Fall 2010

Transcription

Fall 2010

Fall 2010
P U B L I C A T I O N O F I N D I A N H E AL T H C A R E R E S O U R C E C E N T E R O F T U L S A
Operationally Speaking
entering the clinic and report to
the original nurses’ station which is
temporarily serving as our medical
reception.
• IHCRC has been quietly at
By Eddie Hathcoat, IHCRC COO
As the Chief Operating Officer for
the Indian Health Care Resource
Center of Tulsa, I would like to make
the following comments about our
health center.
• As the expansion project at Indian
Health Care moves along, the final
phase is now underway to renovate
the main lobby. I would ask for
your patience and understanding
until we complete this last phase
of our expansion project which is
expected to be in late November
or early December. For now, please
use the Isolation Entrance (unless
you’re going to pharmacy which
now has its own entrance) when
work to update our brand and
visual image in the media. Jim
Cameron, IHCRC Board of
Trustees member, explains, “The
time is right to give everything at
Indian Health Care an updated
look. We have engaged a premier
design firm to guide us through
a complete and comprehensive
‘re-branding’ of the IHCRC
organization to be completed
in the first quarter of 2011. The
new look will reflect the changes
and modifications we have made
throughout the facility’s interior
and exterior.”
• In addition to the construction and
other physical changes recently
completed or soon to be completed
on our building, our policies and
procedures have been receiving
an update in preparation for our
upcoming re-accreditation resurvey from our accrediting body
AAAHC in early December.
• We are pleased to follow-up
with the results of the patient
surveys we asked our patients to
complete back in April and May.
Although there is always room
for improvement, I am heartened
by the data and input we received
from patients about the care our
health professionals provide.
• We have several new Behavioral
Health practicum students and
interns who have joined the
IHCRC staff that I would like to
introduce you to:
– Elizabeth Bain, MA and Jeri
Ann Azure, MA are completing
the American Psychological
Association accredited clinical
psychology internship within the
Behavioral Health department
at IHCRC. Once completed, the
doctoral interns will earn their
PhDs in clinical psychology from
Seattle Pacific University and
the University of North Dakota,
respectively.
– We also have three practicum
students from the Oklahoma
State University in Stillwater
working on their PhDs in
Clinical Psychology. Randi
Noel, MS, Sasha Jaquez, MS
and Cynthia Muhamedagic, MS
are completing their psychology
practicum studies at IHCRC.
Indian Health Care
Hours of Operation
Scheduled appointments
In this issue of the Healthy Spirit
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24
Native American Heritage Month
Native American Proverbs and Wisdom
Native American One Dollar Coins
National Native American Heritage Month Proclamation
Urban Indian 5, The Beat Goes On
American Indian Cultural Center and Museum
Indian Health Care prepares for AAAHC Re-accreditation
IHCRC Patient Satisfaction Survey Results I Expected a Miracle and Received One
Race for the Cure 2010
Type 2 Diabetes and Your Family
IHCRC receives Healthy Heart Diabetes Prevention grant
IHCRC receives federal grant for Healthy Tulsa Pathways collaborative project
Oklahoma Health Officials Tour Tulsa Food Deserts Taste of North Tulsa
We can help you schedule an
appointment, if you will call (918)
588-1900, Option 1, 1 in advance of
your visit. Scheduled appointments
allow the time for you to be seen for
more than one health need, including
prescription refills. Thank you for
understanding and being patient. We are
doing our best to see as many patients
as possible. Busy daily schedules do not
allow us to schedule all requests for a
same-day appointment.
Medical services hours
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and
Friday 8 am-5 pm
Thursday 10 am-7 pm
1st Wednesday of the month the
Medical clinic opens at 1 pm (closed in
morning for staff meeting)
Human services hours
Monday - Wednesday 8 am-6 pm
Thursday 10 am-7 pm
Friday 8 am-5 pm
1st Wednesday of the month the Human
Services clinic opens at 1 pm (closed in
morning for staff meeting)
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Live the life you love!
IHCRC Employees Recognized by the Indian Health Service
1st Annual Employee Health and Fitness Day Poker Walk
SoonerCare is Easy
Misconceptions about Seasonal Influenza and Influenza Vaccines
New Pharmacy Drive-Thru Lanes
Keep your children healthy with regular well-child visits
New After School Program at Park Elementary
Break the Smoking Behavior
Psychology Interns Return to IHCRC
Strengthening Our Native Youth
Talking to Teens about Dating Abuse
Teen Birth Rates Rising in Oklahoma, Again
Indian Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa
Board of Trustees
Madeline Teague, President, Cherokee
Janice Edmiston, Vice-President, Choctaw
Jim Cameron, Secretary, Cherokee
Herbert P. Haschke, Jr., Treasurer
Charles Knife Chief, MD, At-Large Executive
Committee Member, Pawnee
Jay Anderson, DDS, Choctaw
Cindy Bear
Bob Bitting, Cherokee
Bobby Jones, Cherokee
David D. Moon, DO, Choctaw
Goldie Phillips, Comanche
Ed Pierce, Citizen Nation Potawatomi
Jimmy Reeder, Cherokee
Mary Ann Vassar, Cherokee
WIC Nutrition hours
Monday - Friday 8 am-4:30 pm
Same-day / fast track
appointment policy
When you come to the clinic for a sameday or fast track appointment we will do
our best to work you into the schedule
based on the following:
Sickest people are seen first
Patients are not seen on a first
come first seen basis. One problem
exam will be addressed – you are being
seen for one problem only, for an illness
that came on suddenly.
Time limitations
A same-day appointment does not allow
time to talk about prescription refills or
other issues. A walk-in appointment
will be seen as soon as a provider is
available if you are able to wait. We may
not get to all walk-ins in a day; however
we will do our best to serve all walk-ins.
Native American
Heritage Month
Information courtesy of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior
What started at the turn of the century as an effort
to gain a day of recognition for the significant
contributions the first Americans made to the
establishment and growth of the U.S., has resulted in
a whole month being designated for that purpose.
One of the very proponents of an
American Indian Day was Dr. Arthur
C. Parker, a Seneca Indian, who was
the director of the Museum of Arts
and Science in Rochester, N.Y. He
persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to
set aside a day for the “First Americans”
and for three years they adopted such a
day. In 1915, the annual Congress of the
American Indian Association meeting
in Lawrence, Kans., formally approved a
plan concerning American Indian Day.
It directed its president, Rev. Sherman
Coolidge, an Arapahoe, to call upon the
country to observe such a day. Coolidge
issued a proclamation on Sept. 28, 1915,
which declared the second Saturday of
each May as an American Indian Day
and contained the first formal appeal for
recognition of Indians as citizens.
The year before this proclamation
was issued, Red Fox James, a Blackfoot
Indian, rode horseback from state
to state seeking approval for a day to
honor Indians. On December 14, 1915,
he presented the endorsements of 24
Fall IHCRC 2010 • 2
state governments at the White House.
There is no record, however, of such a
national day being proclaimed.
The first American Indian Day in
a state was declared on the second
Saturday in May 1916 by the governor
of New York. Several states celebrate
the fourth Friday in September. In
Illinois, for example, legislators enacted
such a day in 1919. Presently, several
states have designated Columbus
Day as Native American Day, but
it continues to be a day we observe
without any recognition as a national
legal holiday.
In 1990 President George H. W.
Bush approved a joint resolution
designating November 1990 “National
American Indian Heritage Month.”
Similar proclamations, under variants
on the name (including “Native
American Heritage Month” and
“National American Indian and Alaska
Native Heritage Month”) have been
issued each year since 1994.
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oughts. - Hopi
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who is pre
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Native American
One Dollar Coins
Edited from information from the US Mint
T
he new Native American one dollar
coin was put into circulation in
January 2009. It circulates along with
the United States Mint’s $1 presidential
coins. “We are proud to produce the Native
American $1 coin,” said Director Ed
Moy in a U.S. Mint press release. “When
Americans use this coin, we hope they
reflect on the tremendous contributions
Native Americans have made, and continue
to make, to our nation.”The design was
released on Friday, Nov. 28, the first Native
American Heritage Day.
The Native American dollars feature
designs celebrating the important
contributions made by Indian tribes
and individual Native Americans to the
history and development of the United
States. This program was created by the
Native American $1 Coin Act, Public Law
110-82. The Act requires “the Secretary
of the Treasury to mint and issue coins
in commemoration of Native Americans
and the important contributions made
by Indian tribes and individual Native
Americans to the development of the
United States and the history of the
United States, and for other purposes.
According to the Native American
Coin Act, the designs selected shall
“depict individuals and events such as the
creation of Cherokee written language; the
Iroquois Confederacy; Wampanoag Chief
Massasoit; the ‘Pueblo Revolt’; Olympian
Jim Thorpe; Ely S. Parker, a general on the
staff of General Ulysses S. Grant and later
head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs; and
code talkers who served the United States
Armed Forces during World War I and
World War II.
The design for 2009 was based on
the “three sisters” agricultural theme,
a significant part of American Indian
culture. This design depicts the “three
sisters” of Native American agricultural
tradition of planting seeds in a field of
corn, beans and squash. The coin shows a
young Indian woman planting seeds in a
field of cornstalks, bean vines and squash.
Adopting Indian farming methods proved
crucial to European settlers’ surviving their
early years in America.
The design for 2010 features an image of
the Hiawatha Belt with five arrows bound
together and the additional inscriptions,
which is a visual record of the creation
of the Haudenosaunee or Iroquois
Confederacy. The central figure on the
belt, the Great White Pine, represents
the Onondaga Nation. The four squares
represent the Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga,
and Seneca Nations. The Belt encircles
a bundle of five arrows to symbolize the
strength and unity of the Confederacy.
Continued to page 16
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This year, I
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Alaska Nativ ct in July to bolster tribal istration reached a settle cores our commitment to
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rs
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and Order
ly, my Adm
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the Tribal Law e effectively. And, recent Department of Agricul
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As we celebr ermination, security, an
d together in
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supporting
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virtue of the
broken prom
America, by ber 2010 as
of
s
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scourges or
ta
S
d
nite
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dent of the U do hereby proclaim Nov appropriate
history.
AMA, Presi
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s,
B
it
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ta
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of the Uni
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m
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co
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to
an
.
NOW, T
l Americans
Constitution
Heritage Day
in me by the age Month. I call upon al
e American
iv
ed
at
st
N
ve
y
as
it
,
or
of
, 2010
auth
Herit
, in the year
ive American to celebrate November 26
y of October
da
ty
National Nat
d
ir
th
an
th
in
,
d
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es
ty
an
ti
d activi
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o
nd this twen
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m
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t
programs an
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States of Am
have hereun
HEREOF, I
of the United
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IN W
and of the In
thousand ten,
our Lord two
fifth.
Urban Indian 5
The Beat Goes On
By Steve Barse, MEd, Community Liaison for the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic
T
he hallways of the Oklahoma City Indian
Clinic have taken on a progressive new
concept of art, culture and wellness as a
result of the continued dedication of the Urban
Indian 5 (UI5), a group of established Native
artists who have partnered with the Clinic.
Patients who walk these hallways are now
able to experience art that is intended to
inspire wellness.
Giving back to one’s own community is a vital
part of Native American values. Urban Indian 5
is doing just that by using their art to motivate
health promotion and disease prevention
in an unconventional way. When patients of
the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic come in for
medical treatment they are exposed to the art
of the UI5. The art work is not only aesthetically
pleasing to the eye, but has the power to inspire
wellness. Mental health clients and therapists
are viewing Urban Indian 5’s art as part of the
healing process.
The Clinic recognizes the negative
impact created by historical trauma and
the way powerlessness can manifest
into illnesses. By partnering with
these five artists, the Clinic is trying
an innovative approach to visually
“remind” clients of traditional teachings
to help heal themselves. Each UI5
artist portrays their traditional life
interwoven with their contemporary
lives. The importance of traditional
ceremonials and cultural tradition are
vital elements of Native life both on the
reservation and in the urban setting.
However, we are no longer huntergatherers. We punch a clock everyday
doing our jobs in an ever changing, fast
paced society.
Traditional healers often used
ceremony to call spirit helpers who
aided in the healing process. Some feel
that UI5 images bring people to the
places where these ceremonials have
taken place. Each artist works from
their own specific tradition and cultural
understanding.
