Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (April 19, 2017)
Health Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, April 19, 2017 A3 New family nurse practitioner: ‘education empowers’ Mendy Sharpe and family moved from Austin By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle For family nurse practi- tioner Mendy Sharpe, educa- tion is key to unlocking good health. Sharpe began working at the Grant County Health De- partment in John Day in De- cember. She and her family moved to Prairie City from Austin, Texas, where she grew up. Sharpe was a critical care nurse for most of her nursing career, working while finish- ing studies to become a family nurse practitioner. She spent five years in critical care, working in urgent care and as a home health nurse, but most of her experience was in a hospital setting. “I’ve dealt with a lot of younger people, but also older people who had exacerbations from chronic diseases,” she said. “My goal is to prevent, as much as possible.” Catching health problems early can help patients have the best outcome possible. “If they get that education, it empowers them to make better decisions regarding their health,” she said. Sharpe also tries to educate herself, learning new things Eagle file photo The Grant County Health Department at 528 E. Main St., Ste. E, in John Day is open with new hours of 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. On Fridays, the health department is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with no providers available on that day. The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Family nurse practitioner Mendy Sharpe checks the ears of a patient at the Grant County Health Department. and keeping herself up to date in her field, she said. She enjoys working at the health clinic and said there are good resources avail- able for such a small area. She noted having the mental health clinic, Community Counseling Solutions, at- tached to the health depart- ment was rare. “Here at the health depart- ment, we have family plan- ning services with access to contraceptives,” she said, as well as resources for those who are pregnant, such as the WIC program, or those who would like to become preg- nant. She said they now take laboratory work at the health department, and their morning and evening hours are geared more toward urgent care. When she’s not working, Sharpe said she enjoys spend- ing time with her family. This includes her hus- band, David, an Army veteran who attends school full-time, working on a bachelor’s de- gree in informational technol- ogy. His five-plus years in the military included deployment to Iraq. She and David have two children, son David, 11, and daughter London, 6. Mendy said they’ve enjoyed going to the movies out of town and taking vacations to visit other states. A draw to the area for the Sharpes was having family and friends nearby in Eu- gene, northern California and Washington — as well as the weather. “Now that the weather is starting to warm up, we want to start doing outdoor activ- ities and find places to hike and go camping,” she said. Sharpe said she is enjoying the close-knit community. “Everybody is really friendly, and you don’t always get that in a bigger city,” she said. The health department, located at 528 E. Main St., Ste. E, is open 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. On Fri- days, the health department is open 8 to 5 p.m. with no pro- viders available on that day. For more information, call 541-575-0429. 340B program benefits people without prescription drug insurance Eligible hospital patients can receive card for discounts at Len’s Drug By Sean Hart Blue Mountain Eagle Blue Mountain Hospital District patients without pre- scription drug insurance may see significant savings from a new program in John Day. Through the 340B drug pricing program, patients without prescription coverage who are prescribed medica- tions by doctors at the hospi- tal or its clinic can receive a 340B card from the hospital to use when filling prescrip- tions at Len’s Drug for major discounts. “This is a government pro- Eagle photos/Sean Hart Len’s Drug Pharmacy Technician Rori Leighton, left, and Pharmacy Manager Tilli Bjornberg work in the John Day pharmacy Wednesday, April 12. Eligible Blue Mountain Hospital patients without prescription drug coverage can now obtain a 340B card from the hospital to use for significant savings on most prescriptions at Len’s Drug. gram that gets small, rural hospitals and clinics like ours the ability to receive discounts from the big pharmaceutical companies,” hospital CEO Derek Daly said. “Through Prescription drugs may be much more affordable for people who do not have prescription drug coverage, thanks to the new 340B program. our partnership with Len’s Drug, we are able to get the discounts into the patients’ hands.” Daly said patients should ask the receptionist if they are eligible for the program when they visit the hospital. He said hospital staff will probably ask the patients if they are in- terested but may not be aware a patient does not have pre- scription drug coverage. Although people who al- ready have drug coverage are not eligible, Daly said the pro- gram could help 5-10 percent of the population. “This has an impact to get people pharmaceuticals that otherwise wouldn’t be able to,” Daly said. “We would print you a card in the clinic that can be utilized similarly to a prescription insurance card you could show up to Len’s with.” Len’s Drug Pharmacy Manager Tilli Bjornberg said people have already used the program and it is going well. “We’re excited for the program because it’s going to help people without insur- ance to get medications that are cost prohibitive for most people,” she said. “I had one medication that would be $300 out of pocket, and it was $75 with this program.” Expensive medications, such as insulin and other di- abetic drugs, inhalers and blood thinners, receive the largest discounts in the pro- gram, she said, though many medications are included. Bjornberg said patients simply need to bring the card from the hospital to the phar- macy and present it when fill- ing the prescription. A TTENTION G RANT C OUNTY V ETERANS : 541-620-4255 Did you know a service-connected disabled veteran is entitled to FREE use of Oregon State Parks? Our Business is picking up. You never need a taxi until you need one; put me on speed dial. See your Grant County Veteran Services Officer today for more information, located at Grant County Courthouse. Jeff Wilcox Richie Colbeth, Owner/Operator 09573 05515 Baker City 2830 10th St. 541-524-0122 05490 Every other Monday in John Day at Blue Mountain Hospital 170 Ford Rd. 541-575-1311