[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 156 (Thursday, September 10, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S5552]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN:
  S. 4556. A bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, acting through the Director of the Indian Health Service, to 
acquire private land to facilitate access to the Desert Sage Youth 
Wellness Center in Hemet, California, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Indian Affairs.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, today I am pleased to introduce a bill 
to facilitate better access to the Desert Sage Youth Wellness Center.
  The Desert Sage Youth Wellness Center, located in Hemet, CA, is a 
health center run by the Indian Health Service. It is the only 
currently operating center in the State of California that provides 
culturally-sensitive substance use disorder treatment to indigenous 
youth.
  The Desert Sage Youth Wellness Center serves an important role to the 
regional Native American community. The facility not only provides 
healthcare but also academic support, family therapy, and an 
individualized treatment plan to support the healing and long-term 
recovery of youth enrolled at the center.
  Despite the center's important work, the Desert Sage Youth Wellness 
Center is only accessible by a dirt road. Lack of a paved road limits 
access to the center during California's extreme wet and dry seasons. 
The dirt road frequently cracks or floods during these times and 
creates significant challenges to those receiving healthcare.
  Private landowners are supportive of selling their land to allow the 
Indian Health Service to pave an access road, but the agency does not 
currently have the authority to do so. It is appropriate we provide for 
safe and dignified access to the center, and I am pleased to introduce 
legislation that will solve this problem.
  The bill would authorize the Director of the Indian Health Service to 
purchase land from willing sellers and construct a paved road to 
improve access to the Desert Sage Youth Wellness Center. After 
construction, Riverside County would own and maintain the road.
  This effort includes widespread, bipartisan support. An identical, 
bipartisan bill introduced by Representative Raul Ruiz passed the House 
of Representatives as part of a larger package just last month. 
Representative Ruiz's bill is cosponsored by Representatives Ken 
Calvert, Pete Aguilar, Paul Cook, Doug LaMalfa, Nannette Diaz Barragan, 
Tony Cardenas, and Josh Harder. This legislation also has the support 
of local stakeholders, including Riverside County, and organizations 
like the California Rural Indian Health Board.
  The bill will provide safe access to the Desert Sage Youth Wellness 
Center, ensuring indigenous youth can receive healthcare in a 
supportive and culturally-sensitive environment. American Indian and 
Alaskan Native youth report 14.9 percent rate of substance dependence 
or abuse, furthering underscoring the need to guarantee the 
accessibility to facilities like the Desert Sage Wellness Center.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this 
legislation.

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