SEARHC - President's Message

Update for January 9, 2010

ANMC Oncology Update. We have received an update from the Alaska Native Medical Center Oncology Department. This fall, Dr. Moreno received additional support as Dr. Smiley joined Oncology at ANMC. Dr. Moreno and Dr. Vastola will be making a trip to some of our Southeast Alaska communities in early February. In addition to seeing some patients, we will try to arrange cancer education discussions with communities while Dr. Moreno is here. We look forward to his visit to Southeast Alaska and are happy that the ANMC Oncology Department has additional support to allow this trip.

State Releases Youth Risk Behavior Surveys. The State of Alaska released two 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS). Dr. Hurlburt, State Chief Medical Officer, said in a press release from the Department of Health and Social Services, “We’re excited to see a continuing reduction in smoking among young people, but these surveys make it clear that we’ve got a lot of work to do. Not even one out of five Alaska high school students eats the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables, and fewer than half of our young people get enough daily exercise. These results not only provide a window to the physical and behavioral health of Alaska’s young people, but also serve as a predictor of future health issues for our state.” The two 2009 surveys include results from alternative and traditional schools in the state. Results of the surveys are available online at http://hss.state.ak.us/dph/chronic/school/yrbsresults.htm.

Health Information Exchange. As we move forward in the world of information technology, the ability to share information from our Electronic Health Record (EHR) with Alaska Native Medical Center will become essential. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and Alaska e-Health Network (AeHN) are working to develop a future health information exchange to share this information between sites. Some members of the Tribal Health Directors met this week to understand the exchange and discuss the development to date. AeHN will be putting out an request for proposals within the next few months to select an application for this process. A lot of work is yet to be completed to assure patient confidentiality, necessary agreements, system requirements, costs and quality. All of this information will need to be assessed. While we are early in this process, we are looking forward to the time that our patient’s information will flow seamlessly between ANMC and SEARHC.

Gastineau Rotary Club Presentation. On Thursday morning, Sue Ann Lindoff joined me for a presentation on SEARHC services to the Gastineau Rotary Club. There were approximately 60 participants in the meeting. We provided an update on Tribal Health Services, current projects, and challenges for our organization.

Dr. Yvette Roubideaux Encourages H1N1 Vaccine. The Department of Health and Human Services declared next week “National Influenza Vaccination Week.” Dr. Roubideaux, Indian Health Service (IHS) Director, encouraged all Americans to get vaccinated. She stated in Indian Country Today that she “will be reaching out to Americans across the country to amplify a message we’ve been delivering for months: Go get your H1N1 flu vaccine.” Following multiple weeks of shortage when only high-risk patients were vaccinated, SEARHC received adequate vaccine and we encourage all patients to get their immunization. Please call your health provider to arrange for a H1N1 vaccine.

Patrick Denman, PA-C, Joins MEH. Patrick Denman, Physician Assistant, joined the S’áxt’ Hít – Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital medical staff. Denman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Minnesota, and he completed his physician assistant studies at Jefferson College of Health Sciences in Roanoke, Va. He is certified as a physician assistant by the National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants. “I am very excited to have the opportunity to work with the providers and staff of SEARHC and getting to know the patients who make up the SEARHC community,” Denman said.

Past Due Notice Confusion. We continue to work through the past due notice confusion. If any patients have questions about their bills, please ask them to contact us at 1-907-966 -2411 or call at 1-877-966-8433 (toll-free in Alaska). We apologize for the confusion and are working with our patients to clear up any concerns they may have with their bills.

Flu Prevention Reminder. Southeast Alaska residents can help prevent the spread of flu by washing their hands frequently with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (especially after coughing or sneezing). Other ways to prevent the spread of flu include coughing into sleeves or a tissue instead of coughing into hands, staying home from work or school when sick with flu-like symptoms (don’t go back to work or school until at least one full day has passed without a fever, with no fever-reducing medication), and using sanitary wipes to wipe down high-traffic surfaces such as computer keyboards, stair railings, doorknobs, telephones and light switches.

Updated information on the flu can be found online at http://www.pandemicflu.alaska.gov (state site), or at http://www.flu.gov/ or http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/ (national sites). SEARHC also has information posted about H1N1 flu at http://www.searhc.org/h1n1/.

Just a reminder. . . SEARHC frequently brings in traveling medical specialists to hold specialty clinics at its various facilities, saving you the expense and inconvenience of flying to Anchorage or Seattle for services not available in Southeast. Some SEARHC medical providers who work at larger facilities make regular trips to our village clinics to provide specialty services that aren't normally available in those communities. All specialty clinics, except for medical field trips and specified dental clinics, must be referred through a SEARHC provider. Links to our upcoming specialty clinic schedules are at http://www.searhc.org/common/pages/specialtyclinics/index.php.

Regards,
Roald.

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