The Southern Ute Call Center was created as an essential tribal service that began in March of 2020 when tribal office closures were imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Call Center has provided the membership with vital information pertaining to tribal operations and COVID-19, it has also been a resource for the Tribe to promote outreach and check in on tribal elders. The Call Center has operated out of the SunUte Community Center and is being staffed Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Call Center line (970) 563-0214 remains active, but will be transitioning back as the service line for SunUte Community Center as the tribal government phases back into operation. All general questions or information will continue to be carried out by the tribal government’s main switchboard to expedite requests and/or services that are provided by tribal departments.
As the Southern Ute Incident Management Team (IMT) continues to work with the tribal government and its entities, the Call Center has begun to work with service providers to reinstitute reliable communication as the tribal departments phase back into normal operation.
The Call Center and tribal departments who have been teaming up together for the last year during the Coronavirus pandemic and are currently in the planning stages to transition communication back to their respective departments. As updates develop and as the Tribe continues to evaluate the government’s ability to operate safely — communication will be put out via The Southern Ute Drum newspaper, KSUT, social media posts and the tribal member website portal.
It has been an extremely important and a key priority for the Call Center volunteer staff and managers to provide factual and consistent information to the tribal membership and community callers on the status of the government and COVID-19 guidance, events, and communication recommended by the Southern Ute Incident Management Team and adopted by tribal leadership. The Call Center has been tasked with providing and knowing the operating status of tribal government and general operation of its entities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The relationship with the government and its entities has also been a key factor during the pandemic as processes were implemented on how the Call Center would be sharing various medias of information. There have been valuable lessons learned and key points noted as the center continue to streamline communication as a team, on behalf of the Southern Ute tribal membership, its community and the people who the Call Center serves.
“Without the Call Center being established during the early months of this pandemic, the Tribe was taking the chance of communication not being a key factor in the forefront of this emergency health crisis,” stated the IMT’s Public Information Officer, Amy Barry. “Today, as the Incident Management Team, we can say, we did our best to keep the tribal membership and its communities informed with the information we believed to be crucial and imperative to follow as it developed. To provide the same consistent message to the people was a priority for the Southern Ute Incident Management Team and Call Center.”
As the Southern Ute Indian Tribe continues to evaluate the government and its services, the Call Center continues to work with service providing departments such as Tribal Health and its CHR program, Tribal Services and the Elders Services Division, and the Tribal Information Services to ensure a smooth transition as the tribal departments continue to transition back into their respective services that have been impacted by modifications in place to ensure safety for government staff and the people they serve.
Please continue to call the Southern Ute Tribe’s main switchboard line at 970.563.0100 or the tribal department’s main line as listed the 2020 Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s Service Guide for inquiries related to any tribal services currently provided by the Tribe.
If you are unsure of a department extension or name, please dial 0, to be connected to a receptionist who can expedite your request.