easy, considering I am Native American. I learned very quickly that is not the case,” Schwinabart said. “There is a lot of distrust not only in the healthcare system, but many tribes just do not trust outsiders based on historical events. There is a lot of relationship-building that goes into this work, and that’s based on trust, respect and understanding.” Though it has taken time, Schwinabart said she’s built strong relationships with the local tribes by getting out in the communities, attending cultural events, touring healthcare facilities and providing education for other community partners. “You need to walk behind the Tribes. You’re not leading them; they’re the ones leading,” Schwinabart said. “You have to be able to understand that and respect the role you have.” Tribal liaisons for CCOs across Oregon pictured at a recent gathering. Traditional Medicine If there’s one thing Schwinabart says she has learned as a Tribal Liaison, it’s that Western medicine is not the only medicine. “I have learned that cultural medicines are valued in the tribal communities, and we need to respect that and understand that our metrics for certain types of Western medicine are not always going to be the best approach. “It’s my job as a Tribal Liaison to honor traditional healthcare practices and provide education to internal staff on how the two practices intersect. In the Tribal Liaison role, it’s important to focus on the needs of the tribal community and ensure that IHN-CCO is responsive, culturally respectful, and committed to building meaningful partnerships that support the health and well-being of the tribal community.
