Chehalis Tribe

Mission
To work for a safer and healthier environment by providing quality healthcare to the community in an environment that respects human privacy and dignity while promoting individual/family wellness, and by supporting a meaningful interaction with the community to enhance clinic development and to meet changing health care needs.

The Chehalis Tribal Wellness Center is a full-service family practice clinic that has been serving Chehalis tribal members since 1979. Services are provided from a modern 17,400 sq ft facility built in 2006. The facility has 12 exam rooms, triage and trauma area, digital radiology services, and a large dental chehalis2clinic.

The Chehalis Tribal Wellness Center provides ambulatory health services to tribal and community members living on or near the reservation. Services include Ambulatory Medical Services, Dental Services, Women’s Health, Diabetes prevention and treatment, Contract Health Services, Medical Records and WIC Program. Specialized women’s health services include reproductive care, and breast cancer outreach and screening. Quarterly mammography screening is offered onsite. 

The Chehalis Tribe constructed a 50,000 sq ft Community Center in 2009. The Community Center adds to the health services available to tribal members by providing a multitude of programs and events that foster community health and physical activity.

Chehalis Tribe Behavioral Heath: Tsapowum/Chemical Dependency Program is a treatment center in Oakville, Washington that primarily focuses on mental health and substance abuse services. The facility has a 1,767 sq ft swimming pool, two gymnasiums, a workout room, and educational classrooms for both children and adults. The large facility provides gathering space for many tribal events including basketball tournaments, youth activities, and community health fairs.

The Mental Health Program we has expanded services to include Counseling Services At: Oakville School District, Rochester School District, Chehalis Tribal Head Start, and after-School Programs.

History

The Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation is a federally recognized Indian Tribe located in rural southwest Washington State. The Chehalis Indian Tribe originally occupied a large area within the Chehalis River Basin stretching from the foothills of the Cascade Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. The tribe has been located on a reservation within the Chehalis River watershed since 1850, although important historic and archeological sites are scattered throughout the tribe’s aboriginal area.

The Chehalis Reservation is 4,438 acres large and the reservation was first established in 1860 for the Lower and Upper Chehalis people. Originally 4,224.63-acres large, 3,753.63 acres of land were distributed to non-native settlers through an 1866 Executive Order. An additional 471 acres were given to schools. More land was taken from the tribe.

The Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation’s headquarters is in Oakville, Washington. Chehalis is a collective name for several tribes that lived on the Chehalis River. The name “Chehalis” means sand, originally referring to a village near the present-day town of Westport, and later came to be applied to the river and the people living upriver.
The Chehalis did not sign a treaty but by executive order in 1864 land was set aside for a Chehalis Reservation. The Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation was formed and approved by the federal government in 1939 and its constitution was amended in 1973.

Location

The Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of Upper and Lower Chehalis, Klallam, Muckleshoot, Nisqually, and Quinault peoples. They are one of the Northern Straits branch Central Coast Salish peoples of indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast.

The Chehalis Tribal Wellness Center is located on the 4,438 acre Chehalis Reservation in southwest Washington State. The Chehalis Reservation is situated approximately 26 miles southwest of Olympia and 6 miles northwest of Centralia. The City of Oakville is adjacent to the northwest corner of the reservation.

The Confederated Tribes’ traditional territories were along the Black, Chehalis, Cowlitz, Elk, Johns, Newaukum, Satsop, Shookumchuck, and Wynoochee Rivers, and near Grays Harbor and on the lower Puget Sound of Washington.

Native Language

English is commonly spoken by the tribe. Their traditional languages include Upper Chehalis and Lower Chehalis languages, which are Quinault languages that belong to the Tsamosan branch of the Salish language family.[2] The last native speaker of the Upper Chehalis language died in 2001.

Economy

The Chehalis Tribe provides a wide variety of public services to the community including Law Enforcement, Corrections, a Tribal court system, Medical/Dental Services, Head Start/Early Head Start, Elders meals and center, Vocational Rehabilitation, Education, Planning, Natural Resources, cultural and heritage programs and mental and behavioral health services including substance abuse counseling.

The Chehalis Tribe operates several successful entertainment enterprises including the Great Wolf Lodge Resort in Grand Mound, WA, the Lucky Eagle Casino, and the Eagles Landing Hotel. The tribe also owns and operates three convenience stores, two with a gas station; a fast food restaurant, a cigarette stamping business and two construction companies. The Chehalis Tribe has a total of 1,498 employees.

Facts

The Chehalis tribal governing body is the General Council, which is comprised of all enrolled members 18 years of age and older. The Business Committee, a five-member body elected by the General Council for two-year terms, oversees tribal administration and business. The Business Committee is composed of the Tribal Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, and Fifth Council Member.

Fast Info

Tribal website: https://www.chehalistribe.org/
Administration Phone: (360) 273-5911
Clinic website: https://www.chehalistribe.org/departments/wellness-center/
Clinic Phone: (360) 273-5504

Contact Information

Chehalis Tribe
Chehalis Tribal Wellness Center
21 Niederman Road
Oakville, WA 98568
Contact:
Phone: 360-709-1659
Fax: 360-273-6230

Mailing Address:
Address:P.O. BOX 570
City: OAKVILLE
State: WA
Zip: 98568
Webpage: https://www.chehalistribe.org/

Member Tribes