Living better creates
health benefits
money can't buy!
Alaska Joint Legislative Health Caucus    Cochairs: Representative Sharon Cissna & Senator Donny Olson

UPCOMING
HEALTH
CAUCUS
FORUM

March 29, 2006
Noon to 1:00 p.m.
Butrovich Conference Room
State Capitol, Juneau, Alaska
*This forum will be teleconferenced throughout Alaska.

"Prevention – Whole Body Health"

The most vexing health issues of the state are challenged at the March 29th Health Caucus. A mix of Alaskans from around the state will tell of often easy, creative and delightful ways they have built health for themselves. They will talk about the many different ways that health, through the life span, can be achieved and improved.

Two health professionals begin the meeting, who have framed male and female health concerns over the life span. Prevention concerns for each generation will be defined in terms of the whole body.

* If you are interested in listening to the Health Caucus please go to your local Legislative Information Office and they will dial in for you. If you are unable to go there in person, please call our office at: 1-800-922-3875 and we will give you information on how to access the program. You can also go to our website at cissna.akdemocrats.org to access the powerpoint presentation of the program.

 

 

Hot Topic:
Affordable Health Tips

Health Legislation

 
HEALTH CREATION STORIES

Sharing stories, supporting others, asking for a hand when struggling with tough challenges --these seem like insignificant efforts, but if increasing numbers of Alaskans take these steps, the outcome could be very impressive. It could be impressive in how many harmful habits are curbed and how many dollars are not spent trying to correct the outcomes from poor choices. Ultimately, these steps could decrease the costs to our many Alaskan communities that deal with the social side of harmful habits.

This space in subsequent Prevention in Print will have stories of what people did to turn things around for themselves or others. I'd like to start with my own personal story.

Over two years ago I was diagnosed with cancer. After a successful operation, and a lot of thought about what I might have done to avoid another such experience I sought help. I went to my Advanced Nurse Practitioner. We discussed the risk factors that may increase cancer. The largest risk factor is aging. Aging is good, so no change is required. Another big risk is being overweight. I was in the obese range. My practitioner suggested that I cut sugar from my diet, and to cheat twice a week so I wouldn't feel deprived.

What I found was that in cutting sugar, I changed my taste. I began to crave more vegetables, fruits, nuts and other very healthy foods. My diet has changed substantially, based entirely on taste. I lose about one pound a month. I am no longer at an obese weight and am moving slowly toward a very healthy weight.

This is one story of prevention. We are collecting as many of these stories as we can. Many will be told during the March 29th Health Caucus, and we hope that it will be the beginning of learning the hundreds of thousands of ways that people have improved their lives and those of others. Please email the contact numbers for the Health Caucus with your own story, or that of someone close to you. This Prevention Compact that we can all be a part of will challenge the forecasts of poor health in this state, change our statistics and change our future.

Sharon Cissna

Hot Topic: Affordable Health Tip

The concept of prevention isn't limited to actions we take to help ourselves; it also includes those actions we take to help others. Currently many seniors in our state are still trying to decide whether or not to enroll in Medicare's Prescription Part D Program. For those of us who have been researching this new plan, it is easy to understand why many are confused and have delayed enrolling before the May 15th deadline.*

Help prevent someone you know from missing the initial May 15, 2006 enrollment deadline. Ask friends, family, and neighbors receiving Medicare benefits if they are currently covered by a prescription drug plan. Encourage those who are not already enrolled in a plan to contact one of the organizations listed below to receive enrollment information and assistance. It may be even more helpful if you offer to go with them to an information seminar or a scheduled appointment with a trained Medicare Part D assistant (see list below).

Remember, encouraging seniors to investigate approved drug plans could help them prevent unanticipated costs in the future on expensive prescription drugs. Even if a person does not currently require many medications, future health care needs may change. Enrolling now in a prescription drug plan is like signing up for additional insurance: if you need it, it's good to know extra coverage is available.

*Those eligible can still sign up after the initial deadline, however, they will face financial penalties for not registering before the May 15th date.

Resource List for Medicare Part D
May 15, 2006 is the deadline to receive lowest net cost

Call the following contacts to receive additional instructions or assistance:

1. Anchorage Senior Center – 258-7823
1300 E. 19th Ave., Anchorage
(Contact person is Julie. She offers one-on-one assistance by appointment.)

2. Older Persons Action Group – 276-1059
325 E. Third Ave. Suite 300, Anchorage
(Contact person is Rita Hatch. She is available to offer assistance Monday through Friday.)

3. Providence Alaska Medical Center - 562-2211
3200 Providence Dr., Anchorage
(Information seminars are offered during the week. Call for current schedule)

4. For Alaska Medicare or Senior Care information – (Anchorage) 269-3680 and (statewide) 1-800-478-6065 (www.seniorcare.alaska.gov)

The House Health and Social Services (HSS) Finance Subcommittee

The House and Senate Health and Social Services (HSS) Finance Subcommittees are the cornerstone for building the budget for the Department of Health and Social Services. Each year the HSS Subcommittee reviews the Governor's proposed budget, incorporates the various program requests, and recommends budget revisions or amendments to the main House Finance Committee. The HSS Subcommittee reviews funding for such diverse services as public health nursing, juvenile detention, foster care, adoptions, vital statistics, senior care and rehabilitative services. Both the House and Senate must ultimately approve the budget before sending it to the Governor to become law.

