Image provided by: The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; Warm Springs, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (March 8, 2001)
Spily3y Tyrnoo, Wjrir? Springs, Oregon March 8, 2001 SIDS high in Jefferson County Jefferson County has the most fatalities per live births from Sud den Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in the state. This translates to one of the highest in the nation. To up date staff on recent findings on this killer, Health Services invited Kathleen Arthur of SIDS Resources of Oregon to present an in-service forum on March 2. SIDS, whose cause has yet to be determined, is unusual in that it is described in terms of what it is not. This "diagnosis of exclusion" is: the sudden death of an infant under one year of age which remains unex plained after both an autopsy (to rule out heart failure, aneurysm, suffo cation, trauma or other causes) and a thorough investigation of the infant's medical and social history. Although death rates have de clined over the past five years, SIDS remains the most significant health problem for infants between two and 12 months in terms of infant mor tality. The national average of SIDS deaths between 1992 and 1998 was one in 1064. In Oregon, chance of mortality rose to 1 in 680, while in Jefferson County the figure was one in 400. Researchers point out that the Jefferson County statistics are possibly skewed by the relatively small number of county births per year (300). However the rate of SIDS deaths has remained constant from year to year, giving greater credence to the statistic. Several risk factors have been identified as contributing to the dis ease. Happily some of these - the infant's sleeping position being the most important - are easy to change. (See sidebar.) Unfortunately, babysitting relatives and child care providers may be unaware of current prevention measures. able factors arc sex - boys are more often victims; time of year - fall and Less modifiable factors arc: low winter carry most risk; and ethnicity birth weight or prematurity of the - African American, Native Amcri- infant and young age or low educa- can and Alaskan Native children die tional level of the mother. These fac- from SIDS at twice the national av tors are often linked. Non-modifi- erage. Prevent SIDS! PARENTS: Tell your babysitters about the latest ways to lower the risk f SIDSI They may not be aware of these simple rules: L The single most important preventative technique is to place th nfant on his back when in the crib. The first time a baby is placed on hi lummy, he is at a greater risk for SIDS. Don't assume that even a licensee lay care provider knows this fact! 2. No smoking around the baby - before or after birth! 3. Do not overdress the baby. Overheating can be a risk factor. . 4. Avoid blankets - a simple one-piece sleeping outfit is safest. No hats. 5. Don't put any loose articles in the crib - pillows, fluffy bumpers, tuffed animals, etc. 6. Avoid a soft underlaymcnt. Use a safety-approved, firm mattress. 1 1 1 ; V Faith Berry, three month old daughter of Wanda and Billy Joe Berry, demonstartes a healthy crib environment. ? ii ilte Grandparents meet "Here, they finally had a struc , tured life - school, homework, sta bility, a safe environment." A grand mother laments the fate of the three children she cared for. Like many women in Warm Springs, she had taken her cousin's children when their mother's addictions created havoc in their lives. However, despite her efforts, their five years under her care included disruptive visits by the mother and, finally, the children were returned home. , Four years later, the grandmother describes the children as "paying the price." The three are experiment ing with drugs and alcohol. The 14-year-old is not in school. "I see their mother's behavior all over again," she said. "The circle continues. It should have been broken." She blames much of the disaster on poor communication between the agencies involved. "I thought the system was to work for the children, but they didn't network; they didn't know what was happening with the mother," she said. "People who don't want to do anything with their lives seem to know how to use the system. But the good people are made to jump through hoops." " This is one story. (A fictitious compilation of a number of anec dotes.) Others were shared at a meet ing on February 27 at the OSU Ex tension offices, one of five OSU branches able to downlink a satel lite videoconference "Grandparents Raising Grandchildren." Across the country, one in 10 grandparents have been the primary support of a grandchild at some time in their lives. Currently 6 percent of children live in a grandparent headed household. The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), one of the sponsors of the event, is aggressively tackling the problems of grandpar ents raising grandchildren. The video conference included discus sions of how Colorado, Delaware and Kentucky have responded to the needs of grandparents. Warm Springs participants, both "grandmothers" and concerned pro fessionals, agreed that the legal rami fications of informal custody often prevent the caregiver from authoriz ing health care, talking to teachers and other parental necessities. Paren tal visitation can be disruptive to impressionable children, yet the grandmothers believe agencies favor parental rights at the expense of the children's well-being. Financial con sequences can be overwhelming. A legal foster parent receives financial assistance for children in the home, a relative docs not. The group fielded ideas for solu tions: have the money "follow the child" to whatever home he is in; expand the definition of grandpar ent to other members of the family not in a direct blood line to the child; improve inter-agency communica tion. Custodial grandparents in Warm Springs must learn to navigate both tribal and state laws when their childrcns' needs can be met only off the reservation. Yet minors and elders are undcrreprescnted in the legal system. Furthermore, attorneys supposedly familiar with "tribal matters" often have expertise in land issues, not elderminor law. It is ironic that individuals who lovingly take in children, usually after their child raising days are os tensibly over, face more difficulties than would the parents themselves. The day's purpose was to identify issues unique to Warm Springs, work with other "grandparents" on solu tions, and ultimately implement changes in tribal andor state legis lation. In his remarks, AARP vol unteer. Ken Cooper, described his organization as a potent lobbying force for change. Before adjourning, participants scheduled a follow-up meeting on Wednesday, March 28 at noon. Hoyer hopes that this will be one of a series of meetings which will lead to a support group for custo dial grandparents in the community. p. t " " , - , . V" .- - -'.-. i'l " ' " -'fr'.VlS'. 