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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 2004)
“Cha-may weeya” Medicine Talk Siletz Community Muschamp Receives NIHB Award Tooth Talk by Linda Kreutzer, RDH Sip Pop All Day and Get Decay! Drinking pop all day long is the worst thing you can do for your teeth! It’s like taking an eight-ounce glass of water, adding eight teaspoons of sugar to it, and holding it in your mouth, making sure it goes in-between each tooth, then repeating this every time you open a can of pop. It’s not hard to understand why pop drinkers have the highest rate of tooth decay. Regular brushing cannot even begin to keep up with the amount of sugar that covers the teeth all day if pop is consumed on a regular basis. Water is so much healthier for both our bodies and our teeth. Eating and drinking foods and liquids high in sugar creates excessive plaque on our teeth. This happens to both children and adults. Plaque is high in acid, which comes directly from the sugar. It’s the acid that makes holes (cavities) in tooth enamel. Plaque acid is produced for 20 min utes after eating or drinking something high in sugar. This means that after just one sip of pop, acid is at work decaying our teeth for 20 minutes! After 20 minutes, our saliva neu tralizes the acid. If pop is sipped all day (instead of water), teeth are constantly Health Clinic bathed in sugar. It’s like giving your teeth an acid bath all day long! Unfortunately, candy bars do the same thing. It’s best to let your children eat a candy bar, then ask them to brush their teeth right away. If they drink a pop, have them drink it all down, then ask them to brush afterward. If brushing isn’t possible, rinsing with water helps, or even chewing a stick of sugarless gum. This way, plaque acids are at work shorter lengths of time in the mouth. Try to limit pop for kids to special occasions or maybe only on weekends. Drinking pop daily is a bad habit and can help lead children to serious health problems, including obesity and diabetes. Decay can begin in children as soon as their baby teeth come in. This can be as early as six months of age. A child’s very first tooth can decay in a matter of months if the child is given liquids high in sugar, including juices or pop. Protect your teeth, say no to tooth decay for yourself, your children, and your grandchildren, Say yes to a healthy mouth - decay-free for life! Our teeth have the strength to be in our mouths for our entire lives. Sugar causes all the problems and pop is the No. 1 reason that teeth decay. Judy Muschamp, health director for the Siletz Tribe, has received a Local Award from the National Indian Health Board. Although Judy was unable to attend the awards ceremony, she was recognized at the NIHB’s 21st Annual Consumer Conference in Oklahoma City in early August. Her nomination form, submitted by Brenda Bremner, reads as follows: I am pleased to nominate Judy Muschamp, health director for Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, for a Local Award through NIHB. Judy has been instrumental in the development and operations of our Health Department, including Siletz Community Health Clinic (SCHC). Under the leadership of Judy, SCHC was constructed, equipped, and opened for operations in 1991. Our clinic opened with two part-time physicians, one nurse, one medical assistant, one medical social worker, two alcohol counselors, a pharmacist, and minimal support staff. Within three years, SCHC underwent an expansion, doubling the square footage of the clinic to more than 15,000 square feet. Since opening, SCHC has in creased to 35,321 patient visits in 2003. SCHC serves both Indian and some non-Indian patients in the community, expanding services in Lincoln County that did not previously exist. In 1999, the Health Department received full accreditation through the Accreditation Association for Ambu latory Health Care (AAAHC). Judy’s overall supervision of every aspect of the Health Department was instrumental in forming teams of staff to work on various aspects of the process, and through this oversight and participation, the tribe received their accreditation. Judy’s responsibilities include more than SCHC. Her department in cludes management of the Contract Health Services budget, negotiations for IHS self-governance funds annually, transportation, community health services, and an alcohol and drug program providing services within the 11 -county service area within the state of Oregon. Services expanded under her leadership include implementation of out-of-area benefits to tribal members outside of the tribe’s service area, and implementation of a limited mail-out pharmacy service within the service area. If successful, which we anticipate, this mail-out pharmacy service will be expanded. Today, health care everywhere is squeezed between high costs with less resources. Judy works with her staff on a daily basis to find ways to do more with less. We believe she is truly deserving of an award for her inno vations and commitment to quality health care here at the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. CHS, con’t from page 1 effective in avoiding the occurrence of an illness or condition. Examples include non-urgent preventive clinical care, routine prenatal care, screenings for known diseases, mammograms, immunizations, well-child exams, sports physicals, and many others. Because all Indian Health Service funds have been obligated, Tribal Council has the authority to regulate how tribal resources will be administered. All council members impressed upon staff the importance of using this additional funding in a fair 20 □ Si^eU.Newe. □ and equitable manner. In other words, one individual’s health needs cannot exhaust all resources. To comply with council’s directive of fairness and equitable administration of tribal resources, caps and limits have been established. During the risk period when IHS catastrophic funds are not available, Priority I services are capped at $25,000 per episode. Priority II services are capped at $ 150 per person, per week. Unspent balances will not be carried forward from week to week. Individuals September 2004 will be personally responsible for payment of care that exceeds these caps and limits. Emergency care must be reported to CHS within 72 hours. Preventive or specialty care must be approved prior to service. Please call CHS at 541-444-1236 or 1-800-628-5720 for more informa tion or to obtain prior approval. After-hours clinic providers (Gatekeepers) are available to assist you in determining whether you require immediate medical attention. After 5 p.m. weekdays and all day weekends, call 541-444-1236 if you need medical consultation. All emergency room reports are reviewed before CHS will make pay ment. The purpose of review is to assess validity of the emergency. Payment will be denied if routine care is obtained in an emergency room. Please note: Gatekeepers cannot obligate CHS funds; you still will need to call CHS within 72 hours of emergency room services.
