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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1994)
March 1994 Page 5 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Smoke Signals Let's Talk Teeth... By Linda Mann, RDH SODA POPTOOTH TERMINATION Many Grand Ronde people are letting their teeth rot. Why? When questioned about their diet, people tell me they drink lots of soda pop (Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, Sprite, Root Beer...you get the idea). During the amount of time it takes you to drinkapop.yourteetharebeingbathedinsugar. (Diet or sugar-free sodas are welcome exceptions.) This sugar bath when combined with the plaque on your teeth causes acid to form and this acid causes cavities. Plaque is also irritating to your gums and can lead to gum disease and tooth loss. Of course, soda pop is not the only cause of tooth decay. Sweet snacks and processed starchy food like potato chips, white bread, and puffed cheese snacks break down into sugars in the mouth. When these sugars are left in the mouth, they too, mix with plaque and form acid. How often you snack or drink also influences THE TOOTH DECAY CHAIN PLAQUE SUGAR ACID ACID TOOTH ENAMEL POSSIBLE TOOTH DECAY your decay rate. Eating three pieces of candy at one time exposes teeth to acid for about thirty minutes; however, snacking on three pieces of candy--one every half hourexposes teeth to acid for up to ninety minutes. This same principle applies to sipping a can of pop during the day. I'm not suggesting that you give up pop altogether, but I would recommend that "pop addicts" try one or more of the following ideas: Switch to diet colas. Rinse your mouth after drinking pop, eating candy or other snacks to wash away sugar from your mouth. Drink your soda with your meals, not in between. Drink water instead your body relies on water to function at its peak. Brush your teeth after eating or drinking sweet or starchy foods. If you cant brush chew. Chewing sugar-less gum after eating can actually prevent decay by stimulating saliva flow which helps neutralize plaque acids. Nanitch Sahallie Client Corner Editor's note: To protect client confidentiality, the stories written by participants of Nanitch Sahallie Youth Residential Treatment Program will not contain the author's name. I was in primary treatment for about one month and two weeks, but I stayed after my graduation because I really wasn't ready to go home. I wanted to go on with my recovery, I wanted to learn more about myself before I go home. Nanitch Sahallie has worked for me, and I think it will help me stay sober and clean. Nanitch helped me through my good and bad times. The staff has helped me to talk about my feelings and my past, and they made me realize IVe got a drug and alcohol problem. The treatment center also helped me to control my anger and to have a better life without drugs and alcohol. School has helped me a whole lot. Before I wasn't going to school and this school helped me get back on track with my education and I would like to thank the teachers for helping me with my work, to get back on track with school. I also went to Bush Elementary School to talk to the kids about myself and told them about how drugs and alcohol affected my life and my family. The children really liked what we did for them and they want the clients to go back and talk some more. They made me feel good about myself. Also, every Sunday we had people come in and teach us about drumming and dancing and our culture, to be proud of who we are and accept what we are. Well, all I got to say is this program has helped me a lot. It made me look at myself, to see what drugs and alcohol was doing to my life. I finally realized and looked at myself. I appreciate what this program has done for me. Soon, I'm going to get out of here and be a sober Indian. Thanks, everybody. Now to get on with my new life. Important Clinic Information The Tribal Health and Dental Clinics have been billing patients' private insurances for over a year now. We will begin Medicaid and Medicare billing soon. We have been having a few problems; one is getting patients to let us know about their insurance, Medicaid or Medicare coverage. Here are some ways to help: 1. When you make an appointment for the Medical or Dental Clinic you need to let Sarah Henny or Lydia Mathena know that you have dental insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare. 2. When you come in for that appointment bring your insurance card so we can get a copy of it, then completely fill out the forms either Sarah or Lydia (receptionists) give you. We will be making another change in clinic procedure you will need to be aware of. Sarah and Denise Haskins will be conducting a small interview will every patient who comes into the clinic. There will be a medical history interview done by Sarah, then Denise will go over your Health Application and insurance form with you. This will be done for several reasons. Information about the medical history of the patient is needed so the provider will know about past medical problems and medications. This will be done before you are seen, so the nurse practitioner will have more information about you and is able to better serve your medical needs. Denise will be going overyour Health Application and insurance form with you. The Human Services Division is using the RPMS computer system. Right now we have six programs running on this system: Patent Registration, Patient Care Component, Contract Health Services, Dental, FSI (Billing Program), and the Chemical Dependency Program. We will be getting the Tribal Family Action Program on line soon with a case management program. All of these programs work with the same patient registration database. We get the information to register patients from the Health Application and Insurance form, that is why it is so important to update every year and every time there is a change in address or insurance. Capitol Health Care Information Since we have started billing your private insurances we have been having a problem with patients who are covered by an HMO insurance plan like Capitol Health Care. Our patients are not fully understanding their responsibility when using this type of insurance. Even though we are a Tribal Health Clinic, we still must follow the guidelines of your insurance plan before you can be seen here, just like any other doctor's office. With this typeof insurance the patient must choosea PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER. This means that the provider you choose is the one you must see, unless you have a referral to be seen by someone else. One of the big problems we have been having lately in the clinic is that patients are making appointments to be seen in the clinic when none of the clinic's providers are listed as their primary care provider. If you wish to be seen in the Tribal Health Clinic, these are the things you must do before making an appointment: 1. Get a referral from your Primary Care Provider authorizing you to be seen at the clinic. 2. Call Capitol Health Care and change you provider to Donna, John, or Bette at the Tribal Clinic. You cannot be seen in the clinic unless these two areas are resolved. If you do have Donna, John, or Bette as your provider, you must be seen in the Tribal Clinic. If your provider cannot see you, then you must be seen by one of the others. If you do not want any other providers in the clinic, or if it is after hours or on a weekend you must: 1 . Call your Primary Care Provider who is available by phone 24 hours per day and let them know you want to be referred to another doctor. It will be up to your provider to determine if a referral is in order. (No Capitol Health referrals will be made without the an order from your provider.) 2. If you had to go to the emergency room or an immediate care clinic make sure you notify your provider, so a referral authorization can be obtained. If you do not get a referral from your Primary Care Provider authorizing your visit, then Capitol Health Care will not pay for that visit. If you are eligible for Contract Health, then Contract Health will not pay for that visit because you have failed to use your alternate resource (insurance). If you live within a thirty mile radius of Grand Ronde then Contract Health Services requires you to come to the Clinic or Dental office. If you have insurance or Medicaid that requires you to choose a Primary Care provider, it is to your benefit to choose Donna Brenneman, for the following reasons: 1. CHS will not pay for your visit unless you come in first and get referred out. 2. You must be referred by your Primary Care Provider 3. The Tribal Health Clinic will not see you unless one of our providers is listed with you or you have a referral. It's true all of this sounds confusing, but the best thing you can do is really look over your insurance plans and the CHS procedures and rules so you know what is involved and what your responsibilities are. By knowing all of this information it will help you choose your Primary Care Provider. If you have any questions, please call 1-800-775-0095. Eligibility News If you didn't think you were eligible for medical or dental services, you may be mistaken. If you are an enrolled member of a federally recognized tribe, or a descendent of an enrolled member, you might be eligible for services from the Grand Ronde Tribal Clinics! If you believe there is that possibility, please contact the clinic for an application, now. The tribal clinics will no longer be seeing non-registered patients unless it is an emergency. We have staff ready to answer your questions. For eligibility information call 1 -800-775-0095, extension 2008. Remember, we can't help you if you don't call.
