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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2007)
4 OCTOBER 1,2007 Tribal Health Newsletter What If I Don't Have a Personal Physician? Visit MyUMR.com to find the name of a personal physician in your network. Using a network physician will save you money. Schedule an appointment for yourself and for each of your family members. Compile a personal health history and bring it with you. 4. Preconditioning and Training: Coaches, athletic trainers and parents should ensure that children are physically and mentally con ditioned, properly trained in a particular sport or activity and matched with children of similar skill level, weight and maturity. 5. Facility Safety Inspections: Remove debris, water, rocks and other hazards from the field, rink or court. If playing outdoors, adults must consider current and potential weather conditions (e.g. lightning) as part of their inspection. Inspect all regular equipment (goals, baskets, nets) on a regular basis and make sure the items meet standards for play. 6. First Aid: Stock a first aid kit and keep it on-site for medical emer gencies. Include supplies for wound management and bee stings, such as elastic wraps and band aids, an icecold compress, medical tape and sterile solution, among other items. 7. Adult SupervisionTrained Sports Staff: Children should be su pervised at all times on the playing field by a parent, coach, certified athletic trainer or other medical professional. 8. Proper Hydration: Establish a hydration plan that allows children to drink water or sports drinks such as Gatorade throughout exercise sessions (about 7-10 ounces every 10-20 minutes). Children should hydrate before AND after activity. Without proper hydration, children are at risk of developing exertional heat-related illnesses. 9. Beat the Heat: If young athletes are exercising in the heat, make sure to assess their fitness before participation. Acclimatize them to the warm weather conditions. Start activities slowly and build endur ance. If an athlete doesn't feel well, stop activity and assess his or her fitness status before return to play. 10. Eat to Win: Incorporate healthy foods in the daily diet including grains, fruits and vegetables, dairy and meatpoultryfish to give them the fuel they need to exercise. A balanced and moderate approach is always the best bet. 11. Proper Warm Up, Flexibility and Cool Down: Always warm up before activity, take rest breaks, and cool down and stretch after play. To avoid overuse injuries, players should not participate with more than one sports team at a time. Parents, coaches and athletic trainers should instruct and practice proper techniques and be alert to injuries, added Robinson. "Our primary goal is to prevent injury, and these recommendations will not only help to reduce onset, but ensure that proper plans are in place if medical care is needed." For more information on youth sports and sports safety, please visit http:www.nata.orgyouthsportsindex. htm. i irr Why Does It Take So Long? Why does it take so long to receive emergency care? Why are emer gency room waiting areas always crowded with people waiting to receive care? One reason is that millions of Americans each year use emergency rooms for routine medical care. This can hurt people with true emergencies by delaying their care, and it drives up the cost of health care for all of us. It will also increase your out-of-pocket ex penses under your health plan. Think about it. The average emergency room visit costs $1049 compared to the average physician's office visit, which costs approximately $153. Why Visit a Doctor's Office for Non-Emergencies? Your personal physician is trained to care for most of your health care needs. You can build a personal relationship with your physician. Your physician knows your family history. You can develop a preventative plan with your physician. Your physician will follow up with you to ensure your treatment is effective. You can save yourself time and money by visiting your doctor's of fice for non-emergencies. When Should I Use an Emer gency Room? In a life-threatening situation, don't hesitate. Go to the Emergency Room or call 91 1 . If you are finding it difficult to know whether to visit an emergency room, call your physician for advice. Even after hours, your physician's of fice will probably have an on-call doctor who can advise you. If you are away from home and need to see a doctor, ask for assistance at the hotel lobby or check the telephone directory for a local 24hour Urgent Care Facility. A & When To Use the ER When To See Your Personal Physician Chest pain lasting longer Earaches or sore throats than two minutes Uncontrolled bleeding Sprains and strains of muscles and joints Coughing or vomiting Coughs, colds, or other blood symptoms that resemble an illness that is "going around" Difficulty breathing, short- Any situation where it ness of breath would be convenient, but not necessary, to seek care from an emergency room Sudden severe dizziness, Fevers that respond to weakness or change in medications vision Questions? Call UMR at1-888-CTGR-BEN, Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. PST 24 hr UMR link nurse line 1-888-867-4850. f?ll7TammT(Tnftr A study published in the September issue of Tobacco Control has de bunked the popular myth that nicotine addiction is a gradual process and occurs only after prolonged daily use of tobacco. Researchers in the United States have found that the first symptoms of nicotine dependency can appear within days to weeks of the onset of occasional use, often before the onset of daily smoking. The researchers followed a group of 681 U.S. students (age 12-13 years) over one year. Of the 95 students who had initiated occasional smoking, 22 percent reported nicotine dependence within four weeks of beginning monthly smoking. Researchers said that these findings reflect results in mice that show that nicotine receptors in the brain significantly increase just a second dose of nicotine: this then becomes a pathway to addiction. Answers to crossword puzzle on page 3 ACROSS DOWN 1. OUT 2. URGENTCARE 3. WELLNESS 4. ENROLLMENT 7. EMPLOYER 5. EXPRESSSCRIPTS 8. UMR 6.COB 10. MAILORDER 9. FORMULARY 12. GENERIC 13. NON 15.EOB