Holly Wilson, Delaware, uses small
scale figurative bronzes to embody the
shared stories and dreams of her family
and Delaware/Cherokee heritage. The
fragments of nature, culture, and family
hold the hope, sadness, fear, and joy
that are intertwined in the work.
Gerald Cournoyer, Oglala Lakota,
incorporates prayer before he creates
a painting. Once the painting is
complete, Cournoyer brings his
ceremonial pipe and prays with each
painting, blowing the smoke from the
pipe directly onto each piece so they
will carry those prayers with them
wherever they go.
Shan Goshorn, Eastern Band
Cherokee, uses multi-media to
create curative images. Much of
her inspiration is drawn from the
Steve Barse, Community Liaison for the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic, discussing with
patient Rosie Johnson a painting by Urban Indian 5 artist Gerald Cournoyer that now
hangs in the Clinic.
grounding forces of the natural world,
often combined with political issues
to bring awareness and balance to the
native and non-native audiences.
Brent Greenwood, Ponca/Chickasaw,
uses his heritage to document the
old way of life while bringing current
issues such as health, spiritual, and
mental wellness into the 21st century.
He creates landscapes using color
relationships as a springboard to bring
raw emotion to the finished piece.
Thomas Poolaw, Kiowa/Delaware,
composes images to tantalize the
viewer into thinking about his work,
i.e. what life is like for American
Indians past and present. He combines
photographs and paint which creates
thought provoking images to encourage
the viewer to pause and ponder the
meaning.
This collaboration between modern
medicine and ancient teachings
interpreted through contemporary art
is forging a unique relationship to reestablish the healing techniques of
our elders.
Regarding this latest venture with
their work, Holly Wilson comments,
“This is really what it is all about. The
Urban Indian 5 want to play a part
in promoting wellness through our
work. We are grateful to the Oklahoma
City Indian Clinic for giving us this
opportunity to be displayed in their
medical clinic.”
Rosie Johnson, Oklahoma City
Indian Clinic patient, stated when she
first experienced the art, “I think the
new artwork is a good idea. This is a
great showcase for the people to really
admire the work of these five artists.
We now are able to enjoy their work.
Not only does the Clinic provide the
services and programs, but now they
are home to extraordinary American
Indian art. I feel better already.”
American Indian
Cultural Center
and Museum
By Shoshana Wasserman (Thlopthlocco Tribal Town and Muscogee Creek NAIation)
AICCM Director of Marketing & Public Relations
T
he American Indian Cultural
Center and Museum (located
south of downtown Oklahoma
City) continues to come to life!
For many years the project design
has been guided by tribal elders,
scholars and cultural leaders. Their
participation has produced an
architectural design and visitor
experience that reflect the themes
and values of American Indian
communities. Over the past year
we have witnessed many of those
Native inspired spaces emerging
from the earth. The formation of the
building shells, installation of energy
efficient mechanical systems and
the structural steel and slab for the
Promontory Mound is approaching
completion.
Stones have been embedded into
the walls of the East Gate entry
Hall of the People, photo courtesy Shoshana Wasserman
sequence, so that as visitors pass
through the entrance they will be
reminded of the ancestors who made
the courageous journey from his or
her homeland to Indian Territory.
Each of the stones is naturally
and characteristically different,
symbolizing the distinctions
amongst tribal peoples. Collectively,
the stones represent the unique
Oklahoma Indian experience.
In March, the massive steel columns
and trusses were erected to outline
the Hall of the People. The Hall of
the People design is evocative of the
traditional tribal architectural structures
where native people have convened for
thousands of years. This iconic gathering
space serves as a venue for special events
and perpetuates the importance of
community. The ten structural columns
are emblematic of the estimated ten
miles each day that Native people were
forced to travel during removals.
Throughout the past year, a
significant amount of time has been
dedicated to community outreach
and public program development.
Some of the community outreach has
included participating in or visiting:
the Mvskoke Nation Food Sovereignty
Conference, Cheyenne & Arapaho
Buffalo Program, Chickasaw Nation
Horticulture Department, Kialegee
Nettv Celebration, Caddo Fall Festival,
and OK Choctaw Alliance Wild
Onion Dinner.
The American Indian Cultural
Center and Museum (AICCM) staff
also provided a project update for
the Euchee Tribe. Public programs
have spanned everything from the
American Indian Cinema Showcase, in
partnership with the Oklahoma City
Museum of Art, to hosting a Tribal
Museums Workshop with Stephen
Fadden, IAIA staff, to conducting a
one-day summer camp pilot program
with the Edmond Indian Education
Department.
One of the more significant public
programs is the new partnership
between the Oklahoman and the
AICCM to produce a “Newspapers
in Education” supplement, which is
distributed twice a year to 20,000
K-12 students across the State of
Oklahoma. Each issue is organized
into core thematic areas: Origins,
Native Knowledge, Community and
Governance, which is similar to the
experience guests will have when they
visit the museum. The Fall issue focused
on Moundbuilding Cultures, and the
Spring issue was dedicated to Native
Foodways. Both issues can be accessed
and downloaded from the
aiccm.org website.
Arts and Exhibitions has spent the
past year refining content and designfor
the many gallery spaces, generating
ideas that will impact programming
priorities and developing some early
ideas for the Theater experiences
throughout the cultural center. The first
public art has been initiated and should
be complete by the end of the year, with
a focus on a plan for the incorporation
of more Art in Public Places projects
across the site.
Each quarter, the AICCM publishes
its quarterly e-newsletter so that the
community can stay connected to the
current progress, activities and events.
Senior staff members began blogging
this past year to offer a behind-thescenes look at what goes into the
development of the museum and
cultural park.
We also have an active presence on
Facebook and Twitter. OklaVision
(www.oklavision.tv), a pioneering
online network presented by the
Chickasaw Nation in partnership with
the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation
Department was launched from the
AICCM Visitor Center last October.
OklaVision.tv focuses on the rich
cultural and travel attractions located
across the state. The online channel
offers more than two thousand videos
on demand and hosts a live weekday
news show at noon Monday through
Fridays. In February, AICCM began a
year-long identity and communications
initiative to develop an organizationwide approach that will enable clear
communications about our mission
and vision. We invite you to become an
active member of our virtual community
as we breathe life into this new
place, which will generate awareness,
understanding and appreciation of the
American Indian Experience.
Visit www.AICCM.org.
Visitor Center, photo courtesy
Kimberly Rodriguez
Indian Health Care Prepares
for AAAHC Re-accreditation
By Edward E. Rogers, IHCRC Credentialing Coordinator
Indian Health Care Resource Center
of Tulsa (IHCRC) is not only going
through physical changes with the
expansion and renovation projects but
also its policies and procedures and its
operations have been upgraded as well.
These internal changes and updates are
in preparation for the Accreditation
Association for Ambulatory Health
Care (AAAHC) re-accreditation
re-survey in early December. IHCRC
has been an accredited facility since
2001. Each successful survey or resurvey gives IHCRC an approved
accreditation status for a three-year
period, having been last surveyed in late
2007.
In December, two surveyors from
the AAAHC will come for a twoday review of our operations. They
will take a long look at our policies
and procedures and check to see if
we follow what is written in all of
the policy manuals. They will review
our peer review documentation,
accounting audits, board minutes,
human resource practices, and clinical
practices to ensure we’re operating up
to community standards. In addition,
they will review many other areas of
the clinic’s operations to ensure we are
still meeting the standards necessary to
qualify as an accredited facility.
Accreditation is a voluntary process
through which an ambulatory health
care organization such as IHCRC
ABOUT AAAHC: The Accreditation Association
for Ambulatory Health Care, also known as AAAHC
or the Accreditation Association, is a private, non-profit
organization formed in 1979. It is the preeminent leader
in developing standards to advance and promote patient
safety, quality and value for ambulatory health care through
peer-based accreditation processes, education and research.
Accreditation is awarded to organizations that are found
to be in compliance with the Accreditation Association
standards.
is able to measure the quality of its
services and performance against
nationally recognized standards.
The accreditation process involves
self-assessment complimented by
the consultation of the AAAHC’s
expert surveyors, who are themselves,
ambulatory health care professionals.
To all individuals that walk through
our doors and to those that receive
care here at IHCRC, the AAAHC
Certificate of Accreditation is a symbol
that we have committed to providing
our patients and clients with highquality care and we demonstrated
this commitment by meeting the
AAAHC’s high standards. The real
value of accreditation, however, lies in
the consultative and educational process
that precedes the awarding of the
certificate. It is this self-analysis, peer
review and consultation that ultimately
helps an organization improve its care
and services.
The Accreditation Association currently accredits over
4,600 organizations in a wide variety of ambulatory health
care settings, including ambulatory and surgery centers,
managed care organizations, as well as Indian and student
health centers, among others. With a single focus on the
ambulatory care community, the Accreditation Association
offers organizations a cost-effective, flexible and collaborative
approach to accreditation.
IHCRC Patient Satisfaction Survey Results
This past April and May IHCRC conducted a Patient Satisfaction Survey to gather
data from 221 active patients. Of those who responded 78 percent were females
with the majority of them ranging in age from 15-54 years old. Sixty percent of the
respondents had used the services at IHCRC for more than five years. Here are a few
of the key findings from the survey by department:
Medical
1. IHCRC is the primary care provider for 205 or 93 percent of those surveyed.
2. Seventy-six percent experienced a delay between
their scheduled appointment time and the time they
actually saw their providers.
3. When asked if they felt the providers and staff were
interested in their health concerns and if they felt like
they were treated with respect, 94 percent of those
surveyed answered yes.
4. Ninety-five percent of patients said they would recommend
the clinic to their friends and relatives.
Pharmacy
1. Sixty-eight percent of the participants found the automated
pharmacy refill line to be very easy or somewhat easy.
Additionally, 24 percent stated that they had not used the refill
line.
2. When asked if their wait time in pharmacy was satisfactory, eight
percent stated that it was not satisfactory.
3. Seventy-one percent felt their wait time to pick up their prescription(s)
had improved.
4. The majority of those surveyed, 73 percent, felt they received either
excellent or good service from the pharmacy during their visit.
Behavioral Health
1. When asked if their counselor listened to their problems and treated them with respect, 48 percent answered
yes, while 46 percent said the question was not applicable to their visit.
2. Only eight percent of those questioned stated that they would not recommend the counseling services/
provider at IHCRC to their friends or relatives.
3. When asked if they found the behavioral health sessions useful and if they followed the advice given to
them, eight percent said no.
IHCRC conducts these surveys twice a year. The surveys provide the staff with invaluable information on how
to improve services at IHCRC. The results are complied and provided to key staff to help implement new and
improved processes throughout the clinic.
I Expected a Miracle
and Received One
You expect one too!
T
here are moments in all of
our lives that we will likely
never forget. These moments
may include memories of the
good, the bad, the humorous, the
unexpected and the ugly. Some of
these can cross several categories
at one time.
This was the case for Indian Health
Care’s CFO, Judy Gibson, when she
received a telephone call while at work
from her doctor’s office saying “we need
you to come in for a needle biopsy on
your breast. We think it’s cancer.” For
her, this was a devastating moment
frozen in time.
Another moment equally as
memorable happened later that evening
as she opened her door at home to find
her three daughters standing together
to provide a unified front in support
of their mother. They had a gift for
her which was a necklace with the
inspirational words “Expect a Miracle”
engraved on a heart-shaped pendant.
This is a pendant that Judy proudly
wears today as a symbol of her survival,
a symbol of the love and support shown
by her family and friends then and
now and a symbol of the precious gift
of one’s health and the ability to live a
normal, productive life.
Judy’s maternal grandmother
underwent a radical mastectomy in
the early 1960s and Judy was later
diagnosed with fibrocystic breast
disease at the age of 35 which required
her to receive annual mammograms.
It was common to receive a telephone
call from her doctor’s office once every
three or four years to come in for a
cyst biopsy post mammogram. Judy
explained “Based on my family history,
I should not have been shocked to
receive a cancer diagnosis. In the past,
when they called they would say ‘it’s
probably just a cyst but why don’t you
come on in anyway?’ This time was
different, they said ‘we think it’s cancer’
prior to the biopsy.” She was later
confirmed to have Stage 1 breast cancer.
Since her breast cancer was
diagnosed early, Judy’s treatment was
a lumpectomy and cutting edge direct
beam radiation therapy. In the past,
radiation treatment would have been
directed at the full breast or before
that, the whole chest area. Direct
beam radiation provides a much more
controlled treatment which can be
directed specifically at the cavity left
from the lumpectomy.
