Flu shot clinics to be held TEN - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, September 28,2005 With the approach of flu season, clinics are being held by the Morrow County Health Departm ent, but vaccinations are only available for those who meet certain criteria. Flu vaccinations are strongly encouraged and reserved only for individuals who meet any of the following: Children ages 6- 23 months. Adults ages 65 and older. Anyone ages 2 to 64 with underlying chronic medical conditions. Women who will be pregnant during influenza season. Residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, Children ages 6 months to 18 years on chronic aspirin therapy, Health care workers who deliver direct patient care and Out-of-home caregivers and household contacts of children under 6 months. Supply is limited at this time, but shots will be available at later clinics. Call the Morrow County Health Department for more information at 676-5421 or 481-4200. The clinic schedule is as follows: Monday, Oct. 10, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Stokes Landing Community Center, Irrigon; Wednesday, Oct. 12, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., St. Patrick’s Senior Center, Heppner; Sisns and symptoms of depression Funding restored for Pesticide Kids are back in the evening or take 20 Analytical Response Center Monday, Oct. 31,11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Stokes Landing Community Center, Irrigon; Wednesday, Nov. 2, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., St. Patrick’s Senior Center, Heppner, Thursday, Nov. 3, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1-7 p.m., Morrow County Health Department, Heppner; Monday, Nov. 7, 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 -7 p.m.. Morrow County Health Department, Boardman; Wednesday, Nov. 9, 4-7 p.m., lone Fire Hall, lone. Remember to bring your insurance card, M edicare card and/or Medicaid card. Cost for the shot is $15. Tetanus and Pneumococcal vaccinations also available. If you are young and healthy, you are being asked to wait until late October to get a flu shot. Officials from the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) announced implementation of a prioritized approach to early season flu vaccination, reserving inactivated vaccine for those at high-risk, at least until Oct. 24. However, beginning immediately, doses of live, attenuated flu vaccine may be given to any healthy person between the ages of 5 and 49 years. school and the seasons are changing. Change often brings on stress and stress can lead to depression. This article will help you understand the symptoms of depression and learn techniques to manage them. There are some warning signs to look for when identifying depression. Sleep disturbance, changes in appetite and withdrawing from people and activities that used to be pleasurable can all be signs of depression. Everyone has a few bad days, but when they persist it is important to seek help. Do you notice that it takes longer for you to fall asleep at night? Are you waking several times a night? Is your quality of sleep inadequate? Depression is strongly tied to inadequate sleep. It is helpful to stick to a scheduled bedtime to get your internal clock on a regular schedule. Skip that last cup of coffee or caffeinated beverage in the evening. Get out of the habit of trying to solve problems right before going to sleep. These are ways to get better quality sleep. If sleep issues still occur, please contact our office or your physician to see if there are medical problems contributing to your insomnia. Have you had a recent loss of energy or find it hard to become motivated for simple tasks? Healthy eating habits and regular exercise can help minimize the symptoms of depression. Depression feeds on inactivity, so regular physical workouts can be helpful. You don’t need to have access to a gym or any special equipment. Go for a short walk with the kids in Your Good Health Just Got Easier. 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Contact Us For Call TODAY! 1-866-225-CARE (2273) (TTY 1-800-735-2900) Monday through Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm More Seminar Dates in Your Area! p r e m i f r C are A M i O I C A p r A O VA N TA O I P L A N OFFERED BY FAMILYCARE HEALTH PLANS, INC. www.f9n1ilycAr8lnc.org IM-PCP-ffXB-UmWMor*-» 9/15/06 CHS ApprovW 7/22/06 t minutes out of your day to do an activity you enjoy. Balance is the key for healthy eating habits. Your body needs the proper amount of food for energy. Eating too little food is not good for your body or your mental health. Eating too much, or comfort eating, can lead to weight gain, which can lead to more feelings of depression. Regular balanced meals and healthy snacks help to keep both your energy level and your mood up. Do you wake up feeling hopeless about your life? Do you feel like there is nothing to live for? Do you feel like hurting yourself? If you have any of these symptoms or recognize these in someone else, please contact our office or a physician. Many times depression can be dealt with by making some simple changes in our lives. Other times depression may need to be treated with individual therapy and/or medication. If you or someone you know are experiencing overwhelming feelings of hopelessness or sadness, please seek help. Morrow/ Wheeler Behavioral Health is serving your community and is here to help. To schedule an appointment or speak to a counselor please call our Fossil office at 763- 2746, Heppner at 676-9161, or Boardman at 481-2911. We also have 24 hour on call crisis services that can be accessed by simply dialing 911. Senate approves funding for Oregon military facilities U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) recently an­ nounced that the Senate has approved more than $7 mil­ lion in funding for Oregon military facility construction projects. The funding was included in the FY 2006 Vet­ erans Administration and Military Construction appro­ priations bill; the legislation now moves to a conference committee to work out dif­ ferences between it and the House version of the bill. “Oregon’s military personnel play an important role in securing the North­ west and all of the U.S.,” said Wyden. “The Federal government should ensure that military facilities get the improvements they need to support our armed forces, and the funds in this bill are a major step toward that goal.” “Our armed services are providing disaster relief and security at home and abroad,” said Smith. “They’re the pride of Ore­ gon’s communities and our military should have the up- to-date facilities they need to successfully carry out to­ day’s missions.” Under the VA/Mil- Con appropriations funding legislation approved, $6,132,000 would be pro­ vided for the construction of a new Navy Reserve Center in Eugene. In addition, $941,000 would be provid­ ed for the planning and de­ sign of an expansion of the Oregon Military Depart­ ment’s Joint Forces head­ quarters in Salem. The legislation also includes $1.5 billion to pay for closures of military in­ stallations nationwide, in­ cluding the planned closure of the Umatilla Chemical Depot. 