Official Website of the Mescalero Apache Tribe

Open letter from Mescalero Foster Care Program

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The Mescalero Foster Care Program is writing to the community about why the month of May is very important. Please read below.

May is National Foster Care Month

May 2021

As the month of May begins; the Foster Care Program would like to express the awareness of what Foster Care is about. As stated, May is dedicated and marked as National Foster Care Month; and maybe this was not a big deal because it was never acknowledged before in our community of Mescalero.  Today, I am happy to express that Mescalero had implemented the Foster Care/ICWA Programs and they are running in full capacity since 2015.  Know that Mescalero has a Foster Care Program, it is the duty of the Foster Care Case Manager to keep the program in progress and recruit families to become foster parents.

A little history of Foster Care; Some of the earliest documentation of children being cared for in foster homes in the Old Testament and in the Talmud, established caring for dependent children as a duty under law.  Early Christian records showed children were placed with worthy widows and were paid by collection of the church.  As years went by the English Poor Law was developed and regulations were put in place for families to foster care.  These, early dates of becoming a program starts back in 1562.  There was a time where children were placed into care without guidance which was called indentured service until they came of age. This practice of indentured service continued into the first decade of this century.  In 1636 at the age of seven Benjamin Eaton became the nation’s first foster child.  In 1853 Charles Loring Brace began the free foster home movement, and from there on till this current day the Foster Care Program became in effect throughout the United States and began to services all neglected and abuse children.   

The purpose of making May as National Foster Care Month is Awareness.  To raise awareness in the community of Mescalero, Lincoln, and Otero Counties about foster care and to encourage more people to get involved in becoming foster parents.  Mescalero is in crises of no foster homes for our neglected and abuse children and becomes a hardship to help with their services.

So, my message this month of May is to ask for help and spread the word that foster children are in need of caring individuals who can provide safe and nurturing homes.  Mescalero is looking for foster parents who are willing to work with children’s birth parents, be supportive of efforts to return children home, able to work with children who have emotional and behavioral needs and be able to encourage teens to adapt to individual living. 

Let us work together as a community and make a difference in a child’s life!  If you are interested in becoming a foster parent, please call Mescalero Foster Care Program at 575-464-4334 or 575-937-4810.

Provided by Foster Care Case Manager, Alta M. Branham

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New Mexico to loosen Red-Yellow-Green criteria, sets vaccination goal for removal of restrictions

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Changes come amid nation-leading vaccine distribution effort; New Mexico approaching victory over the worst of the pandemic

SANTA FE – State officials announced on Wednesday that New Mexico will loosen the key health metrics used to assign risk levels to counties under the Red-Yellow-Green COVID-19 framework, as the state’s nation-leading vaccine distribution effort is over time likely to reduce the number of asymptomatic people seeking out and receiving tests for COVID-19.

The color-coded framework will now include a criterion that will benefit counties as their vaccination rates improve, incorporating an essential new metric that reflects increasing vaccination rates in counties all across the state as more supply becomes available. An updated Department of Health public health order is attached to this news release.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Wednesday also announced an important state target: When 60 percent of eligible New Mexicans have been fully vaccinated, which state modeling projects may occur as early as the end of June, the state will graduate out of the color-coded county risk system and remove most pandemic-related restrictions on commercial activities. Although a mask requirement while around others will remain in place, and certain COVID-Safe Practices will be required for specific activities, this target – made possible by New Mexico’s nation-leading vaccination effort – will represent the most significant removal of restrictions since the onset of the pandemic.

The state’s intent under the revised color-coded framework, meanwhile, remains to align a local area’s decreasing risk level with loosened requirements, and vice versa, and to balance the need to prevent another surge of viral spread with the need for standard localized “openness” amid this stage of the pandemic, as we approach an environment where restrictions can be relaxed to an even greater extent or entirely over the summer.

“I believe that New Mexico, by some time in June, will have fully vaccinated enough of our state that we can shed these restrictions and frameworks and instead move closer to a simpler new phase, from fighting to ultimately monitoring the pandemic,” said Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, “where businesses and commercial and community activity can safely occur at the same open level all across the state. We are close and getting closer. But that all depends on New Mexicans continuing to get their shots when it’s their turn, so please register at vaccineNM.org and help us keep up the pace!”

Effective Friday, April 30, the health metrics that will be used to determine a county’s risk level will be:

  • A new per-capita rate of new COVID-19 cases of no greater than 10 per 100,000 inhabitants over the most recent 14-day reporting period
  • An average positivity rate less than or equal to 7.5 percent over the most recent 14-day reporting period
  • A county with a fully vaccinated rate at or above a target, beginning at 35% as of April 30 and increasing to 40% for the regularly-scheduled map update on May 5, that will increase 5% every other week as more vaccinations are completed
    • As an example, the vaccination rate metric will increase to 45 percent for the next biweekly map update on May 19

A county that meets none of the criteria upon the biweekly Department of Health map update will be at the Red Level. A county meeting one will be at the Yellow Level. A county meeting two criteria is at the Green Level. A county meeting all three criteria, or having maintained the Green Level for two consecutive biweekly map update periods, is at the Turquoise Level.

