Community Health Clinic, Inc. Primary Care for All Ages August 2016 Newsletter Inside this issue: Clinic News Briefs 2 Senior Fair 2 Photos 3 Health Tips Zika 4 Health Tips 5 Outreach News 6 PA DEPUTY SECRETARY FOR HEALTH, LOREN ROBINSON, MD. ATTENDS NATIONAL HEALTH CENTER WEEK MEET AND GREET New Kensington Clinic 943 Fourth Ave. New Kensington, PA 15068 Medical/ Behavioral Health P. 724.335.3334 F. 724.335.2283 Dental 947 Fourth Avenue New Kensington, PA 15068 P. 724.335.2862 Vandergrift Clinic 179 Columbia Ave. Vandergrift, PA 15690 P. 724.567.5671 Raji Jayakrishnan, CHC Executive Director (left) greets Loren Robinson MD. PA Deputy Director for Health As part of CHC s celebration of National Health Center Week-August 7th- 13th 2016, Community Health Clinic welcomed Dr. Loren Robinson, the Pennsylvania Deputy Director of Health, for a clinic tour and meet and greet. Also present were CHC board members, and representatives of local social services, religious organizations, medical facilities and government who were able to voice their concerns to Dr. Robinson and also learn about the services Community Health Clinic provides to the community. Other National Health Center Week events included a visit by Speckles the Clown, and an outreach to Allegheny County Housing Authority residents. Additionally, Community Health Clinic s Vandergrift clinic was host to the monthly Coffee and Connections event by the AK Strong Chamber of Commerce. The Valley News Dispatch featured a story about the Deputy Secretary s visit. Please see this link to read the story. http://triblive.com/news/ valleynewsdispatch/10942551-74/health-clinic-issues Please see page 3 for more photos from the weeks events. Please Follow Us www.communityhealthclinic.org To unsubscribe from our email list send an email to: smcmannis@communityhealthclinic.org
COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC NEWS IN BREIF CHC extends a hearty welcome to Ms. Nina Martin, Ms. Bernadette Thorwart and Ms. Maura Bobonich. Nina joins the outreach department as an outreach specialist. Nina will be glad to speak to your organization or group about the wide-range of Community Health Clinic services. Bernadette joins the clinic office as a medical biller and Maura serves as a medical assistant. REGISTER TO VOTE AT CHC Call 724.889.2783 to schedule an appointment to register to vote. October 11, 2016 is the last day to register in order to be able to vote in the Presidential Election on November 8, 2016. DENTAL LABORATORY SERVICES Community Health Clinic Dental Laboratory services are now available. Services available include: Dentures Partials Maintenance of Crowns For more information or to schedule an appointment please call 724.335.2862 IN-PERSON SNAP APPLICATION ASSISTANCE CHC is partnering with the Westmoreland County Food Bank to provide in person assistance to apply for SNAP (Food Stamps) benefits one day per month at either our New Kensington or Vandergrift Clinics. The next SNAP clinic will be Sept. 20th from 9am-4pm at our New Kensington clinic. SENIOR FAIR SEPTEMBER 21ST 2016 Community Health Clinic and the Alle-Kiski Center for Active Adults are jointly sponsoring a Senior Health and Wellness Fair, Wednesday September 21st from 10am-3pm. The event will be held at the Alle-Kiski Center for Active Adults 1039 Third Avenue, New Kensington. All seniors in the AK Valley are welcome to attend. Hors d oeuvres will be served. To date over 20 organizations have registered to attend including: the Blackburn Center, Senator Toomey s Office, Presbyterian Senior Care, New Kensington City, Alle-Kiski Hope Center, Family Services of Western PA, Enlivant, PA Career Link, WCCC Senior Community Service Employment Program, Belair Health and Rehab, Senator Brewster s office, Allegheny Valley Hospital, YMCA, Home Health Services, Platinum Ridge, Westmoreland County Department of Human Services, and the New Kensington Ambulance Service. The event is free to all. Questions? 724.889.2783 Page 2
NATIONAL HEALTH CENTER WEEK Page 3
HEALTH TIPS FACTS ABOUT THE ZIKA VIRUS As of August 17th there have been 14 cases of locally transmitted Zika in the United States. There have been no locally transmitted cases reported in Pennsylvania. There have been 2,245 travel associated cases in the US of which 69 cases were reported in Pennsylvania. Zika is transmitted by 3 primary ways 1. Mosquito Bites 2. Sexual Contact 3. Mother to Child During Pregnancy To date there are no reports of infants getting Zika through breastfeeding. The mosquitos carrying the Zika virus are aggressive daytime biters, but can also bite at night. Symptoms of Zika Most people infected with Zika won t even know they have the disease because they won t have symptoms. The most common symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (pink eye). Other common symptoms include muscle pain and headache. Pregnant women should see their doctor if they develop these symptoms and let him or her know if they have traveled recently. He or she may order blood tests to look for Zika or other similar viruses like dengue or chikungunya. (All information thanks to the (CDC) Centers for Disease Prevention and Control ) How to protect yourself against Zika-the CDC recommends: 1. Avoid travel to areas affected with Zika 2. Prevent sexual transmission of Zika by using condoms or abstaining from sex during pregnancy 3. Use EPA-registered insect repellants with one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or para-menthane-diol. These are proven safe and effective for pregnant and breast-feeding women. 4. Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants when outdoors. 5. Stay in places with air conditioning and screens to keep mosquitoes out 6. Take steps to control mosquitos inside and outside the home by removing any nearby small pools of water where mosquitos can lay eggs and repairing any damaged window or door screens. For more information visit these websites: For General Information www.cdc.gov/zika Zika in the United States http://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/united-states.html Preventing mosquito bites Preventing Zika http://www.cdc.gov/zika/prevention/index.html Travel warnings http://www.cdc.gov/zika/prevention/preventmosquito-bites.html http://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/activecountries.html Page 4
