Coeur d’Alene Tribe wins federal long-term care construction slot

A federal construction slot could help the Coeur d’Alene Tribe bring long-term care closer to home in Plummer, adding capacity for elders and others who need ongoing nursing support on the reservation instead of farther away in Kootenai County or beyond.

The Indian Health Service selected the tribe for its Fiscal Year 2025 Long-Term Care Joint Venture Construction Program, a new competition that marks the first time JVCP funding has been awarded specifically for long-term care facilities. The agency chose three projects from 14 tribes and tribal organizations that applied, advancing four applicants from Phase I to Phase II before making the final awards.

For the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, the planned project is the Marimn Health Long-Term Care and Skilled Nursing Facility. Federal officials said it is designed to serve about 1,297 members of the tribe and must meet Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Idaho Department of Health and Welfare requirements. The tribe is the only recipient in the lower 48 states under the new initiative, and the facility would be the first of its kind for Idaho tribes.

The Joint Venture Construction Program matters because it is not just about bricks and mortar. Under the program, tribes use Tribal, private or other non-IHS funds to acquire or build a facility, then the Indian Health Service seeks congressional funding for staffing and operations through a no-cost 20-year lease. That structure could shape whether a new building translates into actual services, including the staffing needed to keep beds open and care available close to home.

The federal solicitation for the long-term care program went out Dec. 27, 2024, and the Phase I deadline was April 10, 2025. The awards were announced to tribal leaders in April 2026. Indian Health Service officials said the broader JVCP began in 1991 and has helped more than 30 tribes open or expand more than 35 facilities.

Chief Allan called the award an important investment in the future of the Tribe and the health of its people, saying it means “opportunity, stability, and better care close to home for elders, families and future generations.” Marimn Health CEO Janice Jordan said the tribe is “proud to continue building for the future of its people.”

For Plummer and the Coeur d’Alene Reservation, the selection is more than a federal milestone. It gives the tribe a path toward the kind of long-term care infrastructure that can determine whether elders receive care in their own community or have to leave it to find a bed.