In addition, counties that reach the Turquoise Level will move to a four-week update, as opposed to biweekly. In other words, once a county reaches the Turquoise Level, as of May 5, they will maintain the Turquoise Level for at least the next four weeks, whereas up until now the time period between updates has been two weeks.

Previously, the health metrics were more restrictive; the new per-capita case rate was 8 per 100,000 inhabitants and the average new positivity rate was 5 percent. Vaccination rates were not part of the equation.

“Our intention here is and has always been to ensure the color-coding of the map – and the associated requirements for each county – continue to match the actual risk level on the ground in each county,” said Human Services Secretary David Scrase, M.D. “As our models show test positivity is likely to become more elastic over time, and as fewer New Mexicans will require COVID-19 testing amid increasing vaccinations, we want to provide counties the assurance that they can continue to progress in accordance with the actual risk they face.”

“New Mexicans should continue to get vaccinated at the very first opportunity,” said Health Secretary Tracie Collins, M.D. “Not only will it hasten the end of the worst of the pandemic, it will enhance counties’ and communities’ ability to safely begin more and more commercial and day-to-day activities without endangering public health.”

New Mexicans can register for their COVID-19 vaccination at vaccineNM.org.

State officials also announced on Wednesday that New Mexico will adopt the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s updated guidance on facemasks for those who are fully vaccinated. Masks will no longer be required when exercising outdoors alone or with members of the same household or attending a small, outdoor gathering of fully vaccinated individuals no larger than the applicable mass gathering limit for the county or twenty (20) individuals, whichever is less. Fully vaccinated individuals will no longer be required to wear a mask when attending small, outdoor gatherings of vaccinated or unvaccinated individuals no larger than the applicable mass gathering limit for the county or twenty (20) individuals, whichever is less. Regardless of vaccination status, masks continue to be required in any public indoor space, with the exception of while eating or drinking, and in any public outdoor space where numerous vaccinated and unvaccinated people from multiple households are in close proximity.

The updated criteria for the statewide framework will go into effect on Friday, April 30, at which point the statewide map will be updated. The next biweekly Department of Health map update is scheduled for the afternoon of Wednesday, May 5.

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Spring time!

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Mescalero Community Easter Egg Hunt

It’s already here again, the Annual Community Easter Egg Hunt! This means spring is beginning and our community has come out to enjoy an afternoon of egg hunting with the children.

The annual Easter Egg Hunt took place on March 31, 2021at 5 pm. 

Mescalero Violence Against Women participated in coloring eggs and hiding the eggs on the west side of the football field.

VAW hid over 1000 eggs and the 7 – 12 group of kids participated in the hunt, they also provided prizes to the ones that found prized eggs. 

Many of the kids were very fast and collected many eggs within 5 to 10 minutes after they were told to GO. 

The pictures above show many egg hunters scrambling about on the field and by the community center building, everyone truly enjoyed themselves.

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Candle light vigil for Sexual Assault Awareness month

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The Violence Against Women program hosted a candle light vigil on Thursday April 15, 2021 for Sexual Assault Awareness month.

Information was distributed throughout the community at different tribal departments about the upcoming event with a guest speaker.

The community participants would start the walk at Violence Against Women program building located at 145 Warbonnet drive then proceed to the Chiricahua plaza where sandwiches and fruit would be provided with gift bags.

The guest speaker Pax Harvey gave a speech about sexual assault with some comedy relief for our participants. 

Sexual Assault is a subject that is avoided most of the time.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness month and VAW program sponsored the candle light vigil to open the subject to the public by providing information about sexual assault, whether you are a survivor or what you can do to prevent it from happening to you or others.

Sexual Assault is described as an act of a person sexually touching you without consent or forcing you to engage in a sexual act against your will. Sexual assault is a violent crime especially when one is over powered by the other person.

It has been known to happen between family members, married couples, intimate partners, and in some cases by a stranger.

Parents, if your child discloses a sexual assault let them know they are safe and that you believe them.

Prevention strategy by using safety techniques and the bystander intervention approach offers clear benefits.

The safety technique provides safety in numbers by traveling in groups by going out together and leaving together.

When going out always have a plan B when drinking never leave your drink unattended or out of your sight. Always ask for others help to remove a victim from a potentially dangerous situation.

The bystander approach discourages victim blaming questions such as “how could you have let this happen to you” or “why didn’t you say anything”.

With bystanders as active participants, the sense of responsibility shifts away from the victim and towards family, friends, and the community as a whole.

The question becomes “how could we let this happen in OUR community? Or How can we learn to say something when we see something? 

This offers a chance to change social norms by saying friends don’t let friends hurt others. 

Sexual assault is every one’s responsibility

We all need to work together to put an end to sexual violence. 

At the Sexual Assault Awareness and Candle Light Vigil, walkers were provided music conducted by Chris Frizzell a DJ from the Inn of the Mountain Gods. 

Snacks were provided to the walkers while the music played before the guest speaker Pax Harvey began his presentation. 

The participants enjoyed the walking event to the plaza and the information gained from guest speaker Pax Harvey, who gave a really good presentation on the subject of sexual assault. 

When the event ended we all thanked our guest speaker and participants.

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TRIBAL NEWS AND UPDATES

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Mescalero Tribal Offices are CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Only essential departments are operating by PHONE ONLY. List of department phone numbers here.

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PUBLIC SAFETY NOTICE

Click here to learn more!