Judy’s 2008 digital mammogram
was her first experience with digital
diagnostic imaging. Her oncologist
suggested that if her mammographic
films had not been taken with digital
imaging equipment which offer higher
quality and much more detailed images
than traditional films, the breast cancer
diagnosis would likely have been one
or two years down the road and would
likely have progressed well beyond
Stage 1 since breast cancer spreads
quickly. It was during this conversation
with her doctor, another memorable
moment in time, Judy made the
decision that one way or another, the
of Tulsa was going to procure digital
imaging equipment for its Diagnostic
Imaging department.
With the planned implementation
of an electronic health records system
in early 2011, the clinic would have
to go digital regardless. But, knowing
what a difference digital imagery made
with her own diagnosis and the benefits
that early detection provides, she
knew we had to find the one million
dollars it would take to purchase digital
imaging equipment for IHCRC. She
was determined to find a way; the
mission had begun. To that end, Judy
closely monitored Indian Health Care’s
unrestricted cash on hand and would
transfer funds as they came available to
an investment account. A fundraising
campaign was undertaken by IHCRC’s
Development Department. Among the
donors was a $5,000 contribution from
the Tulsa Affiliate of Susan G. Komen
for the Cure. Over time, the fund grew
to an amount sufficient enough to
cover the costly equipment.
Carmelita Skeeter, CEO, Eddie
Hathcoat, COO and Karen McAhren,
Diagnostic Imaging Supervisor spent
Judy Gibson (center) recently participated
in the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Race.
I Expected a Miracle – continued from page 13
four months researching the best of
the best in digital imaging equipment.
From their research, they decided on
CareStream’s digital x-ray equipment
and Hologic’s digital mammography
equipment. In June 2010, IHCRC’s
Diagnostic Imaging department began
providing enhanced services with stateof-the-art digital equipment.
Indian Health Care has long
enjoyed a positive relationship and the
continued support of the Tulsa Affiliate
of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. In
2009, Judy and family and friends
added 25 participants to the 239 total
participants in the Indian Health Care
Resource Center’s Susan G. Komen
Race for the Cure team. Judy’s support
has obviously continued to grow. This
year Indian Health Care’s team had
385 registered participants.
Judy’s youngest daughter Ashley
is the current President of the TU
Women’s Law Caucus. The TU team
proudly wore “Big Jude” t-shirts
during the Race for the Cure. This is
the affectionate name Ashley has had
for her mother since junior high. Judy
is proud that Ashley’s husband Wes
who is a firefighter in Tulsa elected to
not walk with his co-workers on the
firefighter’s team or with his wife on
the TU team, he walked beside Judy on
Indian Health Care Resource
Center’s team.
“Getting a cancer diagnosis gives you
a whole new perspective on life as you
know it. It changes everything. From 0
to 60 in a year! It just doesn’t take that
long to get a mammogram or for cancer
to quickly spread, for that matter. If you
miss one mammogram, you have put
yourself in serious danger. The earlier
it is detected the better chance you
have at a breast cancer free life. I would
encourage all of the women out there
over 40 to schedule your mammogram
today,” said Judy. “I am pleased to report
that my last ‘memorable moment in
time’ was when I opened gifts and had
a very pink Christmas. My grandson Ty
thinks I need to have everything that
has a pink ribbon slapped on it. A pink
home décor extravaganza, I think I can
live with that!”
Above: Alyson Forsythe, RD/LD, IHCRC
Dietitian. Below left: Angel Warford, MA
and family. Below right: Campbell, Emily,
Conley and Richard Bolusky, IHCRC
Public Relations Manager.
Right page: Jeannie Van Veen and
Carmelita Skeeter participate in the
2010 Race for the Cure.
Race
for
the
Cure
385 IHCRC Team Members Strong
By Emily Bolusky, IHCRC Public Relations Manager
O
n Saturday, September 25, the
largest ever race team sponsored
by Indian Health Care Resource
Center of Tulsa participated in the
14th annual Komen Tulsa Race for the
Cure at the CityPlex Towers. Each year,
IHCRC pledges our support of this
major Komen for the Cure fund raising
event by sponsoring a Race for the
Cure team. This year we had over 380
staff, family, patients and community
supporters join 13,000 others to walk to
highlight breast cancer awareness.
Up to 75 percent of revenue received
by the Komen for the Cure Tulsa
Chapter through fundraising and
sponsorship stays in Tulsa to further
breast cancer education, screening
and treatment for the uninsured and
medically underserved. The remaining
25 percent helps to fund national
research through the Susan G. Komen
for the Cure Research Grant Program.
IHCRC is one of the four local
agencies that received a grant from
the Komen for the Cure foundation
last year. The grant allows IHCRC
to continue to provide breast cancer
screening and education programs for
Native American women. The screening
and education programs consists of
providing baseline mammograms
to 1,100 low-and moderate-income
Native American women without
health insurance. In addition to clinical
breast exams, education instruction on
how to conduct a self-breast exam is
provided to 1,400 Native American
women age 20-64.
We are proud to support the
wonderful work of the Susan G.
Komen for the Cure and thank them
for their support. We would like to
thank all our staff and their family
members who participated in the 2010
Komen Tulsa Race for the Cure.
STAY IN
FOCUS
Call IHCRC
today for an
appointment
382-1263
NOVEMBER IS DIABETIC
EYE DISEASE MONTH
Native American One Dollar Coins
– continued from page 4
The 2011 design will focus on
the creation of the treaty between
the Great Wampanoag Nation and
the settlers at Plymouth Rock. The
theme will be “Diplomacy – Treaties
with Tribal Nations.”
The United States Mint will
continue a timeline of events and
personal contributions for the
program until at least 2016. This
timeline will be used to create
candidate designs for consideration.
At various stages in the evaluation
process, the United States Mint
will consult with the Committee
on Indian Affairs, Congressional
Native American Caucus, National
Congress of American Indians, U.S.
Commission of Fine Arts
and the Citizens Coinage
Advisory Committee.
The Native American dollars are
issued alongside the Presidential
dollars series, which features four
different dollar coins honoring past
Presidents of the United States. By
law, each year at least 20 percent of
all dollar coins produced must be
Native American dollars. Like the
Presidential dollar coins, the Native
American coins will be minted in
a distinctive gold-colored alloy.
The heads side features Sacagawea,
the young Shoshone woman who
accompanied Meriwether Lewis
and William Clark on their historic
expedition.
Between 1804 and 1806, while
still a teenager, Sacagawea guided
the adventurers from the Northern
Great Plains to the Pacific Ocean
and back. Her husband, Toussaint
Charbonneau, and their son, Jean
Baptiste, who was born during the
trip, also accompanied the group.
She provided crucial knowledge of
the topography of some of the most
rugged country of North America
and taught the explorers how to find
edible roots and plants previously
unknown to European-Americans.
With her infant son bound to her
back, she single-handedly rescued
Captain Clark’s journals from the
Missouri whitewater when their
boat capsized. If she had not, much
of the record of the first year of the
expedition would have been lost
to history.
Most crucially, however, Sacagawea
and her infant served as a “white flag”
of peace for the expedition, which
was as much a military expedition
as a scientific one. They entered
potentially hostile territory well
armed but undermanned compared
to the Native American tribes they
met. Because no war party was ever
accompanied by a woman and infant,
the response of the Native Americans
was curiosity, not aggression. They
talked first, and Sacagawea often
served as the translator. Not a single
member of the party was lost to
hostile action.
The “Sacagawea” design was first
produced in 2000 and includes the
inscriptions LIBERTY and IN
GOD WE TRUST. The year, mint
mark and E PLURIBUS UNUM
appear on the coin’s edge. The reverse
design changes each year to celebrate
an important contribution of Indian
tribes or individual Native Americans
and contain the inscriptions $1
and UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA.
NOVEMBER IS NATIONAL DIABETES MONTH
Type 2 Diabetes
And Your Family
Nearly 24 million Americans have
diabetes, a serious disease in which blood
glucose (blood sugar) levels are above
normal. About one-third of people with
diabetes do not even know they have it.
Many people do not find out they have
diabetes until they are faced with serious
health problems.
If you have a mother, father, brother
or sister with type 2 diabetes, you are at
risk of developing the disease. Talking
about your family health history may
make all the difference when it comes to
preventing type 2 diabetes.
You can take steps to prevent
type 2 diabetes!
diabetes is found for the first time when
a woman is pregnant. Women who have
had gestational diabetes are at increased
risk for developing diabetes for the rest
of their lives, and the child from that
pregnancy is at increased risk for obesity
and type 2 diabetes.
If you had gestational diabetes:
• Get tested for diabetes six to 12 weeks
after your baby is born, and at least
every three years after that.
• Breastfeeding your baby may lower
your child’s risk for type 2 diabetes.
• Talk to your doctor if you plan to
become pregnant again in the future.
• Try to reach your pre-pregnancy
weight six to 12 months after your
Although you cannot change your family
baby is born – even if you do not reach
health history, knowing about it can give
your ‘goal’ weight, research shows
you the information you need to work
that a moderate weight loss if you are
with your health care team to take action
overweight and maintaining a healthy
on the things you can change. If you
lifestyle can help reduce risk.
are at risk for type 2 diabetes, you can
prevent or delay this disease by making
• Remember that you are at increased
important lifestyle changes. Gestational
risk for developing type 2 diabetes in
the future. Follow a healthy lifestyle
and encourage your family to join
you. Stay at a healthy weight by
making healthy food choices and
moving more.
By taking these steps to prevent type 2
diabetes, you also are taking steps that
can help lower your risk for other health
problems such as heart disease, stroke,
kidney disease, blindness and nerve
damage. That’s a big reward for you and
your family!
Source: The National Diabetes Education
Program, a federally funded program
sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services’ National Institutes
of Health and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention and includes over
200 partners at the federal, state, and
local levels, working together to reduce the
morbidity and mortality associated with
diabetes by changing the way diabetes
is treated.
If you’re overweight, losing five to seven percent of your body weight (for example, 10 pounds if you weigh 200 pounds)
can help to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. Here are some tips to help you do this:
• Make healthy food choices, choose water to drink instead of sugary drinks and eat smaller portions
• Be active at least 30 minutes, five days per week to help burn calories and lose weight
• Ask family members to be active with you
• Write down all the foods you eat and drink and the number of minutes you are active and review it daily
Healthy Heart Team: Nancy O’Banion - HEW Director, Gabrielle Taylor, RD/LD, Stacy Berg, LPC and Jeanne Comfort - data coordinator.
IHCRC receives Healthy Heart
Diabetes Prevention grant
from the IHS
T
he Indian Health Service (IHS)
has awarded Indian Health Care
Resource Center of Tulsa a grant
of $324,000 per year to continue
our Healthy Heart and Diabetes
Prevention initiative for two more
years – the Healthy Heart project was
initially funded with a grant award
in 2004. The IHS implemented the
Special Diabetes Program for Indians
(SDPI) Demonstration Project to
develop and implement comprehensive
diabetes prevention and cardiovascular
disease risk reduction interventions,
community awareness activities and
evaluation plans. The Demonstration
Project funds provided the resources
to build stronger diabetes prevention
programs through the implementation
of a common structured diabetes
prevention education program.
The Healthy Heart SDPI grant will
enable IHCRC to extend our six-year
collaboration with the Northeast Tribal
Health System in Miami, Oklahoma.
The Northeastern Oklahoma I/T/U
Healthy Heart collaborative has been
one of the more successful programs
among the IHS Healthy Heart SDPI
projects. This collaborative effort
currently has the third highest number
of patient participants in the nation,
according to recent data from the
central coordinating center. This unique
affiliation blends an urban clinic with
a rural clinic that has similarly sized
diabetes patient populations.
The Healthy Heart Demonstration
project utilizes a clinical, team-based,
case management approach to treat
risk factors for cardiovascular disease
(CVD) for our adult patients living
with diabetes. We will continue to
utilize the IHS Claremore Model
Diabetes program for technical
assistance and referrals via IHS contract
health services.
The target population of American
Indians to receive intensive
cardiovascular diabetes care and
prevention interventions will be adults
(age 18 or older) with Type 2 diabetes
and have or be at risk for cardiovascular
disease. IHCRC and NTHS
respectively serve target populations of
urban American Indians living in Tulsa
and the surrounding metropolitan area
and American Indians living in the
rural area of the Miami service unit.
