I worked as a Public Health Nurse for an Indian Tribe for 18 years. We all experienced “unusual” working conditions that were not found “outside” the tribal employment community but still had to to perform within our legal nursing scope of practice. As a mandated reporter I filed many Child Protective Service reports over the years. Last fall I was approached by one of my long-term clients who reported allegations of abuse and medical neglect by her mother. Family members substantiated her statements. I took them to the tribal CPS office for further assistance. She continued to contact me and said she’d been placed with one of her mother’s friends who was a licensed foster care provider. Six days after our initial contact she reported her mother had come to the “foster home” and shoved her around trying to find a cell phone that she’d given back to her uncle earlier that day. She again asked me for help as she hadn’t seen anyone from CPS. After consulting with my co-workers there was consensus that another report was needed. I completed a formal report with copies to my boss, the Tribal CPS supervisor, our clinical director, and our local county CPS office with a request to involve the Indian Outreach Worker. I was later sent to the tribal CPS supervisor who yelled at me for “making her look bad” by filing a copy of the report “downtown.” She accused me of gross misconduct, negligence, and a host of other inflammatory charges. My boss never discussed any of this with me but fired me anyway. My former co-workers are now (understandably) hesitant to report suspected abuse and neglect for fear of losing their jobs. I remain unemployed.

Kathleen, [State withheld for anonymity]