Idaho and Nevada National Guards, Tribes partner to conduct healthcare for Tribal members

Story by Master Sgt. Becky Vanshur

Idaho Army National Guard

The Idaho and Nevada National Guards conducted two weeklong medical visits to Tribal members from the Nez Perce and the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes, May 13-24, through a community healthcare partnership program called Operation Nimiipuu Health.

The program is part of Idaho National Guard’s Innovative Readiness Training, a U.S. Department of Defense-driven, Office of Secretary of Defense Reserve Affairs-sponsored, Army National Guard-led and multi-service training event for service members to work in our communities while performing deployment readiness tasks, creating a win-win for both Soldiers and Airmen and the communities.

“Idaho National Guard members are driven by a sense of purpose,” said Maj. Gen. Michael Garshak, the adjutant general of Idaho. “IRT collaborations like this not only enable us to sharpen the military skills of our Soldiers and Airmen, but also provide great opportunities to make positive impacts to local communities and strengthen our relationships with the Tribes.”

Approximately 50 citizen-Soldiers and Airmen provided behavioral health, medical, dental and optometry services to the Nez Perce Tribe’s local citizens at Lapwai, Idaho, and the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes at the Duck Valley Reservation in Nevada.

The Air National Guard and Army National Guard in partnership with Nimiipuu Health and the Owyhee Community Health Facility provided no-cost healthcare services to individuals living in the Nez Perce Reservation at sites in Lapwai, Kamiah, and Kooskia in northern Idaho, and individuals living in and around the Shoshone-Paiute Reservation in the border region of southern Idaho and northern Nevada.

Additionally, the Idaho National Guard provided a mobile field kitchen and the Nevada National Guard provided cooks to prepare meals for the service members.

The Idaho National Guard has performed multiple state medical support IRT missions with Native American Tribes in 2021, 2022 and 2023.