1 O regon’s unique program known as PARC- the Pesticide Analytical Re­ sponse Center- is back in business this fall thanks to restored funding by the 2005 Oregon Legislature. The Oregon Department of Ag­ riculture, along with seven other member state agencies, will soon begin to look into specific cases involving pes­ ticides that may have pro­ duced adverse affects on human health or the environ­ ment. PARC had essentially shut down when funding was removed in 2003 due to a statewide budget shortfall. “We look forward to providing, once again, a pro­ gram that brings together expertise on pesticide is­ sues,” says ODA deputy di­ rector Lisa Hanson. “We be­ lieve the public is better pro­ tected because of PARC and that pesticide users may also be better protected in that the program can address al­ legations and determine whether or not they are val­ id.” Other agencies are similarly eager to have fund­ ing restored to PARC. “For many years, PARC has been an excellent example of interagency co­ operation, helping the agen­ cies involved in pesticide safety and protecting human health in Oregon work to­ gether more effectively,” says Dr. Mel Kohn, state epidemiologist with the Or­ egon Department of Human Services- Health Services. “I’m very pleased the bud­ get was fully funded by the legislature.” When pesticide-re­ lated incidents result in sus­ pected health or environ­ mental effects, PARC is mandated by statute to per­ form the following activities: -Mobilize expertise for investigations -Report results of investigations -Identify trends and patterns of problems -Make policy or oth­ er recommendations for ac­ tion -Prepare activity re­ ports for each legislative ses­ sion PARC does not have regulatory authority; its pri­ mary function is to coordi­ nate investigations and to collect and analyze informa­ tion about reported incidents of pesticide exposure. PARC’s member agencies conduct most of the investi­ gations and take necessary enforcement actions. Coor­ dination includes collecting reports produced by each member agency and consult­ ing with a medical toxicolo­ gist from Oregon State Uni­ versity (OSU). Other gov­ ernmental bodies may also participate in incident re­ porting or investigations. PARC maintains regular contact with the OSU Exten­ sion Service, United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other public and private organiza­ tions to facilitate the inves­ tigation of specific incidents, identify potential problems, and assist in developing so­ lutions. Under the restored funding, ODA will adminis­ ter and house the program, including the establishment of a telephone hotline that will be available 24-hours a day, seven days a week. Members of the public may call (503) 986-6470 and leave details of a pesticide incident. Someone will re­ turn the call no later than the next working day. Current­ ly, the hotline is expected to be operational by Oct. 1. ‘The restored fund­ ing also allows PARC to hire staff from OSU and DHS- Health Services to conduct evaluations of information on individual cases,” says Chris Kirby, administrator of ODA’s Pesticides Division. Pesticide-related in­ cidents are usually reported by an affected person, either directly to PARC or through a member agency. Health care providers are required to report suspected cases of pesticide-related illness to the local health department or Health Services. Timely reports of possible human health or extensive aniipal or environmental effects from pesticide exposure are as­ signed a case investigation number. PARC also re­ sponds to numerous requests for information about poten­ tial health effects of pesti­ cides and related issues. “Currently, there are only a couple of states that have a program like PARC that brings together multiple state agencies- each in­ volved, in some way, in the regulation of pesticides, each with their own set of exper­ tise,” says Kirby. “These agencies are brought togeth­ er to focus on various spe­ cific cases and questions about health or environmen­ tal concerns where pesticides are involved.” ODA- which regu­ lates the distribution and use of pesticide products in Or­ egon- assures compliance with the Oregon Pesticide Control Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Oregon-OSHA has expertise in the training of employees who use pesticides. Other member agencies have unique responsibilities in the area of pesticides and their effects. All pesticide expo­ sure incidents that are as­ signed a PARC case number are entered into a data man­ agement system, investigat­ ed, and summarized for pre­ sentation to the PARC board at bimonthly meetings. These case reports are re­ viewed by the board to iden­ tify trends in problems relat­ ed to use of a particular chemical, to an application method, or to a specific in­ dustry. The board then dis­ cusses potential actions that could prevent or reduce ex­ posures. PARC has statuto­ ry responsibility to make rec­ ommendations to state agen­ cies concerning these ac­ tions. PARC may also make suggestions to private groups for their consider­ ation. “In some cases, a pesticide product label has been changed because of recommendations brought forward by the PARC board,” says Kirby. The restoration of funding is bringing all the players back to the table for the first time in three years. Rather than simply gathering the information but not be­ ing able to do anything with it, member agencies and the PARC board can resume in­ vestigations, determinations, recommendations, and the annual report that will give Oregonians a better idea of health and environmental impacts of pesticide use. WE PRINT LETTERHEAD Heppner Gazette-Times 188 West Willow 676-9228