TRIBAL PROGRAM NEWS____________
Prevention Program
Needs Participants
Are you between the ages of 12 and
17? Are there things you would like to see
happening in your community, for fun, that
are not happening? Do you have ideas for
activities that would help you not be bored?
Would you or some of your friends be willing
to help raise money to fund a dance or a trip
to somewhere?
Please contact Lisa Brown, prevention
coordinator, if you are interested in being
involved in a process to make changes or
develop community activities. Meeting dates
will be set in the future. We will come together
to play games, share ideas about our
community, and decide on things we would
like to do. Call 1-800-922-1399, ext. 333, or
541-444-8333.
Editor’s note: This letter originally was
sent to Lisa Brown, prevention coordinator
for the Siletz Tribe. She then sent it to
Siletz News.
Dear Lisa:
Just got your envelope in the mail
about the big raffle prize - thanks so much
for sending it on. I am really looking forward
to making the trip up the river, since I’ve
never been further than Agness before.
I want to thank you and the
Confederated Tribes of Siletz for this gift -
winning is a big surprise for me, as I don’t
usually enter raffles. I just wanted to support
the tribe. So, thanks again. Also, thanks for
the articles by Robert Kentta; they are really
informative.
Yours sincerely,
Linda Nading
Vancouver, B.C.
To the editor:
I would like to express my deepest
sympathy to the Marzan, Rilatos, and Lester
Simmons families due to their recent loss.
Mary and I were school chums at Siletz
School. She was a very good student and
was well liked by all. I did not see her very
often in later years, only occasionally at a
pow-wow now and then. She will be missed.
I would also like to personally thank
Tribal Council for cleaning up the cemetery.
It looks beautiful and is something to be
proud of.
Martha Lockhart
Important Details about Contract Health
Services (CHS)
The Siletz Contract Health Services is a program operated under a compact agreement
between the Siletz Tribe and Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency of the Public Health
Service under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The program serves
more than 2,544 Siletz Indians and their eligible dependents.
The CHS program is not an entitlement program, insurance program, or established
enefit package. Program payments are based on clearly defined guidelines that fluctuate
from one cntena level to another, based on the availability of funds. If the program experiences
catastrophic cases, this uses the funding quickly and lowers the level of services available
especially toward the end of the year.
The program is intended to pay for health care when no other source is available and
provide better health for tribal members. The CHS program does not approve services
based on the level of need but looks for the medical condition to fit the level of service that
the funding level is at, at the time of request.
Level of Services
Level I - Emergent and Acutely Urgent Diagnostic or therapeutic services that are
necessary to prevent the immediate death or serious impairment of the health of the
individual Examples: acute trauma, acute injury, psychiatric care involving suicide
obstetrical deliveries, and neonatal care. Remember that all emergency room visits are
reviewed for appropriate use.
Level II - Preventive Care Services. Examples: routine prenatal care, non-urgent
preventive ambulatory care, reactive airway disease, asthma, mammograms, public health
intervention, laboratory, and radiology services.
Level III - Primary and Secondary Care Services. Examples: scheduled ambulatory
service; ear, nose and throat (ENT); gynecology; pediatrics; ophthalmology; dermatology
podiatry; physical therapy; optometry; prosthetic devices, including specialty visits and
consultation; and allergy testing for people with reactive airway disease
Level IV - Chronic Tertiary and Extended Care Services. Examples, elective
surgeries, skilled nursing facility, rehabilitation care, organ transplantation, and highly
specialized medical services and procedures.
Level V - Excluded Services. Examples: cosmetic procedures, extended care in a
nursing home, acupuncture, naturopathy, plastic surgery without reconstructive care and
experimental services.
These are limited examples; the standard operations manual gives the CHS
Department guidelines with rules and procedures to follow. CHS gatekeepers determine
medical necessity and indicators for the program. The team meets every Wednesday at
8:30 a.m. This team includes the clinical director, clinic nurse practitioner, clinic social
worker, clinic dental officer, health director, and the CHS administrator.
The 2000 allocation for CHS has been amended to restore the budget. We have
experienced three catastrophic health cases, however, that have helped deplete the
budget rapidly.
r
We are taking several steps to Improve the situation. The CHS Department is
preparing a preferred provider list for a reduction in cost. Some contracts became
effective May 1,2000. Preferred providers may not be as convenient, but will be the
most cost-effective way to continue services.
E^ect,ve Ju,y
anY CHS eligible individual who lives within 40 miles of the
Siletz Community Health Clinic, the Grand Ronde Health Center, or the Chemawa
Health Center will be required to seek primary care at those facilities. This emergency
measure will help reduce costs to the CHS program.
We also are screening and encouraging anyone who may be eligible for alternate
resources to access those resources. If you are an elder and/or on early disability, you
are eligible for Medicare Part B, which covers physician visits. The cost is only $49 per
month. The Oregon Health Plan is free if you are income eligible
Ronda Austin recently was hired as the patient benefits coordinator. She would be
happy to assist anyone in applying for Medicare, Oregon Health Plan, veteran’s benefits
disabled children’s services, worker’s compensation, or any other resource. She can be
contacted through the Siletz Community Health Clinic at 541- 444-1030 or
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