HEALTH TIPS BACK TO SCHOOL SAFETY This week marks the return of many of our children to school. Here are some tips to keep them safe on their journey to and from school. Drivers When backing out of a driveway or leaving a garage, watch out for children walking or bicycling to school When driving in neighborhoods with school zones, watch out for young people who may be thinking about getting to school, but not thinking of getting there safely. Slow down. Watch for children playing and congregating near bus stops. Be Alert. Children arriving late for the bus may dart into the street without looking for traffic. Learn and obey the school bus laws. Learn the flashing signal light system. Yellow flashing lights indicate the bus is preparing to stop-motorists should slow down and prepare to stop. Red flashing lights and extended stop arms indicate the bus has stopped and children are getting on and off. Motorists must stop their cars and wait until the lights are off and the stop arm withdrawn. Children Get to the bus stop at least 5 minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive When the bus approaches stand at least 3 giant steps (6 feet) away from the curb, and line up away from the street. Wait until the bus stops, the door opens, and the driver says that it is okay before stepping onto the bus. If you have to cross the street in front of the bus, walk on the sidewalk or along the side of the road to a point at least 5 giant steps (10 feet) ahead of the bus before you cross. Be sure the bus driver can see you, and you can see the bus driver. Use the handrails to avoid falls. Never walk behind the bus. Walk at least three giant steps away from the side of the bus. If you drop something near the bus, tell the bus driver. Never try to pick it up because the driver may not be able to see you. Information courtesy of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Page 5
CHC OUTREACH NEWS OPEN ENROLLMENT Open Enrollment for the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace starts November 1, 2016 and ends January 31, 2017. All of the health insurers in our area have requested rate increases, but the final rates have not been determined. Current Marketplace consumers are urged to return to the Marketplace prior to December 15, 2016 to update their income information and shop for plans. For free, assistance by a Certified Application Counselor call 724.889.2783 UNDERSTANDING PROVIDER NETWORKS What is a Provider Network? A provider network is a list of doctors and other healthcare providers that a plan has contracted with to provide medical care to the plan s members. These are called network or in-network providers. Types of Provider Networks: NOV 1 Preferred Provider Organization (PPOs) give you the choice of getting care from innetwork or out-of-network providers. You pay less if you use in-network providers. You will pay more to use out-of-network providers and may have higher out-of-pocket costs for services. In PPOs you can visit any doctor without getting a referral. Point of Service Plans (POS); These plans let you get medical care from both in-network and out-of-network providers. You must choose a primary care doctor from a list of participating providers. Your primary care doctor can refer you to other network providers. To visit an outof-network provider you will also need a referral and will pay higher out-of-pocket costs. Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs): HMOs usually limit care to in-network providers. If you use a doctor or facility that is not in the network, you may have to pay the full cost for the services you receive. HMOs usually have a primary care doctor and require referrals to see specialists. Exclusive Provider Networks (EPOs) EPOs limit care to the providers in their network. In addition to the provider networks listed above, some health plans have additional networks or tiers that determine which doctors are in the plan and whether the cost of the plan is higher to include access to more doctors or whether co-pays are higher to see doctors in different tiers. It is important for consumers to check to see if their providers are in network for the plan they choose. Emergency Services: If you get emergency services from an out-of-network provider, those services will be covered by a Marketplace plan as if they were in-network. However, providers may bill you for some additional costs associated with the emergency services you receive. OUTREACH EVENTS Please join Community Health Clinic at these local events. Labor United Celebration-Northmoreland Park Sunday September 4th 11am-7pm and Labor Day, Monday September 5th 10am-6pm. Band Blast-Memorial Park, New Kensington Sunday September 11th 12pm-8pm Free assistance applying for Marketplace, Medicaid, CHIP and VA health coverage is available from CHC please call 724.889.2783 Page 6