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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2015)
APRIL 1, 2015 Behavioral Health information The Behavioral Health Program is a fully integrated outpatient mental health, alcohol and chemical dependency assessment and treatment program licensed by the state of Oregon. The program offers referrals to inpatient treatment programs, group coun- seling, family counseling, individual therapy, relapse prevention, youth alcohol and drug treatment, DUI diversion and medication management. The Behavioral Health Program also operates a Women’s Transitional Living Center, which is a facility for Native American women who are in recovery. These women have successfully completed a community or prison residential treatment program and are in need of a sober, safe place to reside with support for transitioning back into the community. The Behavioral Health Program currently has a staff of seven employees. Sharon Karn, PMHNP-BC, serves as the director. She is a board certified psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner and manages the Behavioral Health Department. She also prescribes psychotropic medications for patients who require them. Nicole Estrada, LMFT, is the senior mental health therapist and a licensed marriage family therapist. She provides mental health family and substance abuse therapy. Her clients are children age 2 years and older, teenagers and adults up to age 30. Jan Kaschmitter is a licensed professional counselor who provides mental health counseling for adults. She is certified in anger management and pro- vides support for the A&D program. Andrew Davis is a licensed social worker and a certified drug and alcohol counselor. He offers both mental health and A&D counseling. Andrew also provides group therapy and counseling to adolescent and adult clients with co-occurring disorders. Karan Scharf is a certified alcohol and drug counselor and offers A&D counseling. Melinda Dilts, CMA, is our newest staff member and is the Behavioral Health program receptionist. She also assists with the medication manage- ment component of Behavioral Health, working closely with Karn and clients. Carmen Mercier is our resource navigator for the Women’s TLC house. She brings the cultural and recovery components into the daily lives of the residents. If you are in need of our services, call 503-879-2026 and request an ap- pointment. The Behavioral Health Program Phone: 503-879-2026 Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday. Closed daily from noon to 1 p.m. for lunch. Urgent care changing Effective Monday, April 6, the Grand Ronde Health & Wellness Center is changing the same day appointment process to improve access to care for those who have urgent needs. Every day there will be a designated provider who will see only patients needing urgent care. The no appointment necessary care be will provided on a first-come, first-served basis for those with urgent/acute needs. Examples of urgent/acute needs include lacerations, strains, sprains, ear infections, bladder infections, sore throats, cold/flu, cough, rashes/allergic reactions, pink eye, pregnancy tests, sexually transmitted diseases, lice, abdominal pain, shortness of breath and chest pain. Medication refills are not urgent/acute, but a limited (not more than 14 days) supply may be given to hold a patient until their scheduled appoint- ment with their primary care provider. The appointment will be scheduled before the patient leaves the Health & Wellness Center. Narcotic medication refills will ONLY be done through a patient’s primary care provider during a scheduled visit. Urgent care will NOT refill any controlled substance. All patients arriving at the Health & Wellness Center will need to check in at registration and be screened by a registered nurse. The patient will be asked to fill out a form describing the symptoms he or she would like to be treated for in urgent care. This will assist triage staff in providing the best care that day. After the patient has filled out the questionnaire and visited the triage nurse, he or she will be: • Put into an urgent care doctor’s schedule, or • Scheduled for an appointment with a primary care provider (PCP) or • Referred to the appropriate level of care/emergency room. Patients arriving with chronic problems/issues will be scheduled for an appointment with their primary care provider after being screened by the nurse. Urgent Care hours: 8 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and 9:30 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday. Our goal is to see everyone who presents during these hours. However, based on the number of patients that present, staff may have to redirect some to the most appropriate resource after being screened by our nurse. This change is expected to increase efficiency and improve access for patients. Staff will monitor the progress of this new system and will make any necessary modifications to improve patient flow. Feedback once this new system starts would be appreciated. Masi. S moke S ignals 13 SEEKING INFORMATION! We are looking for information from Tribal members concerning ser- vices you may need, but currently ARE NOT receiving. We are specifically asking about: • Hearing aids; • Additional funding for orthodontics (braces); • Glasses; • Dental services; • Lasik eye surgery. We will be gathering this information for a few months, so if you or if you are aware of family members or friends who are enrolled Grand Ronde Tribal members who need these services, please contact PRC staff at: • Tauni McCammon – 503-879-1406 • Erica Mercier – 503-879-2080 • Melody Baker – 503-879-2011 • Tresa Mercier – 503-879-2008 This applies to all enrolled Grand Ronde Tribal members, regardless of where they reside. I have Skookum, WHY do I need insurance? Q: Why do I need other insurance coverage when I have the Skookum Health Assistance Program? A: The Skookum Health Assistance Program is not insurance. It was ini- tially set up to be the payer of last resort. This means that Tribal members with other available insurance coverage must use that before Skookum. Q: How many members are using the Skookum program? A: There are currently about 5,064 members signed up for the health program. Q: How many Tribal members have primary insurance? A: Approximately 67 percent have some sort of other insurance coverage. Q: How much does the Skookum Health Assistance Program cost the Tribe every year? A: The total health program cost for 2014 was approximately $18 million (down from $22 million in 2009). This is the largest Tribal expense next to per capita. Q: Why does the Skookum Health Assistance Program cost so much? A: The Skookum plan is 100 percent Tribally funded. The Tribe pays a fixed amount to Shasta to get network discounts, do pre-authorization, etc. The Tribe then pays all the actual cost of the claims, dollar for dollar. In the recent past, many Tribal members were not using their alternate insurance coverage primary, so the Skookum Health Assistance Program was absorbing those health care costs. Q: Why doesn’t the Tribe purchase health insurance through Kaiser, ODS or Blue Cross/Blue Shield? A: By administering the program through a third party administrator, we save money and are able to access Medicare-like rates and CHEF that we would not be able to do with an insurance carrier. There is also additional flexibility that we have and we are not paying profits for an insurance carrier. Q: Do I need to enroll in my spouse’s employer plan if I don’t have one available? A: Yes, if you can afford it, you should. Your spouse’s employer plan is an alternate resource that would be the primary coverage. Q: Do I have to apply for Medicaid if I don’t have insurance? A: Yes, if you do not have other group insurance available to you, such as an employer sponsored plan, you are required to apply for Medicaid in the state in which you reside. Q: What if I am not eligible for Medicaid? Is there other insurance coverage available to me? A: Yes, the marketplace through the Affordable Care Act. Go to www. healthcare.gov to see if you are eligible for insurance. You could also be eligible for a tax credit to cover the monthly premium. Q: If I take other insurance or get Medicaid, will I lose my Skookum? A: No! You will still have your Skookum coverage; it will just fall into second place and pay after your new primary coverage. Q: Who can I call with questions about Skookum? A: Barbara Steere, 503-879-2487, or Tresa Mercier, 503-879-2008. Q: Who can I call with questions about signing up for Medicaid or the marketplace? A: Loretta Meneley at 503-879-1509 or Sydney Clark at 503-879-2197. Don’t get caught without your medication Grand Ronde Health & Wellness Center Pharmacy hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; closed 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; closed 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Thursday. REFILL LINE: 503-879-2342
