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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (June 15, 2017)
S moke S ignals JUNE 15, 2017 27 June is National Safety Month Additional funding request from the Skookum Health Assistance Program To ensure that Tribal members’ requests for health care services receive the highest level of attention, the Skookum Health Assistance Program has implemented the “additional funding request” for health care services. An additional funding request should be used when you have received a denial of services requested from Shasta Administrative Services. If you are a Tribal member and have received a denial of services requested from Shasta, you have the option of contacting the Save Our Skookum team members, who will make every effort to obtain information from Shasta and/ or your provider for review of the denied request. Depending on the request, the Save Our Skookum team will enlist the help of Grand Ronde Health & Wellness Center providers, Dental director, Medical director, Pharmacy director and Behavioral Health director to review documentation from the provider requesting the denied services. With the help of these professionals and funding availability, a determination will be made whether to fund the requested services. The level of funding available always will play a role in approval or denial of an additional funding request, which does not apply to services deemed medically necessary. Medically necessary services allowed through the Skookum Health Assistance Program will not be required to go through an additional funding request review. For information or to request additional funding, please contact: • Barbara Steere – 503-879-2487 • Melody Baker – 503-879-2011 • Tresa Mercier – 503-879-2008 Prescription painkiller abuse: June is National Safety Month Injuries are a leading cause of disability for people of all ages, and they are one of the leading causes of death for Americans ages 1 to 44. The good news is everyone can get involved to help prevent injuries. This June, we encourage you to learn more about important safety Transportation safety: issues like prescription painkiller abuse, transportation safety and slips, trips and falls. • Prescription painkiller abuse: Prescription painkiller overdos- es are a growing problem in the United States, especially among women. About 18 women die every day from a prescription painkiller Slips, trips and falls: overdose — more than four times as many as in 1999. • Transportation safety: Doing other activities while driving, like texting or eating, distracts you and increases your chance of crashing. Almost 1 in 5 crashes (17 percent) that injured someone involved distracted driving. • Slips, trips and falls: One in 4 older adults fall each year. Many falls lead to broken bones and other health problems. You can make a difference. Find out ways to help reduce the risk of these safety issues. For more information visit http://www.nsc.org/act/ events/Pages/National-Safety-Month-Free-Materials.aspx Come check out our National Safety Month table from 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 21, in the clinic atrium. Opioid Use Disorder By Andrew Gibler Oregon State University College of Pharmacy Increased abuse of prescription opioids and subsequent increases in ac- cidental opioid-related deaths have caught the attention of policy makers in the United States and in Oregon. On July 22, 2016, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act was enacted that authorizes the federal government to strengthen opioid pre- vention and treatment programs According to the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,” substance use disorders are associated with a pattern of inappropriate substance use that adversely affects one’s personal or professional life. In persons with substance use disorders, there is an underlying change in the way the brain functions that can persist beyond detoxification and result in repeated relapses and intense cravings when exposed to certain stimuli. These addictive substances alter brain circuitry involved in complex functions like motivation and decision-making and diminish natural reward mechanisms for essential substances like food and water. Plea- sure normally experienced with stimuli like food or social interactions is diminished with repeated use of addicting substances. Opioid analgesics have been used for decades to manage pain, but they also can produce feelings of dysphoria and sedation, which places them at high risk for misuse and abuse. In addition, tolerance to regular use of an opioid analgesic can result in the need over time for higher doses to achieve analgesia. From 2007-14, the number of private insurance claim lines with an opioid dependence diagnosis increased 3,203 percent, with most of the claims associated with persons between 19-35 years of age. With ease of accessibility to opioids, it is imperative that physicians understand how to recognize opioid use disorder and navigate treatment strategies with their patients. For more information about Opioid Use Disorder, contact your primary care provider or Behavioral Health program. Skookum Health Assistance Program online portal Did you know you can access your Skookum Health Assistance Program information at www.shastatpa.com? You can look for things like: Find a network health care provider Print a temporary ID card View your health care claims and deductible/out-of-pocket balances Contact customer service online Just go to the website and register for a user name and password in a few minutes and you will have access. Massage at Health & Wellness Center Mind, Body & Soul Therapeutic Massage started at the Health & Wellness Clinic last year. Remember: Appointments for massage are not managed by the Health & Wellness Center staff. To schedule an appointment, call 971-237-2561.
