Essentia Health tribal relations director says rural and Native care go hand in hand

For the last six months, Samuel Moose has been working as the director of tribal government relations with Essentia Health. It’s a new role for the health care system that primarily operates in a rural area that includes 19 tribal nations.

It’s been a busy six months in the world of health care with cuts to Medicaid funding and hospital closures in greater Minnesota. Moose, a member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, checked in with MPR News host Nina Moini about how it’s going.