Update for March 13, 2010
Deadline approaches for 2010 Ethel Lund Village Health Occupations Program (VHOP) applications: The application deadline is Monday, March 22, for the Ethel Lund Village Health Occupations Program (VHOP). This program provides 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/. For info, contact Romee McAdams at 966-8476 or romee.mcadams@searhc.org.
March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month: This month is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, which means it is a good time to talk to your provider about screening if you are older than 50 years old or have a family history of colorectal cancer. Colon cancer is the No. 1 incident cancer in Alaska Natives (it is the No. 3 incident cancer nationwide), and it is second only to lung cancer in mortality among Alaska Natives. A colonoscopy screening test can detect precancerous polyps in the colon, and these polyps can be removed during the colonoscopy so they never develop into cancer. We also know colon cancer can be prevented when we quit using tobacco, maintain a healthy weight by eating lots of fruits and vegetables and limiting our red meat, and get lots of physical activity. For more information about colorectal cancer, contact SEARHC Colorectal Cancer Screening Program Patient Navigator Jeannette Chavez at 966-8919.
Wellness for Caregivers training held in memory of longtime SEARHC physician Dr. Fred Chu: The Wellness for Caregivers training scheduled for Friday, March 19, at the Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall in Juneau is being dedicated "in the loving memory of Dr. Fred Chu" in honor of the long-time SEARHC Ethel Lund Medical Center physician (from 1988-2005) who recently passed away. SEARHC is one of the many agencies participating in this training, which is hosted by the Tlingít & Haida Elders Caregivers Council. This year's theme is "Legal Rights and Traditional Native Healing Methods."
SEARHC Tobacco Program participates in Kick Butts Day on March 24: SEARHC Tobacco Health Educator Rowena Reeves is partnering with Juneau-Douglas High School students to celebrate Kick Butts Day on Wednesday, March 24. This year's celebration focuses on three key areas — fully funded tobacco cessation programs, higher state tobacco taxes and 100-percent smoke-free workplaces and public areas. From 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on March 24, the students and Rowena will greet people attending the Gold Medal basketball tournament games at the Juneau-Douglas High School main entrance. The students will seek signatures of Alaska residents in favor of a statewide clean indoor air policy, while Rowena will provide information about her tobacco cessation services at SEARHC (364-4440) and through the Alaska Tobacco Quit Line 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669).
University of Portland student group to SEARHC: SEARHC facilities in Sitka were visited on Tuesday, March 9, by 18 participants in a program through the University of Portland that introduces students to the challenges Alaska Native communities face from a social, economical and cultural standpoint. The goal of the trip was for students to learn about a broad spectrum of issues such as health care, education, family dynamics, substance abuse, culture and traditions. The student group received a tour of Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital, a tour of the SEARHC Mt. Edgecumbe High School Student Health Center and the rest of the Sitka campus. The group had lunch at the Community Health Services building, where they heard presentations from various SEARHC department heads about aspects of rural health care such as information technology, recruitment and retention challenges, behavioral health, prevention work, nursing, the Frontier Extended Stay Clinics, real life in rural Alaska, referral and tertiary care.
Gatekeeper Project introduces Juneau services to Ethel Lund Medical Center staff: Workers with the Southeast Senior Services Gatekeeper Project were at a Juneau staff meeting on Wednesday to introduce their services designed to ensure the safety of elders. Gatekeepers keep a caring eye on elders to watch for confusion or memory loss, changes in appearance, not paying bills, not keeping the house clean, suicidal thoughts and other changes that may show an elder is at risk. Gatekeepers help connect elders to local human service professionals who can help identify the elder's needs (with family input), help arrange services and then monitor the services so elders are better able to live independently at home. The program is funded through a City and Borough of Juneau Health and Social Services block grant. For more info, call the Gatekeepers Project at 463-6177.
SEARHC dietitians in Juneau to host annual walk/talk March 26 for National Nutrition Month: The SEARHC dietitians in Juneau will host their annual walk/talk for National Nutrition Month at noon on Friday, March 26. This event is open to all, and the walk/talk starts at the parking lot outside the SEARHC Dental/Behavioral Health/WIC/Health Promotion building. Participants can walk and talk with registered dietitians as they walk around Twin Lakes. This year's National Nutrition Month theme is "Nutrition from the Ground Up." For more information, contact Lisa Fenn at 364-4476.
New clinician supervisor hired for Haines Community Family Services office: Ora "Lew" Lowery, LPC, CDC I, has accepted the position of clinician supervisor with the SEARHC Community Family Services Program at the Haines Health Center. Lew has a Master's of Arts degree in counseling and guidance from the University of Alabama. He starts on April 11. He currently serves as director/clinician at the Tok Area Counseling Center. His many years of service delivery in Alaska give him a wide perspective on systems of care and standards of practice.
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 weeks, 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/.
Regards,
Roald.
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