The Healthy Heart Project will
enable both IHCRC and NTHS
to continue our existing diabetes
cardiovascular disease demonstration
project to provide intensive diabetes
and CVD programs for adults and less
intensive community programs for
intergenerational American Indians.
The Healthy Heart project offers case
management services and access to a
diverse set of adult physical activity
and educational offerings. The Healthy
Heart Project complements the
wellness, medical, behavioral and health
education activities of IHCRC and
NTHS to promote healthy lifestyles
and maintain appropriate weight. The
past six years of work in the SDPIHealthy Heart demonstration project
have established strong systems for
intensive case management to address
medical, behavioral, nutritional and
physical activity components.
The project team will utilize an
integrated curriculum and a mix of
educational, behavioral modification,
clinical and support services. Healthy
Heart participants will be offered the
opportunity to participate in a host of
intensive and less intensive activities,
including: walking programs, cooking
classes, education classes, individual
and group appointments for nutrition
education and case management,
support groups, instruction on all
aspects of diabetes management,
fitness opportunities and tobacco
cessation classes.
IHCRC receives
federal grant for
Healthy Tulsa
Pathways
Collaborative
Project
I
ndian Health Care Resource Center
of Tulsa is one of eight nonprofit
organizations nationwide to
receive the Office of Minority Health
“Partnerships Active in Communities
to Achieve Health Equity” (PAC)
federal grant. The family-centered
“Healthy Tulsa Pathways” project will
benefit American Indians and other
minority populations in ten of Tulsa’s
high risk zip codes. The funding will
provide $485,000 per year for three
years to improve outcomes for Tulsa’s
at-risk minority populations in the
areas of obesity, diabetes and
heart disease.
The intent of the PAC program
is to demonstrate the effectiveness
of community-based networks in
improving health outcomes among
racial and ethnic minorities. The
program seeks to improve health
outcomes through the establishment of
integrated networks that collaboratively
employ evidence-based disease
management
and preventive
health activities;
build the capacity
of communities
to address social
determinants and
environmental barriers
to healthcare access;
and increase access
e Addams Elementary
Cooking time at Jan
to and utilization
of preventive care,
expand existing health promotion and
medical treatment and
disease prevention programs. For the
supportive services.
past six years, IHCRC has used an
The mission of the OMH is to
Indian Health Service “Healthy Heart”
improve the health of racial and ethnic
grant to provide case management,
minority populations through the
coordination of care, and evidencedevelopment of policies and programs
based diabetes and cardiovascular
that reduce health disparities and gaps
disease interventions to adult American
in care. Racial and ethnic minorities
Indians. The Healthy Heart grant was
have historically experienced poorer
just renewed for another two years at
health outcomes.
$324,000 per year.
In its role as an urban Indian health
IHCRC is also a leader in local food
organization (UIHO), Indian Health
security initiatives including Food
Care Resource Center (IHCRC) will
for Life, a USDA Community Food
Project which established a local food
security council and led to the effort to
install community and school gardens
throughout the city. IHCRC currently
serves 17,000 active patients who live in
the Tulsa metro area.
The Office of Minority Health
grant will engage over 20 city, county
and state organizations to support
the Healthy Tulsa Pathways project.
Local clinical care partners will
include Morton Comprehensive
Health Services and Community
Health Connection community health
centers. The collaborative approach of
the project will include a subcontract
with the Tulsa Health Department’s
campaign to provide 1,000-1,200
health screenings annually in at-risk
areas. Other funded partners include
the Metropolitan Tulsa Urban League,
Kendall Whittier, Inc., the YWCA and
YMCA. These community partners will
help coordinate physical fitness and
nutrition education, assist with outreach
and serve as health screening sites in
the project area.
The ten Tulsa zip codes selected for
the Healthy Tulsa Pathways project
include eight with the poorest overall
health according to the Tulsa Health
Department’s 2010 Tulsa County
Health Profile. Two additional zip codes
were selected due to their high rates of
death from heart disease and diabetes.
The 2006 Lewin report, Strategic
Planning for Safety-Net Services found
the predominantly Black residents of
Tulsa north die 14 years earlier than
individuals living in mid-town or south
Tulsa. Today, the health disparities
most commonly associated with Tulsa
north affect other largely minority areas
including zip codes in west and east
Tulsa. Health care and outcomes aren’t
just tied to race and ethnicity. Rather,
they are the result of a combination of
complex socio-economic and related
issues. Poverty is a key factor.
According to the most recent
America’s Health Rankings, Oklahoma
is ranked 49th in the nation for overall
health. Oklahoma is one of only six
states with more than 30% obese adult
population. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC)
reports adult obesity rates are 51%
higher for Blacks than Whites and
21% for Hispanics. Nearly a third of
Oklahomans (1.2 million) are suspected
of being pre-diabetic. In Tulsa County,
the death rate from diabetes is almost
three times as high for Blacks and twice
as high for American Indians than
for Whites. The death rate from heart
disease for Blacks (340.4 per 100,000
population) far exceeds all other racial
and ethnic groups.
In additional to its clinical disease
management activities, IHCRC
will use the Tulsa Healthy Pathways
funding to conduct school-based
primary prevention activities. Physical
fitness and nutrition education will
be promoted to over 9,000 students
and their families at the 27 Tulsa
Public Elementary Schools located
in the target zip codes. Healthy Tulsa
Pathways will build on or expand
current evidence-based programs at
those schools and bring new programs
to others. The project will also provide
additional nutrition and cooking classes
in community settings.
Each component of the Tulsa
Healthy Lifestyles project will be
strengthened by a strong spirit
of community collaboration and
partnership. In support of increasing
community capacity to address the
social determinants of health, the
program includes an assessment of
current resources and also, unmet needs
and gaps. The Community Service
Council will convene focus groups of
local agencies to discuss economies
of scale, evidence-based programs,
create strategic plans and identify
funding. The goal is to ensure the
project components are permanently
and seamlessly incorporated into the
culture and achieve sustainability to
ensure improved health outcomes for
generations to come.
Kendall-Whittier Community Dinner
Oklahoma Health Officials
Tour Tulsa Food Deserts
By Steve Eberle, IHCRC Food for Life Coordinator
O
n September 1st, the Healthy
Corner Store Initiative and
Representative Seneca Scott
(D) Dist. 72 organized a food desert
tour of Tulsa north and east for several
Oklahoma health officials and those
in the food movement. A food desert
is an area where households have to
travel more than three miles for fresh
food. Food deserts typically have only
convenience stores and fast food for
food options, both very unhealthy.
Participants included Dr. Terry
Cline - Oklahoma Commissioner of
Health, Reggie Ivey - Tulsa Health
Department, Zora Brown - Integris
Health, Ryan McMullen - USDA,
Stephen Eberle and Russell Burkhart
- both of Indian Health Care Resource
Center, Scott Smith - Blue Jackalope,
Katie Plohocky - Healthy Corner
Store Initiative, Tom Pipal - Tulsa
Community College and Rita Scott Sustainable Green Country.
The tour provided a glimpse of
neighborhoods without grocery
stores, instead convenience stores and
discount stores sell only processed
food and junk food. Many people have
to drive over ten miles to the nearest
grocery store, this is especially true
in rural Oklahoma. The tour showed
many former grocery stores, such as
Piggly Wiggly and Homeland, which
created food deserts when they closed
as they were the only store for miles.
Neighborhood after neighborhood
demonstrated miles of homes without
a grocery store, all food deserts. Also
seen were locally owned grocery stores
thriving in underserved neighborhoods
that would otherwise be food deserts,
including Las Americas of the KendallWhittier neighborhood, Harvest
Market of west Tulsa, Blue Jackalope of
Crosbie Heights and Gateway Market
in Tulsa north.
The tour included agencies
(L to R) Rita Scott - Buy Fresh
Buy Local Coordinator, Steve
Eberle - Food for Life Coordinator,
Representative Seneca Scott, Gary
Edmondson - Westside Harvest
Market, Commissioner Terry Cline,
MD - Oklahoma State Department
of Health, and Clark Millspaugh Founder and Executive Director of
Westside Harvest Market.
providing food assistance, Community
Food Bank, Neighbor for Neighbor and
Catholic Charities.
The food security movement in
Tulsa was outlined, to include the
future Healthy Food CO-OP which
will provide wholesale prices to not for
profits and small grocery stores that
are currently paying retail prices for
groceries. The Healthy Corner Store
Initiative which is developing a format
and infrastructure for future healthy
corner stores.
Reggie Ivey commented after the
tour “I grew up in this neighborhood
and never saw it from this vantage
r Grocery Store
Blue Jackalope Corne
point.” Dr. Cline requested this food
desert tour based on a new State Health
Department program focusing on zip
code 73111 in south Oklahoma City,
the most economically disadvantaged
and unhealthiest zip area in Oklahoma
City. Cline stated the food security
programs in Tulsa should be a model to
the rest of the state, adding if it works
in Tulsa; it can work in communities
across the state.
Taste of North Tulsa
Better Choices, Longer Life
Osage Million Dollar Elm
Casino Cuisine.
By Steve Eberle, IHCRC Food for Life Coordinator
T
he second annual Taste of North
Tulsa was held on October 7 to
educate the community about
making better food choices when
eating out. Guests at the event enjoyed
the live music of the Full Flava Kings
while they tasted healthy menu items
from neighborhood restaurants. The
free dinner event was held at Tulsa’s
McLain High School for Science and
Technology, 4929 N. Peoria Avenue.
Free and open to the public, the
event featured food booths with
delicious, healthy fare from local
favorites like Big Daddy’s, Evelyn’s,
Oklahoma Style Bar-B-Q, Blue
Jackalope, Osage Million Dollar
Elm Casino and Sweet Lisa’s. Guests
also had the opportunity to browse
information about community
health and social services
organizations’ programs.
The goal of the event was to
boost nutritional choices and foodprep knowledge among residents
and restaurant owners in a “nolecture” environment, said Tedra
Williams, manager of clinical program
development for the University of
Oklahoma Wayman Tisdale Specialty
Health Center, formerly known as
the OU-Tulsa Specialty Clinic at
Northland. The center was a sponsor,
along with Indian Health Care
Resource Center of Tulsa, North Tulsa
Economic Development Initiative
(nTEDI) and many more community
health and social services organizations.
Local food vendors used the
American Heart Association/American
Stroke Associations’ “Healthy Soul
Food” cookbook recipes to prepare
healthier versions of the items usually
found on their menus. This cookbook
includes 40 recipes from entrees to
desserts with less than 350 calories
per dish.
The event developed as a followup to the Walk It Out program of
2009, Williams said. Aided by their
lay community health team leader,
participants made significant behavior
modifications, and enhanced and
increased exercise. That year, 20
percent of the 80 participants reduced
blood pressure by 20 points and
reduced weight by up to 20 pounds.
Soon, more health education about
food preparation and selection was
requested, and Taste of North Tulsa
came to fruition.
“Heart disease is very preventable
through diet and exercise,” Williams
said. “But heart disease is still the No.
1 cause of death in women. Prevention,
access (to treatment) and education
are the golden keys to eliminating this
trend.” The program reaches out to
restaurants neighboring the Tisdale
clinic site, educating them about the
healthy foods that are already part of
their menus that could also mirror the
American Heart Association’s “Healthy
Soul Food” cookbook recipes,
Williams said.
Williams further explained that local
studies have shown there is a 14 year
difference in expected years lived for
residents of north, east, and west Tulsa
as compared to residents of mid-Tulsa
and the south-Tulsa areas. The health
disparities that are hit hardest in those
areas include heart disease, cancer (lung,
breast and colon), diabetes and obesity.
Steve Eberle, coordinator of the
Food for Life program of the IHCRC,
said “There are no awards, no thankyous, it’s just our community.” Last
year, the event participants came out
in the pouring rain to learn about how
to prepare and enjoy healthy food. This
year’s event was an even bigger success
as the McLain High School cafeteria
was transformed into a fine dining
environment with Charlie Redd and the
Full Flava Kings playing great music.
ary staff.
f to Suburan Acre’s libr
ott introduces himsel
a Sc
Representative Senec
(L to R) Senator Judy Eason McIntyre,
Representative Seneca Scott, Ms. Ebony
Johnson - Principal McLain High School,
Steve Eberle - Food for Life Coordinator,
Tedra Williams - Manager, clinical program
development, OU School of Community
Medicine’s Wayman Tisdale Specialty
Health Center, Katie Plohocky - Healthy
Corner Grocery Stores Initiative, Lana
Turner-Addison - President, Tulsa Public
Schools Board of Education and Gerald
Clancy, MD - President, OU-Tulsa and Dean
of the OU School of Community Medicine.
