SEARHC - President's Message

Update for February 27, 2010

President Obama's health care plan includes reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. On Monday, President Obama released his proposal for a national health care overhaul. The proposal is a compromise designed to get health care reform moving again, and it includes parts of the stalled House and Senate bills, as well as incorporating some proposals from the Republican minority. The good news is President Obama's proposal includes the reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, which also was included in both the House and Senate bills.

The following is an excerpt from the President's proposal:

"Title X. Reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act

President Obama hosted a bipartisan summit meeting to discuss health care reform on Thursday morning, and we are waiting to see what action will result from the summit. The House and Senate both have bills that already have passed in their respective bodies. We are watching closely the outcome of health reform and the inclusion of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act reauthorization.

SEARHC Behavioral Health Division employees participate in FASD conference: Several SEARHC Behavioral Health Division employees were in Juneau last week to take part in the three-day Southeast Alaska Regional FASD Conference, "Embrace the Reality, Celebrate the Passion, and Create the Hope." This international conference about fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) is held every three years to make professionals aware of the wide variety of disorders that make up FASD, teach them how to prevent FASD and identify how best to provide services in their communities. One good piece of news to come out of the conference is fewer Alaska Native babies are being born with FASD (down from 63.1 births per 10,000 in 1996 to 32.4 births per 10,000 in 2002) and Alaska's overall rate has dropped from 20.0 births per 10,000 to 13.5 over the same time period. Unfortunately, Alaska still has the nation"s highest rate of FASD in the nation, even though FASD is 100-percent preventable if women don"t drink while pregnant.

Hydaburg Health Center moves to temporary quarters: The SEARHC Hydaburg Health Center in February moved next door to the Hydaburg Boys and Girls Club Building in preparation for the clinic's renovation and expansion project. The temporary clinic will offer the same basic services and will have the same phone number (285-3462) as the regular clinic. The construction project should be starting soon and is expected to last about a year.

Applications now are available for 2010 Ethel Lund Village Health Occupations Program (VHOP): The Ethel Lund Village Health Occupations Program (VHOP) is a great opportunity for high school students to learn about health careers. Each year, SEARHC selects at least 12 Native high school students to spend a week watching real emergency room doctors in action, being with operating room staff during surgery or seeing a dentist perform a root canal. Job-shadowing health care workers might prompt the students to pursue their own health careers. This year’s VHOP is April 19-23 (April 18 and 24 are travel days). Application packets can be found at local high schools, village corporations or online at http://www.searhc.org/vhop/. The application deadline is Monday, March 22. For info, contact Romee McAdams at 966-8476 or romee.mcadams@searhc.org.

Stephanie Zidek-Chandler hired to manage Juneau office of SEARHC Health Promotion: Stephanie Zidek-Chandler has been hired as the SEARHC Health Promotion Educator for Juneau. Stephanie has many years of experience as a health promotions manager with the U.S. Coast Guard in Juneau and Washington, D.C. Also, Susan Phillips of the Juneau health promotion office has been promoted to Lifestyle Balance Program Project Coordinator.

Two behavioral health clinicians hired for Prince of Wales: Richard Hamilton, PCSW, CDC II, joined SEARHC as a behavioral health clinician and Prince of Wales supervisor for the Community Family Services program starting on March 22. Sharon Coe, LPC, ADM, has been hired as a behavioral health clinician for the Community Family Services program at the Alicia Roberts Medical Center starting on March 8. Richard comes to SEARHC from Montana and previously worked in the Norton Sound area of Alaska. Sharon comes to SEARHC from Ketchikan and she is a previous resident of Klawock. Both clinicians have a great deal of experience in the behavioral health field, including several years working in rural Alaska communities.

SEARHC launches new 24/7 crisis help line, toll-free at 1-877-294-0074: A personal or family crisis doesn't always happen during clinic hours, so the SEARHC Behavioral Health Division has contracted with a crisis call center to provide help for Southeast Alaska residents when they need it most. The SEARHC Help Line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and it will be staffed with a team of master's-degree-level mental health therapists who will listen and provide effective, compassionate care. This line provides confidential telephone counseling for people during a time of mental health crisis, and it is not just an answering service. The counselors will assess the situation and provide appropriate intervention using protocols developed with SEARHC Behavioral Health. Follow-up calls from SEARHC Behavioral Health or our partner agencies will be made the next business day. For more information, contact SEARHC Behavioral Health/Suicide Prevention Manager Wilbur Brown at 966-8753.

2010 U.S. Census starts counting, so stand up and be counted: The 2010 U.S. Census already has started counting in rural Alaska, and I wanted to remind everybody how important the census is for SEARHC and other tribal organizations. Over the next few months, census workers will be visiting many of Alaska's remote communities to try and get an accurate count of our people. Residents of larger communities will receive a 10-question census form in their mail in mid-March, and census workers are expected to visit Southeast Alaska rural communities in April. We encourage everybody to participate in the census, and much of our federal and state funding is tied into formulas that use census population data. American Indians and Alaska Natives historically have the highest rates of undercounting, and not being counted can mean we lose funding for tribal health, social service, education, housing and other programs. This year's census form is the shortest ever, but one new thing is being able to identify your tribal enrollment. For more information about how the census matters, go to http://www.searhc.org/2010census/.

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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