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.
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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