National Rural Health Day - Celebrating the Power of Rural Utah

(Salt Lake City, UT) – For the first time ever, on November 17, 2011, the nation is recognizing the importance of rural health by celebrating National Rural Health Day.  In Utah, Governor Gary Herbert named October Rural Health Month and Rural Health Practitioner Recognition Month.  The designation is aimed at reinforcing the commitment from all sectors to improve access to and quality of health service in Utah’s rural communities.

Teryl Eisinger, Director of the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) explains, “Today more than ever, rural communities must tackle accessibility issues, a lack of health care providers, the needs of an aging population suffering from a greater number of chronic conditions, and larger percentages of uninsured and under-insured citizens.” 

Utah statistics underscore the need to focus on small communities.  One in every four Utahns lives in a rural (more than six but fewer than 100 people per square mile) or frontier (six or fewer people per square mile) county. Of Utah’s 29 counties, four are urban, 12 are rural, and 13 are frontier.

Events recognizing National Rural Health Day and “Celebrating the Power of Rural” are planned throughout the nation. In Utah, the Tooele County Health Department (TCHD) is presenting TOP Star (Targeting Obesity in Preschool and Child Care Settings) workshops at Kids R People Too Day Care in Wendover, UT on November 17 and 18, 2011 for day care staff members. The workshops will address childhood obesity, nutrition in child care settings, and personal health. For more information on this program, visit http://health.utah.gov/obesity/pages/TOPSTAR.php.

In Summit County, the Summit County Health Department will promote National Rural Health Awareness Day using local media.

The Utah State Office of Primary Care and Rural Health will hold a seminar on Diabetes and Rural Communities presented by Eileen DeLeeuw, MS, RD, CDE, Diabetes Coalition Coordinator, Tooele County Health Department. The seminar will be held November 17, 2011, from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm at 3760 S. Highland Dr., 5th Floor Board Room. The seminar will also be available online. To register for the online presentation, email oquinone@utah.gov or call 801-273-6620 with your name, organization name, and telephone number.

All 50 states maintain a State Office of Rural Health (SORH) to foster relationships, disseminate information, and provide technical assistance that improves access to, and quality of, health care for its rural citizens. As Utah’s SORH, the Utah Office of Primary Care and Rural Health (OPCRH) contributes $540,000 in grants to rural health organizations to support access to primary care, mental health, and dental care. Additionally, OPCRH provides more than $160,000 in grants to rural hospitals to support projects to improve health care in their communities.

For more information about National Rural Health Day, visit www.celebratepowerofrural.org. To learn more about NOSORH, visit www.nosorh.org. And for more information about the Utah Office of Primary Care and Rural Health, visit http://health.utah.gov/primarycare/ or contact Owen Quinonez, Community Health Specialist, at oquinone@utah.gov or by phone at 801-273-6620.

Media Contact:

Owen Quinonez

Community Health Specialist

(801) 273-6620

Community Service for Health Care Coverage - Public Input Needed

(Salt Lake City, UT) – The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) invites public input as the State embarks on another effort to transform Medicaid.  If approved by the federal government, the new pilot program will require a select group of fewer than 100 Medicaid enrollees to give service to the community in exchange for their health program benefit. 

Medicaid is committed to a public process in the development and implementation of the proposed initiative.  Members of the public are invited to come to the following meetings to provide their input:

Informal Public Work Group

Thursday, Nov. 10, 3:30 - 5:00 p.m.

Cannon Health Building (288 North 1460 West, Salt Lake City), Room 128

Formal Public Hearing

Thursday, Nov. 17, 3:30 - 5:00 p.m.

Cannon Health Building (288 North 1460 West, Salt Lake City), Room 125

House Bill 211 (2011), sponsored by Rep. Ronda Menlove, directed UDOH to develop this pilot program and submit a waiver amendment to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).  If approved, the amendment will allow the State to modify enrollment rules for the Primary Care Network (PCN), which will create a new eligibility group for the pilot participants.  Applications will be accepted only during open enrollment periods and approved applicants will receive the same medical benefits afforded to other PCN clients. 

Medicaid officials believe the service donation will help build a sense of contribution to the program and enhance the client’s experience. The waiver application will be available for review and comment on November 15, 2011 at http://health.utah.gov/medicaid/HB211proposal.htm.

In addition to providing comment during the public hearings, written comments will also be accepted through December 2, 2011.  Comments may be submitted to the Utah Department of Health, Division of Medicaid and Health Financing, PO Box 143102, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-3102 or to cdevashrayee@utah.gov.   

Media Contact:

Kolbi Young

Public Relations Coordinator

(801) 538-6847 office

(801) 231-6350 cell

Learn the Signs and Symptoms of Juvenile Diabetes

(SALT LAKE CITY) – As part of National Diabetes Awareness Month, the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) is urging parents to be aware of the signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children.

Type 1 diabetes can occur in any child at any age, even in babies and toddlers. Often, the symptoms go unrecognized and the disease is only diagnosed when the child becomes critically ill with a potentially life-threatening condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). DKA is highly preventable. The sooner it is known, the sooner appropriate treatment can be administered.

Symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children can include any of the following:

•     Feeling very thirsty all the time

•     Passing urine very frequently and wetting the bed

•     Weight loss

•     Excessive, unexplained tiredness

•     Blurred vision

•     Sweet or fruity-smelling breath.

The UDOH has partnered with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in Salt Lake City to help raise awareness of the symptoms associated with type 1 diabetes.

“With National Diabetes Month we have a valuable opportunity to educate parents about the symptoms of type 1,” said Laura Western, executive director of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) in Salt Lake City.  “It is our job to not only support families living with this devastating disease but to also teach the community critical diabetes warning signs so children don’t go undiagnosed for months, becoming dangerously ill,’ Western added.  “You can live a normal life with this chronic illness, but the first obstacle to overcome is being diagnosed.”

