Page 8
The INDEPENDENT, September 5, 2012
To Your Health!
By Judy Hargis, P.A
Community Health
Clinic
I began working on my
next health column last
week and realized that I
could not stop thinking
about the recent closure
of the Verdura Wellness
Clinic. I know that the Ver-
nonia Health Center Board spent countless
hours working on making sure that the citizens
of Vernonia had access to high quality, afford-
able health care again. It seemed like all that ef-
fort paid off with the opening of the Verdura
Wellness Clinic earlier this year. I do not know
all the factors that led up to the clinic’s closure.
What I do know is that it was done poorly, and at
great cost to the community and its staff. It
seems a far cry from the Hippocratic Oath “First
Do No Harm”.
I recognize that health care has shifted to a
business model and has lost its true intent,” to
take care of patients”. I never stop being
amazed at how far health care has shifted away
from building healthy people and communities,
to the bottom line. This situation, in its own way,
appears to be an example of that.
Whatever the reasons for the decision to
close the clinic, I believe it was done poorly,
without adequate warning, and without regard
for patients or staff.
I know the Vernonia Health Center Board will
continue to work towards keeping access to
healthcare viable in Vernonia. I applaud them for
their untiring commitment and efforts to this end.
They are a testament to the strength and
courage of this community, and its ability to pick
up and move forward, no matter what difficulties
they face. I know that emotions are raw and trust
is low right now. I do believe that Vernonia will
overcome this challenge and the clinic will open
again. I look forward to continuing to write this
health column and hope that it will make a differ-
ence for a community that I admire.
Initiative to improve patient care begins
Seventy Oregon health care
practices from around the state
have been selected to partici-
pate in a new public-private
partnership to improve patient
care at lower costs, the Cen-
ters for Medicare and Medicaid
Services (CMS) announced
Wednesday.
Oregon is one of seven ar-
eas in the country selected to
be part of a four-year Compre-
hensive Primary Care Initiative.
The initiative is designed to
support practices that want to
enhance their primary care
services for their patients. Un-
der the primary care model,
doctors may offer longer and
more flexible hours, provide
additional services such as nu-
trition or smoking-cessation
counseling, and receive better-
coordinated care for managing
multiple chronic conditions and
other health needs.
“Congratulations to the 70
practices and supporting health
plans that stepped up to be a
model for the state and the na-
tion. By putting patients first
and focusing on wellness, we
can improve health and lower
costs,” said Governor John
Kitzhaber.
Under the initiative, these
practices will receive enhanced
payments from the federal gov-
ernment (CMS), commercial in-
surers and the Oregon Health
Authority to support better-co-
ordinated health care services.
“The Comprehensive Prima-
ry Care Initiative is the kind of
common sense investment in
health care we need,” said
Health and Human Services
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
“Businesses, families and tax-
payers all benefit from a
stronger primary care system
that helps them improve our
health and lower costs.”
The goals of the initiative are
aligned with Oregon’s overall
health reform efforts. Most of
the selected practices already
are or may become recognized
by the Oregon Health Authority
as Patient-Centered Primary
Care Homes as a piece of this
initiative. Expanding the avail-
ability of primary care homes
will provide better access to
care now and strengthen the
primary care networks as Coor-
dinated Care Organizations
emerge.
For more information on the
initiative and the selected prac-
tices in Oregon, please visit
www.innovations.cms.gov/ini-
tiatives/Comprehensive-Prima-
ry-Care-Initiative/index.html.
For more information on
Oregon’s Patient-Centered Pri-
mary Care Home Program and
Coordinated Care Organiza-
tions, visit www.health.ore-
gon.gov.
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Be careful when preserving fruit
salsas to avoid food born illness
Tomato-based salsas have
been popular for several years
with food preservers, but there
is a new twist on this favorite –
fruit salsas. “Most fruit salsas
are preserved to be used with
meats, poultry and fish,” said
Susan Mills-Gray, Nutrition/
Health Specialist with MU Ex-
tension. “The fruit, herbs and
heat of onion or pepper, as well
as the vibrant colors adds zest
to meals.”
Most salsa recipes are a
mixture of low-acid foods (like
onions and peppers) with more
acid foods (like tomatoes or
fruit). The types and amounts
of ingredients used in salsa, as
well as the preparation method,
are important considerations in
how a salsa is canned. Improp-
erly canned salsas have been
implicated in several outbreaks
of botulism poisoning.
So how do you can a safe,
great tasting fruit salsa at
home? First, choose high-qual-
ity fruit that is firm and free of
blemishes. Also, make sure to
follow the recipe and avoid
making substitutions. “If a
recipe calls for green or unripe
mango, do not use ripe mango,
as this results in acidity
changes of the recipe and cre-
ates a potentially unsafe
canned salsa, said Mills-Gray.
Peppers range from mild to
scorching in taste. Mild pepper
varieties include Anaheim, An-
cho, College, Colorado and
Hungarian Yellow Wax. Hot va-
rieties
include
jalapeño,
cayenne, habanero, serano
and tabasco. It’s fine to substi-
tute one type of pepper for an-
See Salsa on page 10
Columbia County
Domestic Abuse
Mental Health
800-294-5211
Hotline
503-397-6161
-----------------
or
Suicide Hotline
1-800-
866-397-6161
784-2433
or
Military Helpline
1-800-273-
TALK(8255)
-----------------
888-HLP-4-VET
(888-457-4838)