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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 2003)
“Cha-may weeya ” Medicine Talk Siletz Community Health Clinic Tooth Talk by Linda Kreutzer, RDH Taking Care of Your Dentures and Partials Everyone knows what dentures and partials are, but some confusion remains as o how to take care of them. It’s very important to keep both the denture and your mouth clean. Brush the dentures and partials with a denture brush. This is a special brush with longer bristles to reach all of the nooks and crannies where bacteria love to hide. Use toothpaste, baking soda, denture cleaner, or any pure soap. Never use Ajax or Comet because these products are too abrasive and scratch dentures. Bleach is not recommended either. When cleaning dentures, be sure to place a towel in the sink to avoid breaking the denture if it should drop. CHS Restricts Pharmacy Annual $500 Limit for Retail Purchase Unlimited Mail-In Distribution Pharmacy costs reached a high in 2002 and will continue to increase because of the rising cost of medications. In an attempt to remain within our budget, Contract Health Services (CHS) must adjust the pharmacy benefits effective Jan. 1,2003. The Siletz Tribe contracted with Pequot Pharmaceutical Network, a tribally owned business, in 1996 to provide pharmacy benefits to tribal members nationwide. Tribal members living outside the 11 -county service area have a $500 pharmacy benefit annually. Distributing drugs from the Pequot pharmacy in Mashantucket, Conn., allows it to dispense to other tribes or tribal members at the federal supply schedule price. This reduces the cost to CHS by 40 percent if the prescriptions are mailed out. Restricting pharmacy to mail out distribution will reduce costs to the tribe. Currently, we allow dispensing from the retail market - Fred Meyer, Rite Aid, and other providers in the pharmacy business. CHS will allow you to continue doing so, up to $500 annually, in cases of emergencies or acute conditions. Asking your doctor to write two prescriptions - one for now and the other for mail-in for continued use - will stretch your benefit amount. 20 □ Siletz News □ If you have private insurance that requires a co-pay, you can pay the co-pay and mail your receipt to CHS for reimbursement. Continuing to use the Chemawa, Grand Ronde, or Siletz pharmacies reduces costs to CHS. These clinics should be used whenever possible and this does not count against your $500 limit. If you feel more comfortable picking up your prescriptions at the Siletz Clinic and would like to use it for your pharmacy needs, please call 72 hours before pick up. Call 1-800-648-0449 or 541-444-1030. This will allow time to fill your prescriptions. You can receive mail-in envelopes and information by calling Pequot directly at 1-888-779-6638 or contact the CHS department or your nearest community health advocate in the area offices for envelopes or with any other questions you may have. Your Pequot cards will be adjusted for acute and emergency use; a $500 limit will be set for retail purchase. A review and adjustment of the limit will be done on an annual basis. Please use your pharmacy benefit wisely. If you spend your limit before the annual review is complete, you may have no recourse but to use mail-in from Pequot or go to an 1HS or tribal pharmacy. January 2003 Dentures and partials are made from a special hard plastic that can break. Don’t forget about your mouth! Rinse your mouth daily with either plain warm water or a mild salt-and- water rinse. Brush your tongue with a regular toothbrush and toothpaste. This keeps your mouth clean and healthy. At night, take both dentures and partials out! Your mouth needs some air and the gums need a rest from the constant pressure of the denture rubbing on them all day. So give your mouth a break and leave dentures out all night. Be sure to soak both dentures and partials in either plain water or use a denture cleaner (Efferdent). Dentures and partials are made with a special ma terial that needs to remain moist. Don't let them dry out. Remember to see a dentist once a year. It’s wrong to think that not having teeth means that we don’t have to go to the dentist! Dentists are specially trained to check for early signs of mouth cancer. Perhaps the denture or partial will need a slight adjustment. This can be taken care of at your annual checkup. Seeing your dentist once a year and keeping your denture or partial clean is important in order to keep your mouth healthy and your breath fresh! Attention Siletz Tribal Members! If you are a diagnosed diabetic, think you may be diabetic, or just feel that you are at increased risk for becoming diabetic and you do not receive primary care at the Siletz Clinic, you need to contact us! Without your mailing address and telephone number, we are unable to include you in our diabetic events and monthly mail-outs! Please call or write us at SCHC, Attn: John Jasper or Laura Duarte, P.O. Box 320, Siletz, OR 97380, or call us at: 541-444-9611 or 541-444-9659 Toll-free: 1-800-648-0449 Fax: 541-444-1278 CHS Will Handle Out-of-Area Benefits Beginning Jan. 1,2003, the Contract Health Services (CHS) Department will begin administrating the benefits for tribal members who live out of the 11-county service area. An individual health application is a registration requirement for each tribal member who wishes to receive benefits. These applications are being sent to the current address on file for those who have received services before. If you do not receive a form, please call the CHS office to have one sent to you. You will need to submit documentation that verifies your out-of-the-area residence. You can submit a copy of a current utility bill or other appropriate documents. In addition, please submit a copy of your insurance card if you have private insurance, including Medicare or Medicaid. Once you are registered, you will need to call the CHS office for pre authorization to receive benefits. Your contact person is Rhonda Attridge or Shannon Case at 1-800-628-5720. Rhonda and Shannon are available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays; and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays.
