Tribal Health Programs Win Big with Casino Profits

Just as health is a priority for tribal casinos, so too is the community in which the casino operates. As part of their state compacts, tribal casinos share their burgeoning profits with worthy non-Native community partners as an example of compassion and charitable support. For instance, the Spirit Mountain Casino of Grande Ronde, Oregon, dedicates six percent of its profits for grants to groups which operate within an area that represents the tribe's ancestral lands. Gambling Magazine and other sources cite the casino of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde as not only one of Oregon's top tourist attractions but also one of the top 10 charitable foundations in the state. According to the tribe's website, the Spirit Mountain Community Fund has gifted over $25 million since 1997 to nonprofit groups in 11 counties in Western Oregon. Listed beneficiaries include the Ronald McDonald House in Portland, The Doembecher Children's Hospital, and the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic for a diabetes management program.

However, Spirit Mountain also takes care of its own members, detailed in several published articles praising the tribe's health plan funded by casino profit. Its coverage is superb: all tribal members under the age of 65 are offered vision and medical coverage, with dental coverage available for all over the age of two years, no matter where they live. Begun in 1997, the plan also supports the tribal wellness center and serves members throughout the world.

Nowadays, such chances to enhance tribal health systems are becoming more common because 223 tribes operate 411 casinos in 28 states. Latest figures indicate that more than half of the nearly 350 Indian tribes with federal recognition operate casinos. The website of southern Oregon's Mill Creek Casino, operated by the Coquille Tribe, also describes the good works of its community funding program for regional nonprofit groups: For instance, the Coos County Women's Safety & Resource Center was awarded $5,500 by the Coquille Tribal Community Fund to support free evening support groups.

Similar to Spirit Mountain's philanthropy program, the Coquille funds nonprofit groups only in the geographic overlap of the tribe's reservation. Such grants are intended to extend the tribal community and its values, expanding long-term ideals of sustainable health and well-being.