For complete information on this process, follow the link to Legislative Budget Handbook (p. 17). To read the current (FY07) House Finance Committee bills for HSS, simply click on HB 365 (operating budget) or HB 366 (mental health budget).

The HSS budget directly provides health prevention services and health care assistance to Alaska. All Alaskans benefit from services provided by at least one of HSS's nine divisions. Learn more about all the divisions within the Department of Health and Social Services by visiting their website and clicking on the link for the Fiscal Year 2007 Overview.

Listed below are examples of some of the services provided by this agency.

  • Alaska Pioneer Homes - Provides quality assisted living for seniors and veterans in a safe home environment.
  • Behavioral Health - Provides early mental health intervention programs, and integrated prevention and treatment recovery services to help people get back on the road to leading meaningful, productive lives.
  • Children's Services - Promotes stronger families and safer children including services for children who are at risk.
  • Health Care Services - Manages health care coverage for those in need, which prevents illnesses from evolving into more difficult to treat and costly diseases.
  • Juvenile Justice - Promotes public safety by enforcing accountability and providing skill development for "troubled teens."
  • Public Assistance - Promotes self-sufficiency by assisting people in developing skills that will lead to long-term job placements. Helps people to find affordable childcare so they can remain in the workforce.
  • Public Health – Provides population health affecting all Alaskans. Protects the people of the state during natural disasters, epidemics, or man-made emergencies (e.g. vaccines, public health nurses).
  • Senior and Disability Services – Assists the independence of seniors and people with physical and developmental disabilities by providing services that enable them to continue living in their homes without "burning out" caregivers or sending them to more costly nursing homes.

Alaska Joint Legislative Health Caucus

The Legislative Health Caucus is an informative program for Legislators, staff and interested Alaskans. It is designed to explore current health care issues from a statewide perspective and to build an information base for those who are building Alaskan health policy.

These forums provide conversations with people throughout the state involved in health issues as, health care practicianers, educators, business representatives, researchers and consumer leaders. During the session they are held in the Butrovich Committee Room, second floor of the State Capitol in Juneau at 12 Noon to 1:00 p.m. The public is encouraged to attend. Beginning with the March 29th Health Caucus, the forums will be health once a month, with the exception of December and June, months when the legislative offices are moving to and from Juneau. The interim Health Caucus forums will normally be held in Anchorage.

During the Legislative session the forums are confined to a one-hour period due to rigorous scheduling limitations. The interim forums will not only be able to supply greater comprehensive information, but will be video teleconferenced as well as audio teleconferenced. The May issue of Prevention in Print will list the upcoming interim Health Caucus agendas.

Each Health Caucus forum has a prescheduled agenda to maximize the amount of information on the target issue from the statewide resources. Public attendance is welcomed, and when time allows, those present (at a Legislative Information Office site, by phone or in person) are welcomed to ask questions and make comments about the topic under discussion. To locate the legislative office nearest your home, check the following LINK. If you cannot attend the forums telephonically from your local Legislative Information Office, dial into the caucus by calling 1-888-295-4546.

For more information, please contact the Health Caucus Coordinator, Lucinda Folsom at 1-800-922-3875 (This is a year-round message phone. During the legislative session it is a voice phone.) During the interim, 907-269-0190 is the voice phone number to speak to Coordinator Folsom. If you are interested in volunteering in the advisory group discussions or in preparing for each caucus meeting, please call the Caucus Coordinator.

Health Caucus CoChairs:
Senator Donny Olson is a Physician by training and practice from the community of Nome, Alaska.
Representative Sharon Cissna was trained and served as a Mental Health Counselor and is an Anchorage legislator.

The following former forum power points can be downloaded at: http://cissna.akdemocrats.org.

  • Fiscal Hemorraging in Health Services (Decreasing Health Costs); The Big View of Individual Senior & Their Health Care; Does Alaska Health Training Make the Grade?; Can Alaska Afford Its Next Drink? ("Alcohol and Alaskan Health"); Alaska's State of Mind (Is Alaska's Mental Health Improving?); Who Covers You? (Health Insurance); Targeting Access (Week of the Uninsured.)
  • Health Research: Who knows what's happening; From Tooth Decay to Social Decay: It's all about Prevention; Medicaid True Stories behind the Math; 911: It's Your Life (Emergency Services in Alaska); Hi-Tech Health (How Technology Improves Health); Let's Get Alaska Covered! (Week of the Uninsured.)
  • Alcohol – The Great Destroyer; "Helping People" Beyond Roads (Rural Mental Health; Getting to the Heart of Prescription Drugs; Black Holes in the Health Universe; Whole Body Health (Prevention, March 29, 2006); Health Now! (Week of the Uninsured, May 1, 2006.)