March 1, 1997
SMOKE SIGNALS
3
Bandaid Brief.
' By Dr. Glenn A. Gerritz, M.D.
COULD ULCERS BE CAUSED BY A BACTERIA?
Peptic ulcers have been found to be caused by the bacteria "Helicobacter
Pylori." This is a short spiral-shaped bacteria. Most patients with ulcers have
midline upper abdominal pain that is described as sharp, burning, or gnawing.
Symptoms are better on a full stomach, and worse on an empty stomach. The
pain is relived in a few minutes with food or antiacids. Cigarette smoking is
associated with an increased frequency of ulcers.
Ulcers are best treated with a medicine to decrease the acid in the stomach
like Tagamet, or an antibiotic to kill the bacteria in the stomach like Biaxin.
Surgery is rarely indicated for ulcers today because the medicines mentioned
above are good in healing the ulcers and preventing bleeding and perforation.
Air bag alert: Buckle kids in back!
An air bag is not a soft, billowy pillow.
To do its important job, an air bag comes
out of the dashboard at up to 200 miles per
hour faster than the blink of an eye. The
force of an air bag can hurt those who are
close to it. Drivers can prevent air bag re
lated injuries to adults and children by fol
lowing certain safety points.
CHILD SAFETY POINTS
Children 12 and under should ride buck
led up in a rear seat.
Infants in rear facing child safety seats
should NEVER ride in the front seat of a
vehicle with a passenger side air bag.
Small children should ride in a rear seat
in child safety seats approved for their age
and size. ,
If a child over one year old must ride in
the front seat with a passenger side air bag,
put the child in a front facing child safety
Sheriff's Report
With the tragedies experienced on our
highways in the district the last few months
it was quite the pleasant surprise to see some
one survive a quite violent wreck. I recently
observed two vehicles on Highway 1 8B that
were involved in a rear end accident.
In each vehicle all occupants walked
away, thanks to following repetitive advice
so often heard on television and radio. Use
your seat belts! A young mother with her
two small children was rear ended by an
other young lady who was apparently mo
mentarily distracted.
The children were safely strapped in tod
dler seats secured properly to the back seat.
Aside from everyone being a bit emotional
after the collision all walked away without
injury. This accident involved a couple of
local families. As you all know, it's the
short trips across town that are most likely
to be the dangerous ones. Some of us rea
son that seat belts aren't necessary, as it's
only a minute to the store. Accidents are
inevitable. Good driving habits can reduce
them and prevent injuries. Buckle up!
Jeff and I worked up our statistics for pre
sentation to Tribal Council this month. As
expected, the total amount of calls for ser
vice has increased. It was expected, with
the increases in population in and through
the area. The increase in calls for service
seat, a booster seat, or a correct fitting lap
shoulder belt AND move the seat as far
back as possible.
ADULT SAFETY POINTS
Everyone should buckle up with both lap
and shoulder belts on every trip. Air bags
are supplemental protection devices.
The lap belt should be worn under the ab
domen and low across the hips. The shoul
der belt in most newer cars can be adjusted
on the side pillar to improve fit.
Driver and front passenger seats should
be moved as far back as practical, particu
larly for shorter statured people.
Remember, air bags save lives, but work
best when everyone is buckled and small
children are properly restrained in the back
seat. Children riding in the front seat can
be seriously injured or killed when an air
bag comes out in a crash.
, By Deputy Tom O'Brien
can also be attributed to involvement by
local citizens who call and provide us with
information, thus helping resolve some of
the local problems. This type of activity
has slowly increased and has produced a
trust within our community.
Polk and Yamhill County deputies have
been exchanging information in an attempt
to aid each other and the community in re
solving some of the burglaries and thefts.
At Polk County we have also established
new procedures in attempting identification
of stolen pawned goods. The Sheriffs Of
fice has assigned much of the background
checks for stolen pawned property to its
S.A.L.T. volunteers.
We rely heavily on our volunteers. Our
reserve deputies are volunteers. They can
be found patrolling Highway 18. You will
probably see more of them shortly, as we
will be training in the use of the laser traf
fic gun that was recently contributed to the
Sheriffs Office by the Tribe.
We train our volunteer reserve deputies
in Dallas, over an eight-month period start
ing in September. Our present academy will
graduate in May. We will be accepting ap
plications for reserve deputies then. If any
one is interested, contact Jeff or I at the sub
station (879-2420), we will tell you about
the program.
NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY: Environmental Assessment
and finding of No Significant Impact for the proposed
Spirit Mountain Hotel and Casino Expansion
This notice is to advise interested parties that an Environmental Assessment (EA) is
available for the proposed Spirit Mountain Hotel and Casino Expansion at Spirit Mountain
Casino, 27100 SW Salmon River Highway, Grand Ronde, Oregon. The EA discloses
detailed descriptions of the proposed actions, alternatives to the proposed actions and analysis
of the likely environmental consequences of the proposed actions and alternatives. This
document discusses plans to construct a 100-room Hotel and to expand the existing casino
gaming floor to accommodate new types of games.
The EA is available for public review. Requests for copies of the EA and written com
ments should be addressed to: Kathleen Fcchan, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde,
Division of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 70, Willamina, OR 97396 or call (503) 879-2395.
Comments must be received by March 25, 1997, and must include 1) your name, address
and phone number, 2) title of the EA your comments regard, and 3) specific facts or com
ments that decision makers should consider.
RESILIE
Parents...
Please join us for a Conference on
NCY
(The ability to bounce back from difficulty and succeed in life.)
Learn how to help the children in your life become healthy, productive, and competent
adults! Wouldn't it be great if you could get your kids a vaccination to protect them
against early pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse, gang involvement, and school failure!
This is what resiliency is all about!
This conference is for the Communities of Polk County. We encourage parents and grand
parents to attend. Bonnie Benard, a nationally recognized expert on the topic of resil
iency, will present the conference. Everyone will learn from this conference.
DALLAS HIGH SCHOOL
Thursday, MARCH 1 3 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. - no charge - free goodies.
Transportation from the Grand Ronde area can be arranged through
Grand Ronde Elementary School at 879-52 1 0.
Friday, MARCH 14 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. - $15 (registration required)
For more information, call the Polk County Family Resource Network at 623-6 1 05.
Free Homebuyer Education Seminar
The Steps to Becoming a Successful
HOMEOWNER
Learn about credit reports, financing a home, and
whether you may be a candidate for home ownership.
March 13 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community Center
For more information and to pre-register,
please call Bryan Langley at 879-2467
or 1-800-422-0232, ext. 2467.
Open to tribal members and other interested persons.
Sponsored by the Grand Ronde
Tribal Housing Authority.
PrPri