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Save Our Sequim
Welcome to Sunny Sequim
Sequim is a small town in the Northwest corner of Washington State. With a population slightly more than 7,500, this peaceful rural town faces an existential threat.
Sequim has been targeted for a large REGIONAL Drug Treatment Center. This is a profit-driven plan imposed on the community by both public and private interests.
The need for this REGIONAL Facility has not been established. Local care using the best Medication Assisted Treatment protocol (MAT) is already available for those who want drug treatment.
With sufficient drug treatment capacity available and other, more sensible options at hand, WHY is the small City of Sequim in the cross hairs of a national epidemic? Please continue reading to find out,
and help us to
Save Our Sequim!
Sequim was chosen for the benefit and convenience of the Developers , not the need of the local community. With the help of Washington State elected officials, bureaucrats, and local officials, a plan was conceived behind closed doors to expand opioid treatment services in Sequim to a
REGIONAL SCALE.
This included plans to transport people whose addiction treatment needs could have been served locally - near their own homes. These people would now endure a daily commute into Sequim for their MAT prescriptions (see insert) and counseling support. Some would travel up to
two hours or more
to receive these important services and drugs, which are critical to their recovery and perhaps to their very survival.
This plan was developed behind closed doors and later rolled out with great fanfare. A MEGA-MAT facility would be built to bring hundreds of opioid treatment commuters into this small town.
Ask yourself - how long would YOU be willing to endure this daily journey?
The Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe operates many businesses in the area, and their medical clinic and corporate offices are near the proposed site. The existing medical clinic already offers the kind of opioid treatment services (MAT) that are needed, and is sufficient to meet the needs of the Sequim opioid recovery community. We were able to verify this fact with a simple phone call in January, 2020.
Still, if an increased need or capacity was anticipated, the federal government makes it easy to expand existing facilities that provide MAT. This is another viable option to meet the needs of local addicts in recovery. A new, large, REGIONAL Drug Treatment Facility in Sequim is simply not necessary.
However, tribal medical providers in Washington State receive "Encounter Fees" of
$455 per service each day.
Opioid treatment (MAT) requires daily doses of medication for the client. Regardless of the hardship of a daily commute, this regimen ensures at least one daily appointment or "encounter" to the clinic. Six days a week, possibly for years.
Because of this outrageous fee structure, a single person could generate payments of $142,000 or more each year for their MAT services at this proposed REGIONAL Center. Drawn from a service area covering nearly 4,000 square miles, this facility would serve 250-300 clients daily, and could easily expand.
Could taxpayer funds be better used?
Will this facility impact Sequim?
...than you ever wanted to know...
More about Tribal Medical Payments
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The fees that are paid to Tribal health centers far exceed the payments made to Non-Tribal health centers for similar services.
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Taxpayers fund these Tribal encounter fees up to $455 per service daily, (up to five fees per day) charged to Medicaid ONLY for Tribal providers. This is then reimbursed to the State by the federal govt.
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Tribal encounter fees are paid on behalf of Medicaid enrollees -
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regardless of tribal status - white, black, latino, asian, anyone!
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regardless of location - whether urban or rural.
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on or off a reservation.
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Tribal encounter fees are paid on behalf of Medicaid enrollees -
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who "self-refer" or visit a Tribal clinic.
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who are referred out to a contracted Non-Tribal healthcare provider.
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who are served by a contracted Non-Tribal provider, even offsite such as telehealth or mobile medical services
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Care does not need to occur within the four walls of the Tribal Clinic or FQHC to cost taxpayers these excessive fees
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Oversight of these costs and quality of care are not permitted!
To our astonishment, these payment structures are entirely legal!
Please write your legislators and ask to reverse this policy.
We appreciate guidance from the Director of the American Indian Health Commission (AIHC) for helping us identify this information.
Click here