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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2002)
Siletz Communit “Cha-may weeya Medicine Talk Gradual Changes in Pharmacy by Derris Hurley, R.Ph., Pharmacist I have found the Siletz Community Health Clinic to be enjoyable for the patients and employees to provide a relaxed atmosphere to discuss their medication needs. The pharmacy’s pur pose is to provide maximum care and information to all patients in an accu rate, timely, and understandable way. The patients’ needs are foremost and will remain such. Changes are gradually being made within our pharmacy services to achieve the efficiency necessary to improve the Derris Hurley dispensing of medication. Staff changes have occurred and the manner in which medication is dispensed has changed with this. We’re seeking to provide more information and help in resolving medication problems for everyone. The priority is to ensure that we can be most efficient, plus provide maximum services in hopes that other services may be possible in the future. Pharmacy will prioritize prescriptions to aid those patients currently ill or seeing the prescribers, followed by refills and over-the-counter needs. A request for a minimum of 48 hours exists after notice for refills to allow the prescribers to review and resolve the patient’s need and the pharmacy to properly fill the prescriptions. Messages on the refill request line are retrieved after 8:30 a.m. each day and 48 hours is needed from that time for the refill to be processed. Over-the-counter items are available for Native American patients who need particular items for ailments currently affecting them. The new computer system requires notification of the particular patient needing such and the name of the product requested. After being notified, a person may wait in the lobby and the pharmacy will process this as soon as possible. These items cannot be handed out automatically because they must be entered into the new computer system. Shopping lists for multiple items are not permitted, per policy. If we can aid someone and reduce his/her need for an appointment with the clinic by providing an over-the-counter product, we wish to do so. Events for Diabetics “Diabetes Weekend Away” Get ready to be motivated at “Diabetes Weekend Away” on Oct. 11-13, 2002. If you’re interested in improving your health by learning to cook diabetic foods, exercising, learning to count carbohydrates, or speaking with a registered dietician and other diabetics, then you need to attend this weekend getaway! If you’re interested, please call John Jasper at 541-444-9611 or 1-800- 992-1399, ext. 611, or Alissa Lane at 541-444-9659 or 1-800-922-1399, ext. 659, or come by the Siletz Community Health Clinic and let us know! More information on this retreat will be mailed to all diabetics! Dates To Remember Oct. Oct. Oct. Oct. ♦ 5: America’s Walk for Diabetes, call for info 11-13: Diabetes Weekend Away, call for info 16: Wellness Wednesday, Siletz Tribal admin building - noon 31: Diabetes Day, Siletz Community Health Clinic For more information on any of these events, please call John Jasper or Alissa Lane. Health Clinic Send Your Tobacco Story The Tobacco Prevention and Education Program wants your story! This year, the TPEP program is looking for elders, kids and teens, and people of.all ages - anyone - who has ever quit smoking or struggled to quit smoking to share your story. Many of us have gone through the process of quitting smoking. It would be a great benefit to have some of those stories to share with tribal members and our young people. Talk aboiit how or why you started smoking and what happened that made you want to quit. Why and when did you quit? How did you finally quit? Earn a prize! This year, the TPEP program, in exchange for your interview and story, will give away various items, such as T-shirts, sweatshirts, coffee mugs, or fanny packs. The following rules apply: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ You must be over 18, or submit a written parental permission slip to TPEP. No vulgar language allowed. Keep the story fairly short - two or three paragraphs (half a page maximum). Be willing to have your story and picture published in Siletz News. Be willing to be interviewed by the TPEP coordinator. Be willing to allow your story to be edited. Please include your name, address, and phone number with your story. All authors should make arrangements with TPEP to pick up prizes. Have fun! Please feel free to call the TPEP program for further details of this activity, which will continue through June 2003. Please send those stories in so that we can help teach each other and our young people about the hazards of cigarette smoking and other tobacco products. Call Shannon Chrisman at 541-444-1030 or 1-800-648-0449, ext. 661, with any questions. .¡¡1 ^7^7^ Tooth Talk . by Linda Kreutzer, RDH Toothache! It’s Not Over ‘Til It’s Over! After visiting the dentist for an emergency toothache, follow-up is absolutely necessary! This means listening to your dentist if another appointment is necessary to save the infected tooth. Lots of things can happen to a tooth to cause pain and possible loss of the tooth. Most of the time, it’s the pain of decay that causes a person to come to the dentist. The tooth might be saved if the decay isn’t too deep. If the tooth is decayed too much, an ordinary filling won’t work. The tooth may be abscessed (filled with bacteria) and the dentist may prescribe antibiotics to kill all the bacteria. A temporary filling usually is placed in the tooth. In no way is this the end of the story. Just because a tooth stops hurting after awhile doesn’t mean it’s fixed! It’s just the beginning of essential dental treatment to save this tooth. The first appointment just served to keep the tooth from hurting and get the infection cleared from the mouth. In order to save a recently abscessed tooth, the dentist may need to give the tooth a root canal. This is when the pulp (inside) of the tooth is removed and replaced with soft filling material. This is necessary to prevent an infection from re-occurring. If a root canal is not done at this point, the tooth will start to rot away and will be lost. Follow-up dental treatment is very important to save teeth. Your dentist will be very specific in explaining what dental treatment is needed at each appointment. Take the time to make each appointment and show up. It may take a few appointments to save a tooth, but ask anyone who’s just had a tooth extracted if they wish they'd made more of an effort to save it. October 2002 □ Siletz News □ 19
