SEARHC - President's Message

Update for February 6, 2010

President Obama releases FFY2011 federal budget with increase in IHS funding. This week, President Obama released his recommended budget for Federal Fiscal Year 2011 (FFY2011). In the State of the Union Address (last week), we were concerned about the statement that there would be a flat budget for discretionary spending. At the same time, President Obama said some program funding may increase or decrease to meet that objective. The good news is that President Obama's budget request includes increases for the Indian Health Service (IHS).

The following is an excerpt from the President's proposal:
“Continues Efforts to Increase Access to Health Care for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs). The FFY2011 budget includes $4.4 billion for the Indian Health Service (IHS) to expand investments initiated in 2010. Increases for IHS will strengthen existing federal, tribal, and urban programs that serve 1.9 million AI/ANs at approximately 600 facilities nationwide, and will expand access to Contract Health Services to cover health care services provided outside of the Indian health system when services are not available at IHS-funded facilities. The budget will also fund staff and operating costs at new and expanded facilities to increase access to health care services and enhance the Indian health system. The efforts supported in the budget to expand health services in Indian communities also include an analysis of how IHS can improve distribution of resources throughout the Indian health system.”

As a point of reference, the FFY10 IHS budget was just over $4 billion ($4.025 billion) and the FFY09 budget was $3.581 billion.

This is positive news for the start of the budget process — since Congress builds its budget from the President's proposal. Also, this is much better news than we received last week. We will need to continue to update the SEARHC Board on the FFY2011 federal budget process.

Federal budget cuts Denali Commission funding for health facility construction. While President Obama’s budget had good news for the Indian Health Service, it had bad news for the Denali Commission. The proposed FFY2011 budget cuts $10 million from the Denali Commission’s health facility construction program. The cuts were made to the Denali Commission and two similar health facility construction programs in the Lower 48 because “there are competitive sources of funding that can more effectively accomplish the goals” of the programs. The Obama Administration also said health facility projects funded by these three programs are not subject to a competitive or merit-based process. The Obama Administration supported the $11.9 million in the Denali Commission budget for other activities. Sen. Mark Begich had this response to the Denali Commission budget, “I am pleased to see that under these tough economic times, the president keeps the base funding for the Denali Commission. I am disappointed, but it is not unexpected, to see earmarks for the Commission cut as they were last year. I look forward to working again with Sen. (Lisa) Murkowski to restore the funding, as we did last year.”

Community Cancer Forums in the region. We continue to provide community forums to learn about the types, prevalence, causes, treatment, and prevention of cancer across our region. This program “Knowledge is Power! Learn All About Cancer: Community Cancer Forum” featured guest speakers Dr. Greg Marino, the lead oncologist at ANMC, and Janet Kelly, MS, MPH, of ANEC. Local SEARHC physicians and other health care workers are also in attendance for the events. The format allows for presentations from the two guest speakers, followed by a question and answer period. We have provided other cancer forums recently for Wrangell, Juneau, and Hydaburg by Drs Sheufelt, Vastola, and Grasmeder. This current presentation series is held in Juneau, Sitka, and Klawock (Friday night). We hope to continue these discussions by making it to all our communities.

Front Street Clinic plays role in Juneau awareness event for the homeless. The SEARHC Front Street Clinic and physician assistant/clinic manager Gail Tharpe-Lucero played a major role in the Homeless Connect/Point In Time event Jan. 25 at Juneau’s Centennial Hall. Gail chairs the Juneau Homeless Coalition, which organized the event to increase Juneau’s awareness about the diversity of faces among its homeless citizens. Homeless people in Juneau were able to learn about local services that can help them get back on their feet, as well as get free health screenings, foot care, hair cuts and massage. The event also served as a time to try to get a more accurate counting of the number of homeless people in Juneau, which is difficult due to the stigma many people have of being homeless. Front Street Clinic staff provided screening for blood pressure, blood sugar and anemia. They also helped participants fill out paperwork so they can become eligible for medical, dental and behavioral health services offered at the clinic. For more information about the event and issues surrounding homelessness, or to obtain a list of items that can be donated to the clinic for those in need, please call Gail at Front Street Clinic (463-4201).

Longtime Juneau SEARHC physician Dr. Fred Chu passes on. I am sad to announce that Dr. Fred Chu passed away on Saturday night (Jan. 30) at Bartlett Regional Hospital due to complications from a neurological disorder that led to his early retirement in 2005. Dr. Chu first came to SEARHC in 1988 and he was one of our most popular providers in Juneau until he retired. Dr. Chu learned the Tlingít language on his own, and in 2000 he was adopted into the Kaagwaantaan clan. He will be missed by SEARHC staff and patients.

Haines launches Haines Well and Fit Community Wellness Challenge. The SEARHC Haines Health Center and WISEWOMAN Women’s Health Program joined with several other organizations in Haines kicked off the 12-week Haines Well and Fit Community Challenge on Monday (Feb. 1). This is an event that encourages adult community members to meet their personal wellness goals. Other partners include the Southeast Alaska State Fair and the Haines School Community Education Office. Community members set weekly goals and then meet each Monday night to check on their progress. For more information, contact SEARHC WISEWOMAN Women’s Health Educator Pam Sloper at 766-6367.

SEARHC clinics to close on Elizabeth Peratrovich Day, Tuesday, Feb. 16. All SEARHC clinics will be closed on Tuesday, Feb. 16, to honor Elizabeth Peratrovich Day. This is a special day as we honor Alaska Native civil rights leader Elizabeth Wanamaker Peratrovich, whose testimony before the Alaska Territorial Legislature in 1945 led to the passage of the Anti-Discrimination Bill that ended Jim Crow laws in Alaska. While our clinics will be closed to routine business, we still will have on-call staff to provide emergency services and our hospitalized patients at Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital will receive their usual care.

SEARHC Juneau Dental Clinic to host children’s dental health fair on Feb. 23. February is National Children's Dental Health Month, our SEARHC Juneau Dental Clinic is hosting a free dental health fair for young children (ages 0-5) from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 23. Refreshments will be provided, and all participating children receive a free toothbrush and other goodies. Dudley the Dinosaur will be there, and the children will participate in a variety of activities and be given a dental chair ride. For more information, contact Lexi Olsen at 463-6678.

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 Prevention Program Director Wilbur Brown at 966-8753.

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.

BACK

* PDF files require Acrobat Reader