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