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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2010)
Page 8 The INDEPENDENT, April 1, 2010 Applications due April 5 for Oregon Health Plan list Free program on Cholesterol The next drawing from the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) reservation list will take place Monday, April 5. The names of 8,000 Oregonians will be drawn and will receive application packets to join the plan. This is part of the ongoing process to bring 35,000 adults into the Oregon Health Plan. To be included in the next drawing, names must be re- ceived before April 5. Monthly drawings and application mail- ings will be held until OHP Standard’s projected capacity is reached. To be added to the reservation list, low-income Oregonians should call 1-800- 699-9075 or 711 TTY, or visit the Web site at www.ohplist. oregon.gov. Reservation re- quest forms are also available at local Department of Human Services’ offices, local county health departments, and most hospitals and health care clin- ics. “Once people’s names are drawn they can apply for cover- age and, if they are eligible, they will be enrolled in the Ore- gon Health Plan,” says Judy Mohr Peterson, director of the Division of Medical Assistance Programs, which administers the plan. An estimated 140,000 Ore- gonians would qualify for OHP based on income. Because of this, the state has created the reservation list and will hold monthly drawings from the list. OHP Standard covers physi- cian services, prescription drugs, mental health and chemical dependency treat- ment, emergency medical serv- ices and limited dental, hospital and vision services. Adults in the program pay monthly pre- miums ranging from nothing to $20, depending on income and household size. Children do not have to wait on a reservation list, thanks to the Oregon Healthy Kids plan. Children and teens up to age 19 may qualify today. Call 1- 877-314-5678 or visit the Healthy Kids Web site at www.oregonhealthykids.gov. A free 90-minute presenta- tion on how to Manage Your Cholesterol Levels will be held on April 8, at 6:00 p.m., at the Tuality Health Education Cen- ter, 334 SE 8th Ave., Hillsboro. Cholesterol is a topic of fre- quent media information. But what do all the numbers mean? What is good fat and bad fat? What about medications? How should I eat? Will I enjoy a low- cholesterol diet? How does ex- ercise change cholesterol lev- els? Learn the answer to these and other questions, plus there will be heart-healthy food sam- ples (with recipes) to try. If you plan to attend, call 503-681-1700 so they will be ready for the correct number of attendees. 9-1-1 warns of old urban legend According to Sally Jones, Administrator at Columbia 9-1- 1 Communication District, an urban legend is once again making the rounds of email. The incorrect information in the email is that women should call #77 if an unmarked police car pulls them over. Some states do use that code for some reasons, but Oregon does not. Jones says, “The bottom line is, 9-1-1 is the See Urban on page 10 Hard-boiled egg safety for Easter and other Spring celebrations If you’re planning an Easter egg hunt or cooking eggs for your Passover Seder, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has important advice to help keep your family safe from foodborne illness through- out the Spring celebrations. Eggs play a key role in Spring religious holidays. Hard- cooked eggs for Easter and Passover celebrations should be prepared with care. If you plan to eat the Easter eggs you decorate, be sure to use only food grade dye. (Some people make two sets of eggs – one for decorating and hiding, another for eating. Oth- ers use plastic eggs for hiding.) For an Easter egg hunt, avoid cracking the egg shells. If the shells crack then bacteria could enter and contaminate the egg inside. Also, hide eggs in places that are protected from dirt, pets and other bacte- ria sources and keep hard- cooked eggs chilled in the re- frigerator until just before the hunt. The total time for hiding and hunting eggs should be no more than two hours. Then be sure to refrigerate the “found” eggs right away until you eat them. Eggs found hours later or the next day should be thrown out – not eaten! Eggs also play an important role on the Seder plate during Passover celebrations. If that egg sits out at room tempera- ture for more than two hours, it should not be eaten. Since the hard-cooked eggs that are usu- ally served to each person as part of the special dinner are meant to be eaten, keep those hard-cooked eggs refrigerated until ready to serve. When shell eggs are hard- cooked, the protective coating is washed away, leaving open pores in the shell where harm- ful bacteria could enter. Be sure to refrigerate eggs within two hours of cooking and use them within a week. Check your re- frigerator temperature with an appliance thermometer and ad- just the refrigerator tempera- ture to 40°F (Fahrenheit) or be- low. For egg safety – to stay healthy and avoid foodborne ill- ness — USDA advises: • Always buy eggs from a re- frigerated case. Choose eggs with clean, uncracked shells. • Buy eggs before the “Sell- By” or “EXP” (expiration) date on the carton. • Take eggs straight home from the grocery store and re- frigerate them right away. 503-901-1705 Check to be sure your refriger- ator is set at 40°F or below. Don’t take eggs out of the car- ton to put them in the refrigera- tor – the carton protects them. Keep the eggs in the coldest part of the refrigerator – not on the door. • Raw shell eggs in the car- ton can stay in your refrigerator for three to five weeks from the purchase date. Although the “Sell-By” date might pass dur- ing that time, the eggs are still safe to use. (The date is not re- quired by federal law, but some states may require it.) • Always wash your hands with warm water and soap be- fore and after handling raw eggs. To avoid cross-contami- nation, you should also wash forks, knives, spoons and all counters and other surfaces that touch the eggs, with hot water and soap. • Don’t keep raw or cooked eggs out of the refrigerator more than two hours. • Egg dishes such as deviled eggs or egg salad should be used within 3 to 4 days. If you have a question about meat, poultry or egg products, call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline toll free at 1-888- MPHotline or 1-888-674-6854, TTY: 1-800-256-7072. You can call the year-round hotline Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4:00 pm. EST (English or Spanish). Listen to timely recorded food safety messages at the same number 24 hours a day. Check out the FSIS Web site at http://www. fsis.usda.gov. E-mail questions can be answered by mphot line.fsis@usda.gov Source: USDA Food Safety & Inspection Service http://www. fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/. Columbia County Mental Health 800-294-5211 ----------------- Suicide Hotline 1-800- 784-2433 or 1-800-273- TALK(8255) ----------------- Domestic Abuse Hotline 503-397-6161 or 866-397-6161