Live the life
you love!
By Alison Forsythe, IHCRC RD/LD
IHCRC Fitness
Specialist Jennie
Howard and I had
the great pleasure in
attending the Southern
Obesity Summit held in
Atlanta, Georgia. The
conference focused
on obesity prevention
through policy making
and initiatives. We
learned a lot throughout
the conference but
one particular keynote
speaker, Tracey Yucich
from Season 8 of the
Biggest Loser, really
brought things close
to home for a lot
of reasons.
Before
Her Story:
Tracey is said to have had one of the
most surprising transformations as a
contestant in Season 8 of NBC’s hit
TV show, The Biggest Loser. After
collapsing from heat stroke during a 1
mile run the first day on camera, Tracey
spent two weeks on the heart floor of
the local hospital where she learned she
had plaque on her heart at the young
age of 37.
This was the real wake-up call
for Tracey and where her true
transformation began. The Biggest
Loser became a launch pad to Tracey’s
new life. Since leaving the show, her
weight is now a healthy 130, and
she’s down from a size 22 to a size 4.
She’s positively impacted her entire
family and is once again a woman
she can respect. Tracey is committed
to sharing her story of hope and
recovery to empower women to take
the time to take care of themselves.
She has a simple philosophy for
anyone struggling with weight and self
image. Believe in yourself. Live the
life you love. That’s something she had
forgotten how to do.
After
Prior to The Biggest Loser, Tracey
spent several years on the hamster
wheel of weight loss, cycling through
endless fad diets and quick fixes while
juggling an unhealthy and fast-paced
lifestyle courtesy of three young
children and a progressing career in the
food and retail industries. Her biggest
question was whether she’d ever get
back to her college weight.
After the birth of her fourth child
and a decision to hang up her suits and
heels to manage her home, she fell off
the wheel completely, climbing to 250
pounds and completely losing control.
(L to R) Jennie Howard,
Tracey Yucich and
Alison Forsythe.
At her lowest point, she was hiding
from her family in the bathroom,
eating cookies while beating herself
up, ashamed of the woman she had
become. But she turned her life around
and believes others can to.
Tracey is currently training to run
the Boston Marathon and raising
money for Homes for Our Troops. Her
speaking engagements, boot-camps
and workshops on diet and nutrition
are helping women across the country
reclaim their lives.
View Tracey’s website at:
www.traceyyukich.com.
(L to R) Gail Hamilton, Emily Bolusky and Judy Gibson
IHCRC Employees Recognized
by the Indian Health Service
The Seventh Annual Oklahoma City
Area Office Indian Health Service
(IHS) Director’s Awards Ceremony
and Banquet was held on July 22,
2010 in Oklahoma City. This annual
event recognizes individuals and health
teams who have helped advance the
goal of the Indian Health Service to
ensure comprehensive health services
are provided in a culturally competent
manner to American Indian and
Alaskan Native people. Individuals
working at federal Indian health,
tribal health and urban health (I/T/U)
facilities within Kansas, Texas and
Oklahoma were recognized at the
awards ceremony for excellence in
job performance. Four exceptional
employees of Indian Health Care
Resource Center of Tulsa received an
Area Director’s Award.
Judy Gibson, CFO
Superior Management Award
Judy Gibson joined Indian Health
Care Resource Center of Tulsa as the
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in 1996.
Since that time, she has distinguished
herself with her expertise and skills
by managing the annual budget and
ensuring the financial statements are
maintained in good order. She
is responsible for the leadership,
supervision, performance, output
and vision of the 28 staff members
under her direction, including those
employees working in Eligibility,
Information Technology, Accounting
and the Patient Business Office.
During her tenure, Judy has been
instrumental in making the following
changes and improvements, which have
been key to the success and growth
within her departments and to the
clinic as a whole:
• Creation of the Patient Benefits
Coordination office (Eligibility
department) in 1997, which is
currently comprised of five
employees who conduct insurance
verifications, SoonerCare enrollment
and medical referrals.
• Creation of the Information
Technology department in 1999,
whose three employees keep the
technologically based operations
of the heath organization
running smoothly.
• Expansion of the Accounting
department from three to
five employees.
• Expansion of the Patient Business
Office from three to 18 employees.
• She is ultimately responsible for
the $14.9 M annual budget at
IHCRC and is responsible for the
coordination of 15 to 20 grants
and contracts in any given year and
ensuring that all grant/contract
specific guidelines are met and
followed for each.
• Instituted the live month-end closing
for the Patient Business Office. All
charges and payments are posted in
month incurred or received.
• Prepared with the support of the
Accounting Supervisor the pro
formas and projections needed to
formulate the financial package used
to facilitate the building expansion
and remodeling project for the
main clinic.
• Has consistently achieved an
unqualified annual audit with “no
findings” since coming to work
at IHCRC.
Judy graduated with a Bachelor of
Arts in Accounting from Langston
University (Summa Cum Laude,)
and became CPA certified by the
Oklahoma State Board of Public
Accountants in 1992.
Judy serves on IHCRC’s Leadership
Team (LT,) is a staff representative
on the IHCRC Board of Trustees
Financial Committee and serves on
the Indian Health Service (IHS) Area
Director’s Awards Committee.
Laura K. Taylor, DO
Area Director’s
Excellence Award
Laura Taylor, DO a Developmental/
Behavioral Pediatrician joined Indian
Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa
on a part-time basis in September of
2001 and transferred to a full-time
status in 2006. During her tenure, she
has doubled her volume of care from
1,000 patient visits annually when
working part-time to a current
annual average of 2,000 visits as a fulltime employee.
Continued to next page
IHCRC Employee Awards – continued from page 29
In her role as a Developmental/
Behavioral Pediatrician, Dr. Taylor
evaluates, counsels and provides
treatment for children, adolescents
and their families with a wide range of
common developmental and behavioral
difficulties that includes:
• Learning disorders including
dyslexia, writing difficulties and
math disorders
• Attention and behavioral disorders
including attention-deficit/
hyperactivity disorder and others
including oppositional-defiant
behavior, conduct problems,
depression and anxiety disorders
• Tics, Tourette syndrome and other
habit disorders
• Regulatory disorders including
sleep disorders, feeding problems,
discipline difficulties, complicated
toilet-training issues, enuresis
(bedwetting) and encopresis (soiling)
• Delayed development in speech,
language, motor skills and
thinking ability
• Behavioral and developmental
problems complicating the full range
of pediatric illnesses and disabling
conditions (for example, genetic
disorders, epilepsy, prematurity,
diabetes, asthma, and cancer)
Dr. Taylor earned her Bachelor of
Arts degree in Cell Biology from the
University of Tulsa and a Doctor of
Osteopathic Medicine degree from the
Oklahoma State University’s College
of Osteopathic Medicine in Tulsa. She
went on to receive a fellowship
in Developmental / Behavioral
Pediatrics at Boston City Hospital,
Boston University.
Emily Bolusky,
Public Relations Manager
Merit Award, Non-Clinical
Emily Bolusky joined Indian Health
Care Resource Center in November
2001 as the Public Relations Specialist
and has worked her way up to the
Public Relations Manager position.
Emily earned her BS degree from
the University of Tulsa. Prior to
working for IHCRC, Emily worked in
Corporate Marketing doing product
management, forecasting and inventory
management for Tyson Foods, Inc. and
was the Marketing Coordinator for
Thermatran, Inc.
Emily works hard to ensure that
Indian Health Care’s brand is carefully
protected and presented to the public.
In working with local associations,
Emily keeps the name of Indian Health
Chicken Barley Chili
The great flavor of chili in only 30 minutes! Makes 11 (1 cup) servings.
Per serving: Calories 270; Total fat 4 g; Cholesterol 60 mg; Sodium 700 mg;
Carbohydrate 27 g; Dietary Fiber 5g; Protein 32 g
Ingredients:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1 14½ oz can tomatoes, diced, undrained
1 16 oz jar/can salsa or tomato sauce
1 14½ oz can fat free chicken broth
1 cup quick barley
3 cups water
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 15 oz can black beans, drained, rinsed
• 1 15½ oz can corn, whole kernel
• 3 cups (about 1½ lbs) chicken breast, cooked, cut
into bite-sized pieces
• Reduced fat cheddar cheese (optional)
• Reduced fat sour cream (optional)
Preparation: In 6-quart saucepan, combine first 7 ingredients. Over high heat bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to low.
Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans, corn and chicken; increase heat to high until chili comes to a boil. Cover
and reduce heat to low. Simmer for another 5 minutes, or until barley is tender. If upon standing the chili becomes too thick, add
more chicken broth or water until chili is desired consistency. If desired, top with shredded cheese and sour cream.
About Barley: As cereal grains go, barley is a winner when it comes to good nutrition. This centuries-old grain is packed with
fiber, contains important vitamins and minerals, is low in fat, and cholesterol-free. You can find it in the cereal or rice aisle.
Care out in the community for both
local and state-wide recognition by
serving on committees, attending
events and participating in the “scene”
in Tulsa. Emily works hard each day
to ensure IHCRC is promoted in a
positive light by:
• Providing all media (newspapers,
TV, radio, web sites, etc.) with press
releases and notices of upcoming
productions, newsworthy events,
and advertising.
• Developing multi-media material
for community awareness of the
agency and special events. She
coordinates and helps write
the IHCRC Healthy Spirit
quarterly publication.
• Conceiving, developing and
conducting agency fund-raising
events and promoting various
IHCRC programs, activities
and events.
• Hands-on involvement in a variety
of marketing logistics, including
event production, scheduling and
shipping, collateral coordination
and premium ordering.
One of Emily’s highest profile duties
is the presentation of IHCRC’s
annual fundraiser, Dance of the
Two Moons. Emily has an unrivaled
commitment to carrying out her
public relations responsibilities
with the Dance of the Two Moons
and its goal to raise funds to
support IHCRC’s children’s
wellness programs.
Gail Hamilton, Eligibility Clerk
Peer Recognition Award
Gail Hamilton joined Indian Health
Care’s Eligibility department in
September 2002. Through the years,
she has worked in several different
positions within the Eligibility
department. Gail consistently
goes above and beyond in her job
expectations year after year. Gail has
a desire to make sure patients are
serviced to the best of her ability. She
has developed and implemented new
processes to enable the Eligibility
department to become more efficient.
During 2009, Gail helped establish
a stable and efficient system setup
between IHCRC and the Claremore
Indian Hospital’s Contract Health
department to help keep track of
contract health referrals.
Gail received computer training
from the American Automation
Training Center in Kansas City,
Missouri. She is a Certified Insurance
Counselor for the Oklahoma
Insurance Department’s Senior
Health Insurance Counseling
Program (SHICP) and has undergone
Community Information and
Assistance Training (CIAT) from
Life Senior Services of Tulsa.
In her position, Gail’s
responsibilities include:
• Obtaining information to add
newborns as new IHCRC
enrolled patients
• Researching and preparing
correspondence as per requested
from health providers, insurance
companies and vendors
• Serving as prior authorization
and referral specialist to verify
eligibility, submit request for
prior authorizations and referrals
for Medicaid, Medicare and
private insurance. She also sets
appointments, orders home health
equipment, tests, etc.
• Assisting patients in social services
and resources, CDIB and tribal
verification and benefits.
IHCRC 1st Annual
Employee Health and
Fitness Day Poker Walk
By Kay Meek, IHCRC Health Promotion/
Disease Prevention Dietitian
On May 19, a group of 46 Indian
Health Care Resource Center of
Tulsa employees participated in the
IHCRC 1st Annual Employee Health
and Fitness Day Poker Walk. This
was a fun event to celebrate a national
health observance created to promote
the benefits of physical activity for
employees through their work site
health promotion activities.
The setting was a scenic park located
just across the street from the clinic. The
length of the course was slightly over
one mile. The challenge was to draw one
playing card at each of the five stations
along the course. The prizes for the
top three poker hands were gardening
supplies just in time for spring planting!
In spite of the rainy day, 35 percent
of IHCRC employees participated in
this event. Together we took 105,544
steps for a total of 52 miles. We also
burned a total of 7,360 calories. Most
importantly, we had fun. This will
definitely be an annual event!
