New state tribal health official has Warm Springs ties

Julie Johnson, who has spent time working in Burns and Warm Springs, is the Oregon Health Authority’s new director of tribal affairs, serving as a liaison for tribes and a senior advisor to OHA Director Lynne Saxton, the agency announced Thursday.

“I am excited Julie is stepping into this role and bringing her 20 years of experience working with our tribes to improve the health of all Oregonians,” Saxton said.

Julie has been the interim director of tribal affairs for six months.

She is an enrolled member of the Ft. McDermitt Paiute-Shoshone Tribes. Her husband and four daughters are enrolled members of the Burns Paiute Tribe. A native of Oregon, Julie has worked with tribal people for two decades.

At OHA, she has served as a tribal liaison for three years, working in substance abuse prevention, addictions and mental health, and Health Promotion.

She lived and worked on the Burns Paiute Reservation for 13 years, working to build a healthier community, and she also worked for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs as a Head Start Teacher for five years.

“I am greatly honored and truly blessed to serve the tribal people of Oregon and the Oregon Health Authority in this capacity,” Johnson said. “I am committed to the continued efforts of honoring our government to government relationships and improving health services to our Native people.”