1 W'J nL i f f ) Meet our new provider Students take over health services f 1, ill Margaret Koepping, Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) is the newest medical provider at the Warm Springs Health and Wellness Center. She started work here on Dec. 18. Ms. Koepping is scheduled in the outpatient clinic as a provider for Same Day and Urgent Care needs. She will be working from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm Monday through Thursdays. Marge comes to us originally from the Puget Sound and North ern Cascades areas of Washington. She previously worked in the Indian Health Service in Chinle, Arizona, before returning to Graduate School for her Masters of Nursing degree and Family Nurse Practitioner's cer tification. She was most recently working in the Seattle area with the King County Corrections Depart ment. In seeking this position, Marge stated a desire to return to a smaller community with a rural lifestyle. She is excited to be involved in a community health care setting with the opportunity to interact with families and to teach as part of her practice. The staff at the Warm Springs Health and Wellness Center is happy to have Marge on board as one of our providers. By seeing those pa tients with limited, yet urgent needs, our new nurse practitioner allows more time and flexibility for the physicians on staff to schedule ap pointments for those patients with long term, chronic problems on a timelier basis. As noted above, Ms. Koepping will be the provider in the Late Clinic (from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. Monday through Thursday). This change will mean that physicians will not be able to schedule for Late Clinic appointments. However, be cause of the additional manpower, the physicians will have more avail able appointment time throughout the week. The demand for services has steadily increased over the past sev eral years since the Confederated Tribes constructed the Health and Wellness Center in 1993. The staff and administration at the clinic are dedicated to meeting those increased demands through a variety of means. New technologies, more efficient scheduling of provider services, and better utilization of space are all ar eas that are being worked on to bring the best possible service to the com munity. With this in mind, please join us at The Warm Springs Health and Wellness Center in welcoming Marge Koepping to Warm Springs. ;t,. ' f.i.i ."i ' tWsh J; X W l'4l. v? ' 1 1 7 I- r y 'if ffU h ". iJs' V V jr, , l.t ,JM t j! lit ' . - 1 On Wednesday, February 7th ap proximately 200 Warm Springs sec ond and fourth graders were bused over to the Warm Springs Dental Clinic for a lively open house. Clinic staff began this tour seven years ago to celebrate National Children's Dental Health Month. Last year the medical staff joined forces with den tal to present an even more compre hensive and entertaining event for the children. Staff, dressed in a tropical pirate theme, treated the children to skits and puppet shows designed to make the students feel comfortable in the medical environment as well as teach them about issues important to their health. The children eagerly partici pated in the entertainment as well as the mock "exams" held in the den tal clinic. The following day, approximately 100 Head Start Children toured the clinic for an open house of their own. And, on the 9,h, many first and second grade students received den tal sealants in honor of the month. -mm' . .i i Dental Assistant, Camille Hall, and helpers prepare for a cleaning Third grader, Charlene Chee, scrubs those big teeth Police department introduces new officer Boat Launching Site to Close for Construction The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department has announced closure of the Warm Springs Boat launch on the Deschutes from March 5 through the end of the month for improvements. A re opening date is unknown at this time. Improvements include wid ening the boat ramps, enlarging the parking and boat staging area, and replacement of a rest room. Parks officials recommend Mecca Flat, located two miles down stream from U. S. 26 as an alternative access point for launching boat and raft trips. Officer Introduction Hello my people, my name is Ron Belgard, my Indian Name is Washte' Wichasha in Lakota Trans lation it means good man. I am of ChippewaCree and Tootootni Na tions. I have recently started work with the Warm Springs Police De partment Patrol Di vision. I am very glad to be employed by this de partment and I am also glad to be working for this community and its people. I have been living on the Warm Springs reservation off and on for the past twenty vcars de pending on where the best pow wows are at-aves! J'f W : r !TEz I have come to realize what a beautiful place I live at. The people have always treated me good, I have never felt better about being any where. I am really happy to be ac cepted by so many wonderful folks. I am also a Sundancer and whenever I 'm not working, I attend Washut Services to pray for blessings of fam ily, the foods we harvest, and the numerous issues we face as Native people everyday. As a police officer for the Warm Springs community, my goals are to Protect and to Serve to the best of my ability. I would also like to es tablish a career-oriented program with our youth to help them gain an understanding of what it means to be Warriors and Leaders. We need to educate our youth not to fall prey to those evils that have become so prevalent in our Native peoples lives. Working with youth, I plan to revive their interest of our traditional way of gathering sacred foods hunt ing and fishing, and making the Longhouse the primary focus of our young ones before it disappears for ever. While out in the community, please feel free to come talk with me regarding problems I may be able to assist with. I encourage everyone, especially the youth who are our most important asset for the future of this reservation. Thank you for your love and kindness, and thank you for your time. Community Policing Spring is coming and with the warmer weather more outdoors ac tivity. Is everyone ready to be out in the fresh air, work on gardens yards fix fences etc For many this is a time to do cleaning, and haul trash, and all of the rest of the things we do when spring time comes. Some of our Patrol Division officers, led by Officer Bob SprengeL are looking at ways to help do some cleaning of the basketball court in West Hills along with help from local street residents and volunteers. So those of you that were watching us up there on Fri day will know what we were doing. For more information you can con tact Sgt. Lonny Mcliwen at 553 3272, Officer Bob Sprengel at 553 2217, Lt. Stoncy Miller at 553-2283, Bob Medina at 553-2274 or Nancy Collins at 553-4943. The Community Police Officers have started the knock and talk vis its with the people of the commu nities. There has been information given on Neighborhood Watch, alarms and systems, door locks, crime prevention tips and other top ics given on these visits. Dogs There have been a number of calls on loose dogs chasing children in different parts of the Agency area latclv. Dog owners need to know that they arc responsible if some one gets bit or injured by a dog at large. An owner of a dog involved in such an incident can be issued a citation for Maintaining a Public Nuisance.