With the new on-line application enrolling in
SoonerCare is easy
By Melissa Still, IHCRC CHIPRA Outreach Coordinator
The number of people without medical
coverage in Oklahoma has consistently
increased over the years. To confront
Oklahoma’s high uninsured rate and
meet the growing need for access to
health care, the Oklahoma Health
Care Authority (OHCA) developed a
web-accessed online application. This
application is essential to accommodate
the new populations applying for
SoonerCare – as well as Sooner Plan,
Soon to be Sooners and Department
of Mental Health and Substance
Abuse Services Behavioral Health
programs. The online application allows
individuals and families to apply for
services on their own via the web, or at
OKDHS and partner agencies such as
the Indian Health Service and Indian
Health Care Resource Center.
The application, enrollment and
eligibility processes are streamlined
so that the person applying knows
right away who is eligible, what they
are eligible for, what their member
ID is and if any documentation needs
to be mailed in. This system provides
access to SoonerCare enrollment
that is easy to use and available 24
hours a day from any computer with
Internet access. This is more convenient
for many applicants as they are not
required to visit an office during
business hours.
By providing this online application,
it frees up valuable time for workers to
help applicants who require personal
assistance. Also, online enrollment
provides an efficient alternative to a
paper application process, which can
sometimes result in difficult to read or
incomplete information. The quality of
information is improved and the time
it takes to correct errors is reduced or
eliminated. Before, applicants had to
wait as long as 20 days before they
knew if their application was approved
or denied.
Online enrollment evaluates the
applicant’s information and makes
the eligibility determination almost
instantly. A computer program
interprets the applicant’s information
and then compares it to the eligibility
requirements. No waiting means
patients can be served quickly and
effectively. Another big advantage
of online enrollment is that clients
can enter and update their personal
information in the privacy of their
own home. By having this for anyone
to access, every patient can receive
consistent, accurate information
regarding the benefits of SoonerCare,
how to apply and the eligibility
requirements.
IHCRC Medical Services
Melissa Still, IHCRC CHIPRA Project
Coordinator. Call me at 918-334-6830.
Online enrollment for SoonerCare
begins at the Oklahoma Health Care
Authority’s website at www.okhca.org
and individuals who wish to apply for
benefits can start the process by simply
clicking Apply for Benefits. It is strongly
advised that applicants read all the
information under the Before Starting
link. It provides a list of documents
and information that will be needed to
complete the application.
I joined the Eligibility Department
as the CHIPRA Project Coordinator
this past summer. The Children’s Health
Insurance Program Reauthorization
Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) is designed to
expand coverage to children without
health insurance and to improve the
quality of pediatric care. IHCRC
conducts outreach to educate Native
Americans about the benefits and
availability of free SoonerCare health
insurance available through the
Oklahoma Health Care Authority.
Many of our pediatric patients
at IHCRC are already enrolled in
SoonerCare, but many more who qualify
have yet to complete the application.
Enrollment is easier than ever with the
new online enrollment process.
Please visit or call the IHCRC
Eligibility Department at (918)
588-1900, option 3 soon to see if
your children qualify for Oklahoma’s
SoonerCare CHIPRA insurance.
By working closely together with our medical staff, patients
at Indian Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa learn more
about ways to enjoy a high quality of life, prevent potential
health problems and reduce health risks. Medical services
include:
• Acute (“sick”) care treatment and wellness care
• Well-baby care and pediatric care
• Women’s health care, including prenatal care and family
planning
• Adult and geriatric medicine
• Treatment for diabetes, asthma, hypertension, arthritis
and other chronic conditions
• Treatment for sexually transmitted diseases
• HIV/AIDS testing, counseling and referrals
IHCRC Dental Services
Preventive and restorative dental care is provided. Promotion of regular check-ups helps patients avoid teeth and gum
problems. Dental services include:
• Dental check-ups and dental hygiene
• Teeth cleaning, fluoride treatment and sealants
• Fillings and extractions
• Screening for oral cancer and other diseases
IHCRC Optometry Services
Indian Health Care offers comprehensive visual exams using
computerized diagnostic equipment. Routine eye exams are
promoted to help patients with diabetes preserve their eyesight. Optometry services include:
• Vision testing and eyeglass prescriptions
• Testing for glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy
• Treatment of eye infections and other eye diseases
IHCRC Behavioral Health Services
Indian Health Care offers comprehensive behavioral health
services using a professional staff of psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and a developmental pediatrician.
Behavioral health services include:
• Individual, group, family and marital counseling
• Child developmental screenings
• Psychological assessment for children and adults
• Psychiatric care and medications for children and adults
Questions and Answers from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention
Misconceptions
about Seasonal
Influenza and
Influenza
Vaccines
Can a flu shot give you the flu?
No, a flu shot cannot cause flu illness. The influenza viruses
contained in a flu shot are inactivated (killed), which means
they cannot cause infection. Flu vaccine manufacturers kill
the viruses used in the vaccine during the process of making
vaccine, and batches of flu vaccine are tested to make sure
they are safe. In randomized, blinded studies, where some
people get flu shots and others get salt-water shots, the only
differences in symptoms was increased soreness in the arm
and redness at the injection site among people who got the
flu shot. There were no differences in terms of body aches,
fever, cough, runny nose or sore throat.
What about people who get a seasonal flu vaccine
and still get sick with flu-like symptoms?
There are several reasons why someone might get flu-like
symptoms even after they have been vaccinated against
seasonal flu.
1. People may be exposed to one of the influenza viruses in
the vaccine shortly before getting vaccinated or during
the two-week period that it takes the body to gain
protection after getting vaccinated. This exposure may
result in a person becoming ill with flu before protection
from the vaccine takes effect.
2. People may become ill from non-flu viruses that circulate
during the flu season, which can also cause flu-like
symptoms (such as rhinovirus). Flu vaccine will not
protect people from respiratory illness that is not caused
by flu viruses.
3. A person may be exposed to an influenza virus that is
very different from the viruses included in the vaccine.
The ability of a flu vaccine to protect a person depends
largely on the similarity or “match” between the viruses
or virus in the vaccine and those in circulation. There are
many different influenza viruses. For more information,
see Influenza (Flu) Viruses.
4. Unfortunately, some people can remain unprotected
from flu despite getting the vaccine. This is more likely to
occur among people that have weakened immune systems
or the elderly. However, even among these people, a flu
vaccine can still help prevent complications.
Seasonal influenza vaccine provides the best protection
available from seasonal flu-even when the vaccine does
not exactly match circulating seasonal flu strains, and
even when the person getting the vaccine has a weakened
immune system. Vaccination can lessen illness severity and
is particularly important for people at high risk for serious
flu-related complications and close contacts of high-risk
people. Children younger than 6 months old are the pediatric
group at highest risk of influenza complications, but they are
too young to get a flu vaccine. The best way to protect young
children is to make sure members of their household and
their caregivers are vaccinated.
New Pharmacy Drive-Thru Lanes
By Emily Bolusky, IHCRC Public Relations Manager
So it is 2:30 in the afternoon and you
have to go pick-up your prescription.
You pack the kids in the car and head
on your way. Of course, it is raining, at
least one of the kids is crying and you
dread dragging the kids out in the rain
one more time. Those are the moments
when you LOVE the convenience and
speed of a drive thru pharmacy.
This convenience has not gone
unnoticed by the management at
of Tulsa, Inc. (IHCRC). As part of the
current clinic expansion project, two
drive-through lanes have been added to
the pharmacy. Located in the parking
lot on the northeast corner of the
building, it is a covered structure that
resembles a bank drive-thru Patients
pull into one of two drive-thru lanes
and communicate with the pharmacy
staff via closed circuit television while
their prescription is sent to them
through a tube.
Along with the two drive-thru lanes
we now have now the ability operate
four cashier windows which has
dramatically cut down wait time filling
the 605 prescriptions that the pharmacy
staff fills on average from each day
These additions have given the staff the
ability to work more efficiently and they
are better able to service the patients.
Justin Postier, Director of Pharmacy
said it perfectly “People are loving the
drive-thru. They think it is great! I also
love that we are able to help patients
that are unable to come in. It has been a
great success!”
Flu Clinic at Indian Health Care Resource Center
Flu vaccinations now available as follows:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday 9:00-11:30 am and 1:00-3:00 pm.
Thurs 11:00 am-1:30 pm and 3:00-6:00 pm.
The Flu shot is recommended for ALL persons 6 months and up.
This year’s influenza vaccination includes seasonal and H1N1.
To make an appointment call 382-1224.
Keep your children healthy with
regular well-child visits
B
abies, kids and teens
need to get regular
check-ups to help them
stay healthy. Seeing a health
care provider on a regular
schedule, even when feeling
well, may help prevent serious
health problems in the future.
Children and teens should
use these preventive
health care services.
Most parents are
familiar with the need
to make sure childhood
immunizations are upto-date. This is especially
true for children
entering pre-school
and kindergarten classes.
Although immunizations
are important, health
professionals urge parents to
get a comprehensive wellchild exam for your child.
That’s why well-child
exams are so important. It
gives parents peace of mind,
while ensuring that problems
are stopped before they can start.
It provides us with an opportunity
to evaluate your child’s growth and
development – from the earliest smiles
through adolescence.
A well-child health visit provides
an opportunity for your child to get
a vision and hearing screening along
with a traditional medical exam. These
screenings are especially important for
young children, who may not know
whether or not they can hear or see
adequately. If your child is listening
to the television or music at a very
loud volume or turns his or her head
to favor one ear over the other when
conversing, it may be a sign of hearing
loss. If your child wears glasses, you
will want to visit the optometrist to
make sure that the prescription is
current. Finally, don’t forget your child’s
teeth – call your dentist to make an
appointment to schedule a routine
dental exam. Call 588-1900 today to
schedule your child’s immunization
and well-child check-up appointments
at Indian Health Care Resource Center
of Tulsa.
What does a well-child
exam include?
Your child’s doctor or physician
assistant will give the exam. The exam
will also provide an opportunity for you
to discuss any concerns you may have
about your child’s health. Your child’s
health provider will provide helpful
advice about health issues for you and
your child and make any medically
appropriate referrals. At your child’s
well-baby or well-child visit IHCRC
health provider will check:
• The overall physical condition of
your child to see if he or she is
growing well
• Ears and eyes
• Teeth
• Diet
• Immunizations (vaccination shots)
• Lab tests (if needed)
• Health and developmental history
• A physical exam
Age
Recommended SoonerCare well-baby and well-child exam schedule
Infants
At birth, 2, 4, 6, 9 and 12 months
Toddlers
15 and 18 months
Children 2-5
2, 3, 4 and 5 years
Children 6-21
Every other year until 21 years old
New After School Program at Park Elementary
The IHCRC Health Education and
Wellness Department has launched
a new after school program at Park
Elementary School. Located in
west Tulsa, Park has approximately
230 students, including 27% Native
American students. The Tulsa Public
Schools (TPS) teachers and principal
at Park have an enthusiastic interest
in promoting health and wellness
for their students. In 2009, Park
Elementary received the Oklahoma
Fit Kids Coalition award for healthy
schools. Currently there are 40 students
enrolled in the free five-days-a-week
after school program at
Park Elementary.
Our Health Education and Wellness
Department also operates an after
school program at TPS’s Jane Addams
Elementary School in southwest Tulsa.
IHCRC has provided health education
and wellness programs at Addams
since 2001.
IHCRC’s after school programs
consists of a healthy snack, recess,
tutoring, CATCH (Coordinated
Approach to Child Health) activities
and lessons, nutrition lessons and
tobacco prevention lessons. Participants
also learn some traditional Indian
games. All after school program staff
members have at least a bachelor’s
degree and are certified CATCH
instructors.
Our previous after school program at
Allen Bowden Public Schools has come
to a close after three years. During
our time at Allen Bowden, our grants
funded many improvements, including
implementing the CATCH curriculum,
building a fitness trail and establishing
five garden beds.
IHCRC’s after school programs
are funded through several federal
and state grants, including a Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) Racial and Ethnic Approaches
to Community Health (REACH)
contract with the Oklahoma State
Department of Health (OSDH),
a Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement
and Endowment Trust (TSET)
“Healthy Lifestyles” grant and a CDC
Traditional Foods grant.
