Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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I first want to start this week’s update by expressing my gratitude to our state’s congressional delegation with regards to the recent passage of Senate Bill 1478 in Congress. This bill would designate U.S. Hwy 20 in the states of Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts as the “National Medal of Honor Highway.” While then-Governor Ricketts approved the renaming of U.S. Hwy 20 in Nebraska as the “Nebraska Medal of Honor Hi...
Good dental health in children is crucial for overall well-being. Healthy teeth enable proper chewing, speech development, and contribute to self-esteem. Prioritizing dental health through education, preventive care, and regular check-ups lays the foundation for a lifetime of healthy smiles. The following topics are common discussion points of children's dental health. First dental visit Children should visit the dentist by their first birthday or within six months after their first tooth...
Pain in your mouth is difficult to ignore, especially when it affects everyday activities like speaking, eating, or sleeping. Here are some of the most common reasons to visit your dentist. The first sign to visit your dentist is a persistent toothache. Sometimes our teeth can hurt temporarily due to things like teeth whitening or sinus issues. However, if a toothache does not go away, or goes away and then comes back, this is a good sign to visit your dentist to identify the source of pain. Pai...
Routine visits to the dentist are key to maintaining overall health. Preventive dental care starts at home. We advise patients to brush twice a day, usually in the morning and before bed, for two minutes followed by flossing. Eating healthy is also crucial to maintaining oral health. Sugary foods and beverages are key factors in tooth decay. Acid is produced when the bacteria in your mouth break down sugar. That acid dissolves the tooth surface leading to tooth decay. Preventive dental care...
My family has a fondness for crime dramas and thrillers. It isn't uncommon to watch a scene in which a peacefully-sleeping individual wakes when a shadowy figure approaches their bedside with a pillow. Predictably, the assailant calmly presses that pillow over the face of their victim and waits until the struggling stops. For millions of us, the threat in our bedrooms isn't some malevolent other, but rather our own bodies and brains. We may get our next breath, but for those with sleep apnea, it can be a struggle. Sleep apnea has two basic...
TV is flooded these days with commercials encouraging everyone to sign up for Medicare Advantage. What is MA and why are they doing this? First of all, a bit of history. For more than 30 years, Congress has debated whether the private insurance industry could deliver Medicare benefits more efficiently than the federal government. In 2003, these efforts evolved into what is now known as Medicare Part C or, more commonly, Medicare Advantage. MA plans, operated by private insurance companies, cover...
Many people find themselves being told, “Your blood pressure is pretty high today.” You might be at the dentist’s office for a filling, in the emergency room getting stitches after an avocado mishap, or maybe you’re at your annual physical appointment. If you’ve never had high blood pressure, you might be surprised at this news Sometimes my own patients will call my office after such an event, “Doc, should I be on blood pressure medication?” When we get these calls our typical answer is: ma...
If I asked you to name a chronic disease, you would probably think of conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer or dementia. The odds are, one of the most common chronic diseases would never cross your mind. Worldwide, this condition affects more than 3 billion people and causes significant physical and emotional suffering. Annually, it costs the American economy upwards of $45 billion in productivity. Our children miss nearly 35 million hours of school. Our emergency rooms field...
Wayne State announced recently that 46 students have been chosen for the highly selective Rural Health Opportunities Program for fall 2022. Natalie Stallbaum, of Ewing, and Lainey Meyer, of Page, were selected for the medical laboratory science program. Established in 1989 and successfully launching health-care careers ever since, RHOP is a unique cooperative program between Wayne State and the University of Nebraska Medical Center to meet the healthcare needs of rural communities, which make up a majority of Nebraska. Students selected for...
The Miles of Smiles program is a school-based dental program offered to all 35 elementary and middle school students within North Central District Health Department's nine-county health district. Miles of Smiles offers a complete oral screening done by a registered dental hygienist, along with an application of an optional fluoride treatment. Even if an individual sees a dentist every six months, this program can still aid a child's dental care. According to the American Dental Association, fluo...
Avera Public Transportation contracts with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to provide rides for approved non-emergency medical appointments to those eligible for Medicaid. Drivers take patients, who live approximately 75 miles from O'Neill, to health care destinations, including appointments in Norfolk, Yankton, Omaha, Lincoln, Grand Island, Kearney,Sioux Falls and Sioux City, as well as others. Medicaid-eligible riders need to contact their insurance providers for more...
For end-of-the-year columns, it’s customary to recap events of the past 12 months, usually highlighting a mix of good and bad. Because this year has been dominated by health, and my beat is health, it seems fitting to reflect on where we are. Where we are is not good. A headline in the Los Angeles Times seemed to sum up the current state of the U.S. health care system: “Bodies pile up, patient care falters as COVID-19 devastates L.A. County hospitals.” In the Times’ story, a hospital critical care nurse says, “No one would believe this is the U...
TRENTON BUHR Policy Assistant Center for Rural Affairs Nearly two years after voters approved a measure to expand Medicaid, Nebraskans will finally start to see the benefits take shape. Enrollment will begin Aug.1. To be eligible, an applicant’s annual income must be at, or below, 138% of the federal poverty level, which is roughly $17,000 for an individual or $35,000 for a family of four. Additional circumstances, such as a health condition, dependents or valuable assets, could alter eligibility. As is standard practice, enrollee eligibility w...
MADELEINE GRANT Nebraska News Service More than 90,000 additional Nebraskans are now eligible to apply for Medicaid, the government’s health insurance program for low-income individuals, the governor has announced. Nebraska residents can begin applying Aug. 1 at ACCESSNebraska.ne.gov and the coverage will take effect on Oct 1. The expansion was first approved in 2018 by Nebraska voters via Initiative 427. The department's Medicaid division submitted state plan amendments to the federal government in April 2019 and made preparations, such as sta...
Nebraskans are urged to stay home and stay healthy for the next three weeks. Thursday afternoon, Gov. Pete Ricketts announced six rules to lessen the impact of COVID-19: stay home, social distance, shop alone once per week, assist children with social distancing, help older populations social distance and exercise at home. Ricketts said the recommendations are not a stay-at-home order or a shelter-in-place order. "As we wage war against the virus, we are asking Nebraskans to further limit...
Nebraskans are urged to stay home and stay healthy for the next three weeks. Thursday afternoon, Gov. Pete Ricketts announced six rules to lessen the impact of COVID-19: stay home, social distance, shop alone once per week, assist children with social distancing, help older populations social distance and exercise at home. Ricketts said the recommendations are not a stay-at-home order or a shelter-in-place order. "As we wage war against the virus, we are asking Nebraskans to further limit...
UPDATED: APRIL 1, 2020 @ 8:04 P.M. North Central District Health Department, in communication with state officials, have signed the NCDHD counties, including Antelope, Boyd, Brown, Cherry, Holt, Keya Paha, Knox, Pierce and Rock, into the Directed Health Measures, effective April 1, at 10 p.m., through May 11, unless the order is extended. Please read the Directed Health Measures in full carefully, they can be found on the Department of Health and Human Services website at htt...
