Spirit Lake Consulting Receives Grant from U.S. Department of Agriculture

May 4, 2004 -- Spirit Lake Consulting, Inc. received an $80,000 Small Business Innovation Research grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop and test a computer-integrated training program for direct care staff servining Native Americans with disabilities and chronic health impairments. The project, Caring for Our People Training (COPT) addresses the USDA rural community development priority in two ways. Improved service and greater availability of trained direct care staff allow people with significant health care needs to remain in their homes, prevent medical problems due to inadequate care, e.g., pressure sores, and, in general, provides a better quality of life for these rural community residents. This training also provides employment opportunities for rural residents who are interested in working in the health care field. Both training and employment are available in their local communities. The COPT model is particularly appropriate for use in training personnel in reservation communities where a combination of cultural, economic and family constraints make residents much less likely to relocate for training or employment than the U.S. population as a whole.

Spirit Lake Tribe Receives State Grant to Train Families and Staff of Persons with Developmental Disabilities

The Spirit Lake Tribe has received a one-year grant from the North Dakota Council on Developmental Disabilities. The purpose of this grant is to create a website and CD-ROM that can be used by staff and family members to access information related to providing assistance to persons with developmental disabilities. The project also includes two on-site training sessions on each of the state reservations to familiarize community members with these resources. A statewide listserv will also be created. Ms. Martina Kazena will be directing this project. For aditional information, please contact her office (701) 766-4446 or via email.

Spirit Lake Consulting receives grant from Center for Innovation
Spirit Lake Consulting, Inc. , a firm based in Fort Totten, North Dakota on the Spirit Lake Reservation has received a $2,500 grant from the University of North Dakota’s Center for Innovation. The company is one of eight grant recipients chosen statewide in a competition for small businesses pursuing innovative research. Funds will support preparation of a proposal for computer-integrated training for staff providing medical care and allied health services to adults with chronic health conditions.

Erich Longie, company president, commented, “The value of this award to our company far outweighs the monetary amount. It also provides us access to the technical staff at the Center for Innovation who have years of experience preparing Small Business Innovation Research proposals for submission to various federal agencies. Their help has already been invaluable in refining our commercialization and research plans.”

Spirit Lake Consulting, Inc. is the only technical services firm incorporated on a North Dakota reservation, and one of the few in the nation. The company’s three principal consultants have worked in partnership for over a dozen years and incorporated in 2002. The firm specializes in evaluation, management and statistical consulting for educational, healthcare and social services projects. Reflecting their corporate motto, "Reservation-based, not reservation only" the company serves clients on two North Dakota reservations, in southern California and New York City.