NOVEMBER 18 IS THE GREAT AMERICAN SMOKEOUT
Break the Smoking Behavior
Tips from the British Columbia Lung Association
Be realistic and ready
to deal with the fact that you
cannot block out cigarettes
completely in just a few
days. Here are some tips
on what to do when the
craving comes and how to
deal with it. Copy those that
seem suited to you and carry
them with you.
Take advantage of non-smoking areas.
Go where it’s impossible to smoke,
no matter how much you want to.
Try libraries, museums, theatres or
department stores.
Avoid alcohol, beverages containing
caffeine and any others you associate
with smoking. Alcohol can weaken your
determination to fight the smoking urge.
Have fruit juice instead. If you miss
holding a cigarette keep other objects at
hand: paper clips, beads, keys or a pen.
If you miss having something in your
mouth try a toothpick, stir stick or
sugarless chewing gum.
In those places where you used
to keep cigarettes put flowers,
plants, sugarless gum, mints
or books.
Exercise decreases the number of urges
you get and increases your chances
of success. Try walking, riding a bike,
stretching, swimming or jumping rope.
Keep busy to take your mind off smoking
and keep your hands occupied. Almost
anything works. Doodle, work on a hobby,
take a shower, write a letter or do a
crossword puzzle.
Reward yourself with a special treat – a
good restaurant meal or an evening out –
paid for with the money you’ve saved by
not smoking.
Alter your routines so that certain activities
are no longer associated with smoking.
This can include moving your television or
reading your newspaper in a different place
than usual.
Phone your friends when the urge to
smoke gets strong. They can talk you
through the craving and remind you how
determined you were on Quit Day.
Withdrawal means recovery. You may be
one of the lucky smokers who don’t go
through withdrawal, or you may experience
only a few symptoms.
The good news is that withdrawal
symptoms are temporary usually lasting
only one to three weeks. Once they pass,
you’ll never have to deal with them again.
I
ndian Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa
(IHCRC) understands the importance of delivering
quality services that are also culturally competent.
The importance of cultural sensitivity in treatment
delivery is expressed by the IHCRC mission
statement: “to provide quality, comprehensive health
care to Tulsa area Indian people in a culturally
sensitive manner that promotes good health,
well being and harmony.”
Training professionals to work within
Indian Country is an essential component to
meeting the health needs of our community
in a culturally respectful way. The total
number of doctoral-level American Indian
psychologists in the US has been estimated
at less than 200 (APA Monitor, 2003),
well below the number needed to serve
American Indian individuals and families
in need of culturally competent services.
The Behavioral Health department at
IHCRC has been actively involved in the
training of American Indian psychologists for
many years. Several of our past and current
By Megan Ballew, PhD, IHCRC Psychologist and
Director of Clinical Training
behavioral health providers were once
practicum students at IHCRC during their
graduate training.
Psychology
Interns Return
to IHCRC
(L to R) Interns Elizabeth Bain and Jeri Ann Azure.
This year, IHCRC has reinitiated
a psychology internship program in
partnership with the Northeastern
Oklahoma Psychology Internship
Program (NOPIP). NOPIP is an
American Psychological Association
accredited internship consortium
comprised of several agencies
committed to providing quality
clinical training in the provision of
basic psychological services. There are
currently five placement sites available
at NOPIP: IHCRC, Oklahoma
Forensic Center, Laureate Psychiatric
Clinic and Hospital, the University of
Tulsa Counseling and Psychological
Services Center, and the Tulsa Center
for Child Psychology.
IHCRC behavioral health has two
full-time interns for the 2010-2011
year, Elizabeth Bain, MA, and Jeri
Ann Azure, MA. Interns participate
in a wide range of experiences and
work closely with a variety of mental
health and medical professionals.
The responsibilities of the interns
include psychological assessment,
developing treatment plans and
providing individual, family and group
therapy. The interns participate in
weekly didactic trainings. IHCRC
Psychiatrist Dr. Jill Warnock meets
with interns and behavioral health
practicum students twice per month,
and other interdisciplinary providers
across IHCRC provide intern
trainings twice per month, to discuss
collaboration and integrated health
care issues. I coordinate the internship
program under the direction of Stephen
Shoemaker, PhD, IHCRC Director of
Behavioral Health.
In addition to their clinical
work within the behavioral health
department, interns work closely
with our medical department, with
opportunities for medical consultation
and multidisciplinary staffing. Interns
are invited to be involved with any
of our ongoing community cultural
activities, such as the Restoring
Harmony Powwow and Native Nations
Youth Council. Interns are expected
to exhibit professional cultural/
multicultural competency during the
internship year. With the guidance
of the Tulsa Indian Community
Advisory Team (TICAT), each intern
will be matched with a “community
consultant,” a local elder from the
Tulsa Indian community, from which
the interns can learn from and feel
comfortable asking questions.
Elizabeth Bain is originally from
the Seattle, Washington area. At the
end of her internship year at IHCRC,
she will graduate from Seattle Pacific
University with her PhD in psychology.
She specializes in working with
patients with chronic illness. Since
joining IHCRC in September 2010,
Elizabeth has been collaborating with
our medical department to improve the
interdisciplinary care of our patients
diagnosed with Hepatitis C.
Jeri Ann Azure (Turtle Mountain
Chippewa) is originally from Belcourt,
North Dakota. She will graduate in
2011 with her PhD in psychology from
the University of North Dakota. Jeri
Ann has experience and interest in
working with American Indian children
and families. She has become actively
involved in the IHCRC Systems of
Care program since joining IHCRC in
September 2010.
IHCRC was recently awarded a
three-year federal graduate training
grant to help support the behavioral
health internship program. The grant
is directed by Dr. Stephen Shoemaker
and I coordinate it in my role as
the IHCRC Director of Clinical
Training. The grant program, titled
Psychology Practicum Students
Cynthia Muhamedagic, MS,
joined IHCRC as a practicum student
in September 2010. She is currently
pursuing her PhD in clinical psychology
at Oklahoma State University. Cynthia’s
clinical interests include working
with children and families, behavioral
parenting, and pediatric psychology.
Prior to joining IHCRC, she worked for
several years the University of Oklahoma
Health Sciences Center. She has a
Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology,
with a minor in Family Services and
Marketing, from the University of
Northern Iowa and a Master’s of Science
degree in psychology from Oklahoma
State University.
Randi Noel, MS (Cherokee), joined
IHCRC as a practicum student in
September 2010. She is currently
pursuing her PhD in counseling
psychology at Oklahoma State
University. Her long-term goals include
providing clinical and administrative
services within Indian Health Service.
Randi has worked at the Stillwater
Domestic Violence Center, an outpatient
treatment center in Tahlequah, and
the Muskogee VA hospital. She has a
Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology,
a paralegal minor, and a Master’s of
Science degree in counseling psychology
from Northeastern State University.
Sasha Jaquez, MS, joined IHCRC as
a practicum student in September 2010.
She is currently pursuing her PhD in
clinical psychology at Oklahoma State
University. Her clinical interests include
working with children and families. Prior
to joining IHCRC, Sasha spent a year
working at Cherokee Nation Behavioral
Health in Tahlequah. She has a Bachelor
of Arts degree in psychology from New
Mexico State University and a Master’s
of Science degree in psychology from
Oklahoma State University.
Upcoming NNYC Meetings
Strengthening
Our Native Youth
NNYC meets twice monthly on Thursday
evenings. Please contact us to join our email list
for notifications of upcoming events, schedule
changes, and other relevant information at
918.382.2200 or [email protected].
The NNYC Drum Group is always looking for
more youth that may be interested in joining
– no experience required. Please contact Tim
Shadlow for details. 918.382.2217 or tshadlow@
ihcrc.org
Upcoming event: November 18 – Thanksgiving Poker Walk and Activity Night at
Bell Elementary, 6304 E Admiral Blvd., Tulsa from 6:30-8:30 pm.
Recent SONY and NNYC activities:
Sept. 1-2 – Annual MSPI
Conference – Strengthening
Our Native Youth (SONY) staff
went to Oklahoma City and met
other recipients of the MSPI
grant throughout the US, shared
ideas, plans, what has been done
through the grant, discussed
difficulties, challenges, positives,
how to best utilize the grant for
our particular area, etc.
Summer cookout
NNYC games
Sept. 9 – Native Nations Youth
Council (NNYC) Back to School
Bash at the Youth Services of
Tulsa. After our meal, the youth
played several “Minute-to-Win-it”
style games and back-to-school
prizes (pens, pencils, bags, shirts,
folders, etc.) were given out.
American Indian Life Skills
Curriculum. We are now in the
beginning stages of implementing
the American Indian Life Skills
Curriculum (AILS) into the Euchee
Language Project (ELP) – a
cultural preservation program in
Sapulpa consisting of a group of
students that meets after school
and is designed to teach the
Euchee language to the students.
The curriculum deals with coping
skills, anger management, selfesteem issues, depression and
decision-making skills in high
school aged youth. Much of the
curriculum was translated into
Euchee so the students are able
to learn the language and life
skills at the same time.
Sept. 18 – NNYC hosted a Native
American Hand Game versus the
Hominy JOM program at Eugene
Field Elementary.
Oct. 28 – Halloween Bash at YST
Activity Center; costume party,
games, prizes, food and fun.
Oct. 7-8 – ASIST Training. SONY
staff attended the Applied Suicide
Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)
for those people who specifically
work with youth ages 10-24.
It is an intervention training for
caregivers who want to feel
more comfortable, confident and
competent in helping to prevent
the immediate risk of suicide.
Nov. 6 – NNYC Drum Group.
The NNYC Drum Group will be
performing the opening flag song
and the closing prayer song
at the “Completing the Circle”
Foster Youth Celebration. This
celebration is a fun-filled day that
helps to connect more than 200
American Indian foster children
with their heritage and tribal
communities.
Osage Nation historica
l tour
Native American Hand Game
Left: Cherokee Heritage Center tour
T
een dating violence is a pattern
of emotional, verbal, physical, or
sexual abuse that happens within a
dating or intimate relationship. It is not
a fight or an argument, but a
dangerous pattern of abusive and
controlling behavior.
Teens are particularly vulnerable to
dating violence because they have very
little experience with relationships even
though almost three-fourths of 8th and
9th graders report they are dating.
Nationally, it is estimated that one
in three adult women have been in an
abusive relationship. Native American
women experience even higher rates of
abuse from a partner. Girls and women
16-24 years of age are most vulnerable
to partner abuse. Nationally, about 1 in
10 students report they were physically
abused by a dating partner in the past
year. Both boys and girls can be victims
of abuse in dating relationships.
Verbal or emotional abuse is the
most common form of abuse reported
by teens. Insults, put-downs, and social
isolation are common forms of dating
abuse. This type of violence leaves no
physical marks, but hurts nonetheless.
Teens who are experiencing verbal or
emotional abuse may lose their selfconfidence, change the way they look
or dress, discontinue activities they
normally enjoy, or stop spending time
with friends or family. If your teen’s
partner is very jealous or possessive,
it may be a warning sign of verbal or
emotional abuse.
Signs of physical abuse include
bruising or other unexplained injuries,
but not all physical abuse leaves marks.
Pushing or shoving and physically
not letting him or her leave are forms
of physical abuse that may not have
obvious signs. Victims of physical
abuse may try to minimize or hide
their injuries.
Teens also may experience sexual
abuse from a dating partner. Any
act that forces or coerces a person
to do something sexually that they
don’t want to do is sexual abuse. It
may include forcing a partner to
have sex, but it also includes forcing
kissing, touching, or any other sex act.
Reproductive coercion, interfering with
a person’s choices about birth control
or pregnancy, is another form of sexual
abuse among partners who are
sexually active.
Reproductive coercion may involve
birth control sabotage, not using
a condom or taking it off during
intercourse, not letting their partner
have access to birth control, or forcing a
partner to either continue or terminate
a pregnancy against their wishes.
What Can I Do to Help
My Teen Avoid Abusive
Relationships?
Teen dating violence is preventable.
By helping teens learn about how
healthy relationships look and feel, we
help them make good choices about
their relationships. Teens learn about
relationships from the media and their
friends and the messages are often
about unhealthy relationships. Talking
to teens and pre-teens about the
qualities they want in a dating partner
can help them build the self-esteem
to reject abusive partners. Practicing
asking for what they want and how
to say no to what they don’t want can
help build the skills they need to have
a healthy dating relationship. While it
is always best to talk about this before
they start dating, you can have these
conversations with them at any age.
