EUGENE, Ore. — The Coquille Tribe held a ribbon cutting Friday for its brand-new opioid treatment center in Eugene, the Ko-kwel Wellness Center, which aims to combat overdoses in Lane County.
The clinic, along River Road, is not just open to tribal families and other indigenous people – it’s also accessible to the general public.
According to Oregon Health Authority, the death rate among Native Americans is more than double the state average.
SHISHDA HAWS CAFE
KO-KWEL WELLNESS CENTER
HEALTH AND WELLNESS DIVISION
COQUILLE INDIAN TRIBE
5-8-25
Section I: Request for Proposals
Purpose
The Tribe invites qualified contractors to submit proposals based on the scope of work and conditions contained in this RFP. The purpose of this request for proposals (RFP) is to obtain a vendor to be licensed for operation of the the Ko-Kwel Wellness Center’s Shishda Haws Café.
About
The Coquille Indian Tribe is comprised of bands that historically spoke Athabaskan, Miluk, and later, Chinuk Wawa. Since time immemorial, they flourished among the forests, rivers, meadows, and beaches of a homeland encompassing well over 750,000 acres. In the mid 1850’s the United States negotiated treaties with the Coquille people. The U. S. Senate never ratified these treaties. The Coquille tribal homeland was subsequently taken without their consent.
The Coquille were included in the now repudiated Western Oregon Indian Termination Act of 1954. On June 28, 1989, they were restored, and tribal sovereignty was federally recognized. The Coquille Restoration Act authorized the Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust to the Tribe. The Tribe’s land base is now approximately 10,200 acres, of which 9,800 acres are proudly managed using sustainable forestry practices. The Tribe’s service area includes Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, and Lane Counties in Oregon. The Tribe provides government services in and pursues economic development projects in these counties. They are members of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI), the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB).
The Coquille Tribal Council consists of seven members, who are elected by the General Council. The General Council consists of all enrolled members over the age of 18. Tribal Council members serve alternating three-year terms. The Health and Wellness Division’s Executive Board of Directors is composed of five directors that are appointed by the Coquille Tribal Council.
The objectives of Shishda Haws are:
• To provide Rehabilitation and Fitness programming to the Coquille Tribal community to improve function of health and quality of life.
• To increase the overall health of Coquille Tribal Families, Employees of the Coquille Indian Tribe and enterprises, Ko-Kwel Wellness Center patients and Kilkich residents.
• To promote fitness as an essential element of holistic wellness.
• To provide an option for healthy foods.
The Tribal government employs about 200 people both at the government headquarters in North Bend and at its Ko-Kwel Wellness Centers in Coos Bay and Eugene, Oregon. In addition to administering the Tribal government, the Tribe provides services to its members, including health and human services, education, member enrollment, natural and cultural resource management, Tribal court, public works and facilities maintenance, Tribal police, gaming commission, and management of a self-insured group health plan. Through its economic development corporations, the Coquille Economic Development Corporation (CEDCO) and the Mith-ih-kwuh Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), the Tribe operates several business enterprises, including the Mill Casino-Hotel.More information about theCoquille Indian Tribe is available atour website:www.coquilletribe.org.
Section II: Content Requirements:
The objectives of Shishda Haws Café Operation are:
•Tooperate a healthy, sustainable,small-scale foodserviceat Shishda Haws
•Design, implement,and maintainanindependentbusiness within theKo-Kwel Wellness Center’sShishda Haws.
•The Ko-KwelWellness Center will provide guidance tocreate anoperation that meetsthe community andorganizational needs and provide reasonable assistance in thestartup andinthedevelopmentof thecafe.
Tomeet the purpose statements of this RFP,the following essential deliverablesmust be includedoraddressed in the scopeofwork:
1.Provide a brief descriptionof the planto:
•Design, implement and maintain a healthy,convenient,and economically sustainablecafe concept that will serve the usersof Shishda Hawsand the greater CoquilleCommunity.
•Operate the food service as an autonomous businessandmaintaincreative control over operations.
•Providenutritious,graband golunch, snacks and drinks 5-days per week.
Submission III: Proposal Requirements:
Proposalssubmittedwill be accepted until the awardis decided.
