Leelanau Essentials—the workers who keep us safe during the pandemic. Meet the Grand Traverse Band Family Health Clinic staff
From staff reports
We reached out to Mari Raphael, a registered nurse at the Grand Traverse Band Family Health Clinic and a tribal member, to hear how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting life for the tribe. The Leelanau Sands Casino is closed, and the tribe will begin furloughing workers next month. Nevertheless, the indispensable Family Health Clinic remains open. The Grand Traverse Band Family Health Clinic located on Stallman Road in Peshawbestown, is a family practice clinic providing services such as immunizations, physical exams, post-surgical follow-up appointments, chiropractor services, and other urgent and non-urgent services. Appointments can be scheduled by calling 231-534-7200.
What does this work mean to you?
“I get to help people!” said Mari Raphael. “My team and I have worked to gain the trust and confidence of our community members. Working together we have healthier people, stronger families, and overall community wellness. It’s important to me to see my people happy and healthy.”
What does the work mean to the community?
“We want to optimize people’s health, to be able to weather the things normal life can bring. More importantly to be resilient during difficult times such as our current pandemic. As this unfolds, we have made our contingency plans and are utilizing all avenues of partnership with the local health department, Indian Health Service, Munson, the State of Michigan Community Health, and the Centers for Disease Control.”
How has your life changed during the pandemic?
“In general this uncertain time has stressed people out. People are reassured to have us working still, to address healthcare needs. Some have reached out to us just to talk and ask questions. We’re more than happy to help guide people through this difficult time. It’s very important to stay connected with each other, because we’re all in this together!”
About our Leelanau Essentials series
They are doctors, nurses and healthcare workers. They stock the shelves, slice the deli meat, and run the registers at grocery stores, they deliver your meals curbside, delicately pinching the paper bag between gloved fingers. They are the EMS first responders, the firemen and the cops. They are the distilleries that turn spirit byproduct into hand sanitizer. They drive semi trucks and delivery trucks and bring packages and food. They are postal workers. They run the food banks and the church pantries. They keep the school cafeterias open to make sure the needy families get breakfasts and lunch. They pick up our recycling and our garbage. They watch our children, and they care for our elderly. They are the farmworkers—both with and without documents—who harvest our crops.
Even as our community and our society shut down and we stay home to socially distance ourselves, these essential workers of Leelanau County show up every day and walk to the front lines to fight for us in this world war against a murderous pandemic. Let us honor our Leelanau Essentials.
Dear readers—who would you like to nominate for our Leelanau Essentials profile series? Do they have a compelling story they’re willing to share? Have they proven themselves essential to the community in recent weeks? Can they send us a photo of themselves and answer the following questions: What does my job mean to me? What does it mean to the community? How has my life changed during the coronavirus? Send submissions to editorial@GlenArborSun.com.