Starting a conversation about healthy
relationships is easier than it may
seem. Your teen may want to talk to
you about dating and relationships.
You can take the opportunity to ask
them about what they think a healthy
relationship looks like. In many cases,
it is up to the parents to begin talking
about dating and relationships. You can
start the conversation by talking about
something that happened recently- “I
noticed that yesterday you were talking
about your friend who likes a girl. How
do you think he knows that he likes
her?” You may start the conversation
by talking about a TV show or movie
that you both watched recently. “Do
you remember in the movie when he
said that he would die if she didn’t
love him back? How would you feel if
you were in a relationship like that?”
You could also start the conversation
by talking about your experiences with
relationships, both good and bad. Other
tips for talking to your teens and preteens include:
• Do it on their time-while it is up to
you to start the conversation, it is
important to have the conversation at
a time and in a place where your teen
feels comfortable and open to talking
with you.
• Tell your teen you care. Make it
clear that you are not having this
conversation because they have done
something wrong, but because you
want them to be able develop the
skills to make decisions that will
make them happy.
• Ask questions. Your teen already has
information about relationships that
comes from your family, TV, music,
friends, and acquaintances. Showing
that you respect their experiences
will make them more open to talking
with you.
• Talk about positive qualities-many
messages about relationships focus on
what is wrong. Talking about positive
qualities such as respect, being
supportive, and communication will
help teens identify what they want in
a dating partner.
• Help them to recognize the warning
signs of an abusive relationship. If
their dating partner does one or more
of these things, tell them you support
them and want to help.
1. Using threats or violence to solve
a problem
2. Frequent calling and texting to
check where they are or who they
are with
3. Telling them who they can spend
time with, what they can do, or
what to wear
4. Name calling, put downs,
embarrassing them or making
them feel bad about themselves
5. Making threats towards them,
family, or friends
6. Making threats of suicide or
self harm
7. Trying to control their money
or finances
8. Forcing them to do anything they
don’t want to do
How do I know if my teen is Other warning signs that
in an abusive relationship? could indicate an abusive
Knowing if your teen is in an abusive
relationship or other
relationship can be difficult. Your teen
serious health problems:
may be in an abusive relationship if he
or she:
• Has to respond immediately when
their dating partner calls or texts
• Becomes withdrawn or stops
participating in activities she or
he enjoys
• Has fewer friends than he or she did
before the relationship
• Grades begin declining or behavior at
school changes
• Has injuries, including bruising,
and can’t or won’t explain how they
got them
• Has to tell their boyfriend/girlfriend
what they are doing and who they are
with at all times
• Defends their boyfriend or girlfriend’s
I think my teen is in an
abusive relationship.
How do I get help?
If you are a client of the IHCRC,
contact: Behavioral Health Services at
918-382-1241 or National Teen Dating
Abuse Helpline at 1-866-331-9474
(24 hours). TTY: 1-866-331-8453 (24
hours). http://www.loveisrespect.org
(live internet chat 4pm-2am CST)
or Oklahoma Safeline
1-800-522-7233 (24 Hours).
bad behavior
About the loveisrespect.org National
Teen Dating Abuse Helpline:
The loveisrespect.org National Teen Dating Abuse
Helpline is a 24 hour resource for teens and young adults
experiencing dating abuse. It is specifically designed
with teens and young adults in mind, operating around
the growing technologies that they use most often: the
phone, the web, and chat. Young men and women, along
with their friends and families, can anonymously contact
a trained teen dating abuse advocate by phone 24/7 at
(866) 331-9474 or TTY (866) 331-8453. They can also
• Alcohol or drug use
• Extreme sadness or depression
• Changes in weight or eating habits
• Threatening or attempting suicide
chat in a one-on-one, confidential conversation with a
peer advocate between the hours of 4 pm and 2 am. All
advocates on the loveisrespect.org National Teen Dating
Abuse Helpline are trained to offer crisis intervention,
safety planning, and referrals from a database of over
4,500 resource providers.
New Interns – continued from page 41
Calendar of Events
2010-11 Holiday Clinic Closings
“Tulsa Urban Indian Graduate
Psychology Education Program,” is
funded by the Health Resources and
Services Administration (HRSA).
The purpose of the grant is to
help prepare psychology interns to
provide interdisciplinary treatment
and collaboration within a medical
facility or as part of a medical home,
emphasizing cultural competency in
providing service to American Indians.
The benefits of integrated medical
and behavioral health services have
been getting more attention in the
press in recent years. Research studies
are illustrating the many ways medical
and behavioral health integrated
care improves patient health, reduces
treatment time, leads to fewer
appointments and, consequently,
care at a significantly lower cost (e.g.
Psychiatric Services, 2009; Journal
of the American Medical
Association, 2005).
Integration of medical and
behavioral health prevention and
treatment has been a long-standing
priority at IHCRC. Integration is
already accomplished in a number
of ways including integrated
patient charts, medical providers
positioned in the behavioral health
department and visa versa, clinic
wide screenings for mental illness,
substance abuse, and domestic
violence, and interdepartmental
patient referral systems. By promoting
interdisciplinary care, the staff at
IHCRC strives to address all areas of
an individual’s life and maximize the
potential for positive youth and family
development, support continuity
of care and to deliver a continuum
of acute and preventive health care.
With the return of the psychology
internship program, IHCRC is
helping train new professionals to
provide quality interdisciplinary health
care in a culturally sensitive manner.
2010 Annual Meeting and
Board Election of the Membership
November, 22 2010
6:30 pm Reception, 7:00 pm Meeting
Doubletree Tulsa Downtown
616 W. 7th St., Tulsa, Oklahoma
Please RSVP to (918) 382-1206 or
[email protected] by November 17
Thursday, Nov 11 Veterans Day
Thursday, Nov 25 Thanksgiving Day
Friday, Nov 26
Extended Thanksgiving
Thursday, Dec 23 Christmas Holiday
Friday, Dec 24
Christmas Eve
Friday, Dec 31
New Years
Monthly Staff Training Closings
First Wednesday morning of every month.
Clinic opens at 1 pm on these days.
Heart Savers Classes
To learn more about how to become a
participant in the Heart Saver’s Program
for Type II Diabetes, call Stacy Berg, CVD Case Manager at (918) 588-1900 ext. 3228.
Nurturing Families Classes
Classes are held every other Wednesday
from 1-2 pm at the IHCRC Satellite office,
1630 S. Main in the Conference Room.
Everyone is welcome – expecting
parents, new or experienced parents and
grandparents! Snacks provided, childcare
provided and transportation available.
Prenatal parents eligible for car seat
drawing (last Wednesday session of the
month) and baby door prizes.
For more information, contact Susan
Dudley, Maternal and Early Childhood
Case Manager at (918) 382-1292; LaToyia
Williams, Healthy Start Case Manager at
382-1275; Elizabeth Duncklee, LCSW at
382-3237 or Margaret McIntosh, Prenatal
Assistant at (918) 588-1900 ext. 4256.
Speakers:
November 10 – Owning your home
is easy as 1-2-3” presented by Heather
Martin, Tulsa Housing Authority.
November 24 – Native American
Thanksgiving with a turkey basket
give-away!
Building Healthy Habits
To learn more about building healthy
habits to: achieve a healthy weight;
get more physical activity; lower blood
cholesterol; prevent diabetes; or control
blood pressure, call Kay Meek, Health
Promotion/Disease Prevention Dietitian at
382-2226. Group weight loss classes are
also available.
Teen Birth
Rates Rising in
Oklahoma, Again.
12% increase outpaces other
states, Oklahoma moves to 2nd
highest in nation for older teens.
Report from the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy
O
klahoma’s teen birth rates are rising again, according to data
released this month by the National Center for Health Statistics.
The most startling change is the state’s birth rate for older teens,
ages 18-19, which jumped from 6th to 2nd highest in
2007, behind Mississippi. This age group represents
two-thirds of all Oklahoma teen births each year. The
Oklahoma birth rate for 15-17 year olds remained the
same, at 6th highest in the nation, between 2006 and
2007. Birth rates are the number of births per 1,000
females of the same age range.
The new data shows Oklahoma’s overall
2007 teen birth rate moved to 5th highest
(worst) for girls ages 15-19, up from 6th highest
in 2006. The state’s teen birth numbers and rates
showed a slow but steady decline between 1991-2005.
Oklahoma’s teen birth numbers reversed that trend in 2006,
with a dramatic 12% increase between 2005 and 2007.
This is disappointing news, but
not surprising news”, said Sharon
Rodine, Director of Youth Initiatives
for the Oklahoma Institute for Child
Advocacy. “Other states are stepping up
their efforts while Oklahoma is
doing less.”
State legislative and agency budget
cuts over the past two years have
resulted in the loss of effective primary
prevention programs throughout the
state. Health education programs and
services at the Emerson Teen Parent
Program in Oklahoma City and the
Margaret Hudson Program in Tulsa
were eliminated. Both provide academic
programs and support services that
keep teen parents in school and reduce
subsequent births among teens, which
represent one in five teen births in
Oklahoma each year.
“There is so much that needs to
be done in Oklahoma to help young
people finish school and start a career
before they take on the responsibilities
of parenting,” says Linda Terrell, MHR,
Executive Director of the Oklahoma
Institute for Child Advocacy. “Recent
state legislative and state agency budget
cuts have eliminated evidence-based
prevention programs”, she continued,
“If Oklahoma is serious about reducing
child poverty, child abuse and neglect,
and school dropouts, it needs to
get serious about investing in teen
pregnancy prevention programs that
show they work.”
The Oklahoma Institute for Child
Advocacy coordinates the Healthy
Teens OK initiative to promote
effective teen pregnancy prevention
strategies that link risk-reduction with
youth development approaches. For
more information, check:
www.healthyteensok.org.
About the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA)
Since 1983, OICA has been the “Voice for Oklahoma’s
Children”. By bringing people together, OICA works
to find common ground and stimulate change in local
communities and throughout the state. Each year, OICA
works with thousands of people to provide a collective
voice on issues ranging from maternal and child health,
early childhood education and expanded learning
opportunities, to youth development and leadership.
Through focusing resources on building new relationships,
cultivating strategic messages and working in partnership,
OICA is a strong constituency advocating for the needs of
children, youth and families in Oklahoma.
OICA is a 501(c) 3
nonprofit organization.
More information can be
found at www.oica.org.
Continued from page 47
IHCRC Native Nations Youth
NNYC will hold regular meetings on
the first and third Thursday of the
month, from 6:30 to 8 pm at the Youth
Services of Tulsa Activity Center,
located at 311 S. Madison Avenue,
just a few blocks northwest of the
IHCRC main clinic. Healthy food and
refreshments will be provided. Tobacco Cessation Classes
The IHCRC Health and Wellness
Department will be offering a six-week
smoking cessation class to be held on
Wednesday evenings at the IHCRC
Satellite Office, 1630 S. Main. Classes
are held on Wednesdays from 5:307 pm. We ask participants to attend
all six sessions. Interested participants
are eligible to receive Chantix nicotine
replacement therapy patches if they
attend at least four of the six sessions.
IHCRC will see patients on a one-onone basis as well, if schedule permits.
For more information or to enroll,
contact Clayton Tselee at (918)
588-1900 ext. 2244.
Native Nations Youth Council and
Camp Fire Community Family Club
The Native Nations Youth Council and
Camp Fire Community Family Club
meet on an ongoing basis. Contact
Kerri at 588-1900, ext. 3219 for more information.
Families in Motion
Families in Motion is a 12-week after
school program for youth ages 8-13
and their parents/guardians. This is a
chance for children to not only become
more physically active, but to also learn
the importance of physical activity,
while parents learn ways to enhance
children’s activity and nutrition. The fall
semester class has already started.
Reserve your space now for the
2011 spring semester. Classes meet
Tuesdays 4:00-4:45 at the IHCRC
clinic. Contact Kay Meek 382-2226 for
more information.
550 S. Peoria Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74120
918-588-1900 • www.ihcrc.org
If you would like to be removed from our
mailing list, contact Emily Bolusky at
918-382-1206 or ebolusky @ihcrc.org
2011
Dance of the
Two Moons
Saturday,
April 16, 2011
at the
Hard Rock Hotel
and Casino Tulsa
777 West
Cherokee Street,
Catoosa, OK
Honorary Chairs
Bert and Martha
Marshall
Emily Bolusky at
918-382-1206 or
[email protected]

Fall 2010

Transcription

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