Diabetes is a way of life for the Weeks family of West Jordan. Two of their three children have type 1, also called juvenile diabetes. The family learned that Tyson, now four years old, had diabetes when he was just two. Seven-year-old Brooklyn was diagnosed at the age of four.

“Brooklyn became very thirsty and was constantly making trips to the bathroom,” said her mom, Shannon. “When she started having two or three accidents at night, we knew something was wrong, but didn’t know enough about diabetes to put two and two together.”

And Brooklyn had other symptoms: mood swings, dry, itchy skin, sweet-smelling breath, and weight loss. She was very sick. One trip to the doctor, and a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes would change their lives. The Weeks family took a crash course in learning how to help their daughter live with the disease.

That knowledge helped the Weeks family recognize symptoms in two-year-old Tyson very early, before he became as ill as Brooklyn was.

“There is nothing I did wrong for my kids to get diabetes. It had nothing to do with diet or exercise. Type 1 is an autoimmune disease that couldn’t be prevented,” says Shannon.

The ADA offers a service called Family Link, a volunteer-led program that allows families living with diabetes to get to know other families with the same conditions. The ADA also offers Safe at School trainings that teach parents what their child’s rights are while attending school. 

Jennifer Jacobson of the UDOH Diabetes Program says, “While nothing can stop the onset of type 1 diabetes, better awareness of the signs and symptoms can help parents recognize it so doctors can diagnosis it early, before a child faces a life-or-death crisis.”

For more information about type 1 diabetes, visit http://health.utah.gov/diabetes/.

Media Contact:

Jennifer Jacobson, BS

Marketing Coordinator

Diabetes Prevention and Control Program

(o) 801-538-6248  (m) 801-598-9599

Utah Parents on the Lookout for Children's Developmental Issues

(SALT LAKE CITY) – In Utah, one in every nine children has a special health care need, chronic health condition, or disability. In an effort to educate parents about childhood development, including early warning signs of autism and other developmental disabilities, the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) today launched the Learn the Signs. Act Early (LTSAE) campaign at University of Utah Health Care’s (UUHC) Westridge Health Center.

As part of the campaign, a new UDOH website, www.health.utah.gov/utahactearly, will give parents tools to help them track developmental milestones in the fight to recognize and address early childhood delays.

“The site outlines all the milestones a child should achieve by each birthday,” said Al Romeo, RN, LTSAE program coordinator. “The site also tells parents what to do and where to go for help right away if they’re concerned about the way their child plays, learns, speaks, or acts.” 

Early identification allows parents to seek help during the crucial period of a child’s early development. The sooner problems are identified, the better the chance children will get help and reach their full potential. Many conditions, such as hearing and vision impairments, autism, and intellectual disability, can be identified early by watching for children to reach milestones like talking, walking, pointing, and responding when parents call their name.

“We want parents to realize that although every child is different and develops at his or her own pace, there are still milestones each child should reach within a certain timeframe,” said Romeo. “We hope that this program will help parents identify delays and also encourage them to talk with their providers about their concerns.”

The UDOH will reach out to as many families as possible through community meetings, Internet  advertising, and even Facebook and Twitter.

Some of the milestone tracking tools will be available from local partners, the UDOH Office of Vital Records and Statistics will include milestone lists with birth certificates, and U of U Health Care’s community clinics will be offering tools during well-child visits.

“Acting early to screen for developmental disabilities can lead to interventions that may help with or reverse those delays,” said Paul Carbone, M.D., U of U Health Care pediatrician. “Enrolling children in early intervention programs and taking advantage of proven therapies can help keep them from falling further behind as they start and progress through the school years.”

The U of U Health Care Department of Pediatrics, UDOH Bureau of Children with Special Health Care Needs, and Utah State University’s Center for Persons with Disabilities have been training primary care providers across the state to incorporate developmental and autism screening in well-child care for all their patients. The Westridge Health Center, with input from parents, implemented quality improvement processes to screen children for delays and refer them to local providers for additional testing and treatment.

The campaign is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. Salt Lake County is one of only four locations in the country to receive a grant to launch the campaign. Other locations include St. Louis, MO, Anchorage, AK (and surrounding areas), and Yakima, WA (and surrounding areas). The cities in the southwest corner of Salt Lake County, from West Valley City to Herriman, have a higher number of young children than surrounding cities and are the focus of the campaign evaluation.

LTSAE began with a baseline telephone survey in September and will end with a follow-up survey in the summer of 2012.  The CDC will incorporate the information gathered from the four launch areas before taking the campaign to other states.

For more information, visit www.health.utah.gov/utahactearly.

Media Contact:

Al Romeo

Program Coordinator

801-584-8535

Learn the Signs. Act Early.

What:   In an effort to educate parents about childhood development, including early warning signs of autism and other developmental disabilities, UDOH will announce the launch of a new campaign that will give parents tools to help them track milestones in the fight to recognize and address early childhood delays.

Why:     One in every nine children in Utah has a special health care need, chronic health condition, or disability. Research has shown that the earlier these problems are identified, the better the chance children will get help and reach their full potential.                

When:  Wednesday, October 26, 2011, 10:00 a.m.

Where:  University of Utah Health Care’s Westridge Health Center

              3730 West 4700 South

  West Valley City, UT

Interview Opps:

Al Romeo, R.N., PhD., Children with Special Health Care Needs Bureau

Paul Carbone, M.D., University of Utah Health Care, developmental pediatrician

Mary Shapiro, M.D., University of Utah Health Care, pediatrician

Emily Smith, Parent Partner at Westridge Health Center

 -End-

Media Contact:

Al Romeo

Program Coordinator

801-584-8535