An announcement made on Tuesday by the Indian Health Service, or IHS, acknowledges that Freedmen citizens of the Seminole Nation were being denied services at the clinic in Wewoka, Okla.
The statement comes months after an allegation was made by Seminole Nation Band Chief LeEtta Osborne-Sampson that Freedmen citizens were being denied access to COVID-19 vaccines.
IHS is the main health service provider for tribal nations across the United States. Its statement on Tuesday directed employees at the Wewoka Indian Health Center to admit Freedmen citizens for services.
"IHS has reviewed the eligibility status of Seminole Freedmen in accordance with IHS eligibility requirements and has determined that the Seminole Freedmen are eligible for health care services," the statement read. "IHS is committed to making health equity a top priority and we believe in expanding access to health care programs whenever possible."
In March 2021, as vaccines against COVID-19 were rolling out, Osborne-Sampson, a Freedmen herself, said she started getting calls from other Seminole Freedmen saying they were being denied access to the vaccines. A few of those people died before they could get vaccinated, she said.
Osborne-Sampson has long held that the 3,900 Seminole Freedmen have been denied critical services including healthcare, access to federal housing assistance and monetary assistance from the CARES Act. She said voting is the only right Freedmen hold in the Tribe.
Osborne-Sampson was overjoyed about the decision. Her voice was hoarse from screaming with excitement about the announcement
"I am very happy for this day — it’s just a start," she said. "We are counted from the treaty of 1866 to the constitution of Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. We are a part of this nation….so this is a start, not a finish."
KOSU has reached out to Seminole Nation for comment following the directive from IHS, but officials have not yet responded.
In May, then-Seminole Nation Chief Greg Chilcoat said, “To be clear, the Seminole Nation does not operate the Wewoka Indian Health Services clinic, has absolutely no policy oversight and was in no way involved with administering COVID-19 vaccines.”
Because Chilcoat indicated that the denial of services to Freedmen was from IHS, KOSU asked for clarification about the COVID-19 vaccine availability.
IHS provided this answer via email: "The IHS Wewoka Indian Health Center began providing COVID-19 vaccinations in December of 2020 to health care personnel, as recommended by the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The center began providing COVID-19 vaccinations to individuals eligible for IHS health care services on January 4, 2021. IHS clarified that the Seminole Freedmen, and other community members, could receive the vaccine and made the vaccine available to them on March 1, 2021."
Osborne-Sampson has alleged in the past that Seminole Nation sent a list to the Wewoka Indian Health Center, directing them to deny care services to Freedmen. Seminole Nation and Indian Health Service officials have denied this, saying, "The Oklahoma City IHS Area office and IHS Wewoka Service Unit leadership is not aware of such a list. Seminole Nation members have tribal identification cards that indicate whether or not the Tribe considers them to be eligible for IHS services."
Osborne-Sampson said she talked with recently elected Chief Lewis Johnson, who told her about this decision from IHS. She said, "he did not want to look like the others." When asked about what the new Chief meant by that, she said he didn't want to be seen as anti-Freedmen.
She's hopeful that a dialogue about citizenship can begin, but says, "there's still some problems there."
In late July, Maxine Waters heard from Freedmen who testified before the House Committee on Financial Services when a key housing grant for Native Americans was being discussed.
Marilyn Vann, a Cherokee Nation citizen and Freedmen, told Waters about Freedmen being denied COVID-19 vaccines. Waters responded by saying that she thought this was an injustice that, "cannot stand, and I don't intend for it to stand."
Osborne-Sampson says she hopes she can hold a meeting soon with Chief Johnson about this and other things she sees as priorities for Freedmen and all citizens of the Seminole Nation.