The vendormust include in their scope the following:
•The vendorwill staff,supply,andoperate the cafe space independently, providing personnel,food, takeout materials, small kitchenware’sand other disposable supplies.
Proposals: Proposalsmust includethe scopeof work,abidder’swork scheduleand timeframealongwithprevious work samples, if available.
Fees: Within the proposal,fees, plus reimbursable expenses should be clearlydiscernible, andincludeany anticipated subcontract performance.
References:Provide the names, addresses and emailaddressesof at least three professional referencesthe Tribe may contact regardingbidders’performance ona similarcontract.
Section IV: Submission Instructions:
Due Date: Proposals mustbe received by6-6-25attheaddress below.
Submission Address:
Ko-Kwel WellnessCenter
630 MilukDrive
Coos Bay OR 97420
ATTN:Kelle Little
Or
Email Address:[email protected]
**If there are any questions about this RFP, please contact:[email protected]
Section V: Evaluation Criteria:
The proposals will be evaluated based on the following four criteria:
• Responsiveness of the proposal is clearly stating an understanding of the work to be performed.
• Qualifications and experience of contractor.
• References for the vendor.
The Coquille Indian Tribe and Bay Area First Step recently formed a community partnership to take a swing at a challenging issue on the south coast, and they expect to bring the results of that partnership home this May. Literally.
In 2023, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) awarded the Coquille Indian Tribe a $1.2 million grant. $735,000 of that grant award could be passed through to Bay Area First Step under the Tribal Residential and Housing Service Element Program. By the end of 2023, CIT and Bay Area First Step reached a Memorandum of Agreement that has now led, in January of this year, to the closing on some property in North Bend. That property will serve as transitional housing for those in mental health and substance abuse treatment.
The Coquille Indian Tribe Community Fund is helping 28 projects through the distribution of almost $200,000 in grants that were handed-out at a celebration on Feb. 6, 2025.
Grant recipients gathered in person at the awards reception at The Mill Casino-Hotel. The Tribe’s grants will help organizations from five southwestern Oregon counties (Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, and Lane) with projects in seven categories: education, public safety, arts & culture, environment, historic preservation, health, and problem gaming. See the press release for details.
In this exclusive interview, Justin Stiefel, CEO of Heritage Distilling Co, discusses the steps taken to establish Oregon’s first tribally-owned distillery. He highlights the importance of overturning the 1834 law that restricted tribal involvement in distilling and shares how the Tribal Beverage Network (TBN) is creating economic opportunities, empowering Native American communities and setting the stage for greater diversity and inclusion in the spirits industry.
The Curry County Board of Commissioners has approved a $6,000 grant from the Coquille Tribal Community Fund to bolster the county’s Aquatic Safety Program.
The funding will be used specifically for the purchase of Personal Watercraft (PWC), essential equipment for the program’s operations. The program, which plays a crucial role in water safety initiatives within the county, is already partially supported by grants from other regional partners.
After more than two years of planning, a distillery will open on Tribal land in Oregon, in which both Heritage and Coquille-branded spirits will be produced and bottled. These products will then be sold in the bars, restaurants and retail outlets of The Mill Casino-Hotel in Coos Bay, Oregon.
The project is expected to open to the public by the end of the year.
“After more than two years of planning, negotiating with the state of Oregon, and completing design work, we are thrilled to have broken ground on this historic project,” said Margaret Simpson, CEO of CEDCO, which operates The Mill Casino-Hotel & RV Park.
South Sound – February 4, 2025
The Coquille Indian Tribe recently received federal permission to build a casino off the interstate in Medford, a cap to a rocky 13-year public process.
The Department of the Interior signed a record of decision in the matter Jan. 10, the Oregon Journalism Project reported.
Oregon Business – January 21, 2025
Rogue Valley Times – January 15, 2025
Today, cultures of reciprocity are central among many Indigenous communities, including among the Coquille Indian Tribe, in Southwest Oregon, whose members say that the custom of potlatch is evident in almost every aspect of life.
In October, the Biden Administration expanded both Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for practices including sweat lodges and drumming in Oregon, California, New Mexico, and Arizona.
Jen Procter Andrews is Vice Chair for the Coquille Tribe based in Coastal Oregon, and a member of the Portland Area Indian Health Board.
She says this is a fantastic development which will address issues specific to Native communities.
