Smoke Signals 3
JUNE 15,2009
Skookum Health Plan benefit
update effective July 1, 2009
There will be an emergency room benefit change to the Skookum
Health Plan occurring on July 1, 2009. Currently, the health plan
covers a non-emergency visit to the emergency room with a 50 per
cent co-insurance; after July 1, 2009, non-urgentnon-emergent use
of the emergency room will no longer be a covered benefit.
Tribal members who go to an emergency room to receive nonurgentnon-emergent
services will be responsible for the entire
charge.
The reason for this change is over utilization of the emergency
room. Many of the claims received from emergency room visits are
for services that should be received through a physician's office or
an urgent care setting.
For non-emergency service, the average cost of an emergency room
visit is close to $500, while the same service in a provider's office
or urgent care setting is only around $100. Use of the emergency
room for non-urgentnon-emergent services results in higher costs
to the Tribe.
If you or someone you know is in need of medical attention and
you do not know if you should go to the emergency room or not, take
the time to contact the 24-hour Nurse Line at 800-970-7138 or your
personal physician.
If you are instructed to seek services at the emergency room by
the Nurse Line or by your physician's office, it will be covered by the
Skookum Health Plan.
If you have questions about this important benefit change,
contact Barbara Steere at 503-879-2487 or Jim Holmes at 503-879-2221.
D
Presentation to discuss
HPV, cervical cancer
An informational presentation called "All You Need to Know About HPV
& Cervical Cancer" will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Monday, June 29, in Adult
Education Room 126 A & B.
Kathleen Marquart (TlingitHaida) will discuss the HPV vaccine and its
effect on possible contraction of cervical cancer for Tribal and community
youth between 9 and 18 years of age.
There will be dinner and prizes provided. To attend, contact Toni Mercier
at 503-879-2101.
For more information, contact Tribal Cancer Navigator Jasen Henderson
at 503-879-1395 or 503-883-3497. D
OomiaDoirDs mieedled
The Grand Ronde Community Resource Center has a few fundraisers and
other projects planned this year and is seeking donations, etc., for the fol
lowing: Spaghetti Feed and Auction in September: Seeking donated items for
a live and silent auction andor food donations for the meal. The center will
provide documentation of your donation for tax purposes.
Community Cookbook: Looking for your favorite recipe. If you have a
recipe you'd like to share, please e-mail it to grcrchotmail.com or mail to
GRCRC, P.O. Box 55, Grand Ronde, OR 97347. Please include the name of
dish, recipe, your name for publication in the cookbook and a phone number
to contact you if there are any questions. The center will advertise sale of the
Community Cookbook as soon as they become available.
Food Preservation: The center is still seeking food dehydrators for its
food preservation program. If you have one you'd like to donate, please e
mail or call and leave a message at 503-879-5731.
Coupon Program: The center is looking for food and non-food item cou
pons for its coupon program.
PKm fir V.-. 7
They wainiti to be shti nirag ffir mray job'
Stimulus funding helps Tribal
Natural Resources' projects
In May, Oregon Tribes and counties received $2.5 million
from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in sup
port of three projects aimed at fighting invasive species the
Oregon Youth Employment Initiative, wildland fire manage
ment and prioritizing fuel reduction efforts In forests. Of that,
the Grand Ronde Tribe received $32,000 to support summer
Youth Crew programs. For Grand Ronde, that meant seven
new positions for this summer's crews.
NATURAL continued
from front page
added features to the program that
would benefit student workers in
many ways.
These days, high school students
earn $8.40 an hour to participate
in a program that builds trails
through reservation lands, but
also works at "challenge courses,
where they climb ropes and balance
on high wires" for physical experi
ence, visit colleges, feed educational
ambitions and acquire job skills,
Dirksen said.
"It's important for them to see
that they want to be shooting for
my job, not just building trails for
the rest of their lives," Dirksen
said. "They're going to need to get
a college degree, so we do tours of
college campuses."
One of the great things with the
physical challenge course, Dirksen
said, is that they often even the
playing field for youth whose skills
are outside of the usual sports team
skills.
"We want them to know what
a job is like," Dirksen said, "how
it's different than school, and we
give them a taste of the natural
resources field.
"Now, our turnover is really
low."
"I felt like I could make a career
out of it," said Tribal member Win
ston Mercier, who spent the last
two summers in the program. "I
found out I really enjoyed it. It was
almost like a natural for me. What
they told me to do, I enjoyed doing,
and I had no problems doing it. I
felt like it was a smart choice for
me to work there."
The program has grown from
barely filling out a single work crew
to this year having three crews of
eight each. "We may still have to
turn some kids away," Dirksen
said.
"I liked working outdoors," said
Tribal member Jack Ham, who
with his brother and fellow Tribal
member Joe, were in the program
last year. "I like being with nature.
I like the teamwork. With people
my own age."
"I really enjoyed it," said Joe
Ham, who has applied for the
program again this year. "I never
had much experience where you
feel like you're part of something. I
really remember that was the best
experience. We got a lot of things
done, but at the same time I felt like
I gained more than what I thought
I would in the beginning."
Also this year, youth crew ap
plicants are getting job interview
training in preparation for their
interview for the position. "Even if
they don't get the job," Dirksen said,
"they will be better prepared."
"The program was recognized
for its accomplishments in both
natural resource conservation and
its educational component as well
as for the support of the program
by each of the work sponsors," re
ported Oregon Youth Conservation
Corps Director John E. Asher.
Tribal Council has increased
funding for this 12-year-old pro
gram seven-fold over the years,
Dirksen said.
"1 really would want to stress that
way back when we started build
ing our program, and got so much
interest from the community, all it
took was to say that there was this
need in the community and Tribal
Council stepped up. I'm eternally
grateful for the Tribe giving us that
opportunity." D