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The INDEPENDENT, December 21, 2006
Any Oregonian without prescription coverage can now sign-up
December 7 was the first
day that any Oregonian without
prescription drug coverage was
eligible to enroll in the Oregon
Prescription Drug Program
(OPDP), which is the state’s
bulk-purchasing pool for pre-
scription medications and of-
fers savings up to 60 percent
for uninsured citizens. Measure
44 was enacted by the voters
last month, removing previous
age and income eligibility re-
strictions for OPDP.
Information is available on-
line at www.opdp.org or the toll-
free number 1-888-411-OPDP
(6737).
“The increasing costs of
health care and prescription
medications are placing a real
hardship on Oregonians who
do not have health insurance
with drug coverage,” Governor
Ted Kulongoski said. “An over-
whelming majority of Oregoni-
ans agreed with the passage of
Measure 44 that it is time to do
our part to make sure our citi-
zens have access to affordable
prescription drugs – and this
marks an important new step in
that direction.”
Changes under Measure 44
officially take effect December
1 and will offer relief on pre-
scription drug costs for the
more than 600,000 uninsured
adults and children who are
currently without prescription
drug coverage. Also because of
a waiver that the Governor se-
cured from the Federal Govern-
ment, older Oregonians en-
rolled in the Federal Medicare
Part D prescription drug pro-
gram may be eligible to partici-
pate in OPDP.
The Governor also applaud-
ed the work of the AARP, Ore-
gonians for Health Security and
other critical partners, including
State Senator Bill Morrisette,
for championing this program
and leading the charge to victo-
ry for Measure 44 and unin-
sured Oregonians.
“The Oregon Prescription
Drug Program is a proven ap-
proach that will now be even
better at allowing our state to
tackle the skyrocketing costs of
prescription drugs and bringing
more affordable, accessible
medicines to Oregonians of all
ages,” said Jerry Cohen, state
director of AARP Oregon, who
along with Sen. Bill Morrisette
served as one of Measure 44’a
co-petitioners. “This is a solid
and critical first step in lowering
health care costs for everyone
and creating a healthy Ore-
gon.”
“This is a great day for Ore-
gonians through the state,” said
Senator Bill Morrisette, chief
co-petitioner for Measure 44.
“Oregon is once again a trail-
blazer and sets an example for
the federal government to fol-
low.”
“This not only helps Oregoni-
ans without prescription drug
coverage, but it helps all Ore-
gonians by lowering drug
costs,” said Mary-Beth Healy,
Executive Director of Oregoni-
ans for Health Security.
The Governor also an-
nounced that the Northwest
Prescription Drug Consortium,
a partnership between OPDP
and a similar purchasing pool in
the state of Washington, signed
a contract with The ODS Com-
panies for Pharmacy Benefit
Administration services. The
contract, which takes effect
February 1, 2007, promises to
increase savings for OPDP
members, to improve the ad-
ministrative efficiency of the
program, and to make drug
purchasing through the pro-
gram even more transparent.
For more information about
the program contact Missy
Dolan, Administrator of the
Oregon Prescription Drug Pro-
gram at 503-373-1595.
Serving oysters for the holidays?
Cook them first to prevent illness
Eating raw oysters has led
to foodborne illness in recent
months. The illness was
caused by Vibrio bacteria that
occur naturally, especially dur-
ing the summer when the
ocean is warmer. Symptoms in-
clude diarrhea, cramps, nau-
sea, vomiting, fever and chills
and usually occur within 12 to
24 hours of having eaten and
last no more than three days.
The illness can be prevented
by cooking oysters thoroughly.
After the shell opens, boil an
additional three to five minutes.
When steaming, heat for an-
other 4 to 9 minutes after the
shell opens. Boil or steam
smaller quantities so that oys-
ters are fully cooked.
To cook shucked oysters,
boil or steam for three minutes
or until the edges curl. Other
methods include frying at 375
degrees or broiling three inch-
es from the heat, both for three
minutes, or baking at 450 de-
grees for 10 minutes.
It’s especially important for
people with weakened immune
systems to avoid raw oysters.
This includes pregnant women
and young children, older
adults, and those with serious
illnesses such as HIV, AIDS,
cancer, diabetes, and kidney
disease.
Source: Carolyn Raab, Exten-
sion Food and Nutrition Specialist,
Oregon State University.
“Fill up on water” and other weight control myths
We’ve all heard those quick
little tips, like fill up on water be-
fore you go to a party or use
sugar-free foods to save calo-
ries. Do these promoted tips re-
ally work or are they simply
myths?
• “Fill up on water before a
big party.” Water satisfies thirst,
not hunger. While water may fill
the stomach, you’ll still feel
hungry. Instead of water, try
drinking a thicker drink, like a
vegetable cocktail (V-8 juice) or
milk-based beverage to help fill
you up quicker. Another tip is to
eat a broth-based soup before
starting other foods.
• “Using fat-free and sugar-
free foods lets me eat all I
want.” Fat-free and sugar-free
doesn’t mean calorie-free,
check nutrition labels carefully
– these products don’t give you
a license to eat more! Remem-
ber that you’re trying to save
calories, so over-eating re-
duced calorie products can cre-
ate pounds of weight also.
• “I’ll skip breakfast and
lunch so I can eat at the party.”
Skipping meals slows the me-
tabolism, which can lead to
weight gain. Also, skipping
meals may make you so hun-
gry that you over-eat at the par-
ty!
• “Don’t eat after 8:00 at
night.” While it’s normal that the
metabolism slows during the
early morning hours while you
sleep, when you eat is not as
critical as the quality and
amount of food you choose.
Eating later at night is not al-
ways a good idea because we
tend to choose munchies that
are high calorie and lead to
mindless nibbling. It’s also very
easy to get into the night snack-
ing habit.
• “I’m addicted to chocolate!”
While chocolate may contain a
psychoactive ingredient, there
is an extremely low level – cer-
tainly not enough to create an
addiction. What we do crave is
the sensory experience we get
with chocolate. We desire the
flavor and smell of chocolate.
Eating any good-tasting food
can create a desire to repeat
the experience.
• “I eat less at parties be-
cause I have lots of people to
visit with.” Adults do what they
see at holiday parties…eat! We
tend to eat 50 percent more
food when eating with friends!
Focus on how much you’ve
eaten and have those lively
conversations in a room that
doesn’t have food.
• “Exercise makes me hun-
gry.” Physical activity actually
regulates your feeling of full-
ness and hunger. Exercise
should suppress appetite and
retain muscle mass; and mus-
cle burns calories. So during
the holiday season, make sure
you keep walking and strength
training.
Source: Susan Mills-Gray, Nu-
trition Specialist, University of Mis-
souri Outreach and Extension.