Presorted Standard U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 11 Gunnison, UT ECRWSS Volume 4 • Number 25 Thursday, June 19, 2008 Copy Price • 75 cents Why do you relay? July 3rd Auction by MONICA JENSEN Sanpete County Relay for Life Co-Chairman I relay because of the words, “You have Cancer.” Those three words have brought more fear into my life than any other three words in the English dictionary. I also relay for my dad and sister that I lost to cancer. These words, are unfortunately a common phrase as one in 12 people will be diagnosed with some type of cancer in their lifetime. Although these words haven’t been said directly to me, when someone in your family is diagnosed, it affects all of us. The first time I heard those words, my 32 year old sister was told she had breast cancer. The next six years were a battle to keep her alive, and to try and give her five children a sense of a normal life. Between surgeries, chemo, radiation, and eventually lung cancer, you kind of forget what a normal life is. This year, about 565,650 Americans are expected to die from cancer. This year around 41 people from Sanpete County will be diagnosed with some form of cancer. In Utah, breast cancer is the most common for women and prostate is the most common for men. I remember sitting with my family waiting for the doc- On Tuesday June 24th, those living in the South Sanpete School District will have the opportunity to vote on a bond election that will allow the school district to construct new elementary schools in Gunnison, Ephraim and an addition to Manti Elementary School. Voting locations will be as follows; Axtell and Centerfield residents will vote at Centerfield Town Hall, 130 South Main, Centerfield; Gunnison residents will vote at the Gunnison Senior Citizen Center, 38 West Center, Gunnison; Fayette residents will vote at the Fayette LDS Church, 99 South 100 East, Fayette; and Mayfield residents will vote at the Mayfield City Hall, 52 North Main, Mayfield. Every vote is important. Come and let your voice be heard. Better late than never After a colder than usual spring, the farms and gardens in the Valley are finally starting to produce. Newell Pickett is pictured cutting his first crop hay just west of town. tor to tell us what we already knew. What else could cause so much pain to a normally healthy man. I can’t imagine how it feels to be told you have stage four cancer. I just know how I felt. It was like I had had the wind knocked out of me, repeatedly. Once again, for the next two years, surgery, chemo, radiation, and many hours on the road became a part of my life. My dad was very proactive so before he started his chemo he wanted his head shaved so it wouldn’t be such a mess when it started to fall out. He let all of the grandkids take a turn shaving his head. Chemo is a funny thing because his hair grew back during his treatments. In the end cancer did a lot to my dad, but it was never able to take away his dignity. He died at age 70. So why do I relay? I relay for my nieces and nephews who haven’t had their mom at any of their proms, graduations or weddings. I relay for my own children because I don’t want them to ever hear the words, “You have Cancer.” On June 27-28 Sanpete County will host our “Relay for Life.” This is a chance for everyone to come together and support a great cause. It will be held at the Gunnison Valley High School football field Donations are being sought for the annual July 3rd auction. Any and all items are welcomed. Be creative and support this event. The Gunnison Valley Sesquicentennial Committee is this year’s sponsor. Proceeds will be used to fund events for the entire valley during the 2009 Sesquicentennial year. 2009 is also Centerfield City’s centennial year. The first event will be a “First Night” celebration on December 31st to welcome in the 2009 year. Another fun event is planned for Memorial Day weekend with a wagon train reenactment of settlers coming to the Gunnison Valley. A Mountain Man rendezvous will be held at the city park following the wagon train arrival. Items may be brought to the city park the night of July 3rd or anytime at the city hall. For more information please contact the city offices at 528-7969 or Lori Nay at 5287136. Courtesy Photo Xavier Jensen shaves his grandfather’s head to prepare for chemo treatments. and it will be held from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Teams from around the county will be walking the track all night long. Cancer never sleeps, so for one night neither will we. So ask yourself, “Why do you Relay?” Mark Henline/Gunnison Valley Gazette Joy Weber, Amy Anderson, Pat Sehorn, Debra Humphrey, Barbara Lund and Shanalee Lewis with their award from HealthInsight for excellence in patient care. Gunnison Valley Hospital Home Health earns 2008 HealthInsight Quality Award A Look Back Upon My Youth I look back upon my youth and realize how so many people gave me help, and understanding, and courage and very important things and they never knew it. They entered into my life and became powers within me. Often unknowingly in the significant hours of our life, all of us live spiritually by what others have given us. At the time, these significant hours may not even be perceived. We may not recognize them until years later when we look back, as one remembers some long ago music or a childhood landscape. We all owe to others much of the gentleness and wisdom that we have made our own. And we may ask ourselves, “What will others owe to us?” by Albert Schweitzer Gunnison Valley Hospital Home Health has been presented with the 2008 HealthInsight Quality Award for demonstrating high quality health care and excellence in performance on publicly reported quality of care measures and other specified quality markers. “HealthInsight is pleased to recognize Gunnison Valley Hospital Home Health for its dedication and achievements in improving patient care,” said Marc Bennett, President and CEO of HealthInsight. HealthInsight is the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for Nevada and Utah. The HealthInsight Quality Award acknowledges home health agencies that are actively engaged in advancing care in one or more of the following areas: • Percentage of patients who had to be admitted to the hospital • Percentage of patients who get better at walking or moving around • Percentage of patients who get better at getting in and out of bed • Percentage of patients who have less pain when moving around • Percentage of patients whose bladder control improves • Percentage of patients who get better at bathing • Percentage of patients who get better at taking their medicines correctly (by mouth) • Percentage of patients who are short of breath less often • Percentage of patients who stay at home after an episode of home health care ends • Percentage of patients whose wounds improved or healed after an operation • Percentage of patients who need unplanned medical care related to a wound that is new, is worse, or has become infected The clinical topics measured for the awards have been designated as national healthcare priorities by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The HealthInsight Quality Award Program was launched in September 2004 to promote transparency in health care. According to the Institute of Medicine, transparency in health care means a system that is “accountable to the public, works openly, makes results known, and builds trust through disclosure.” By using available quality data to identify high performing providers and publicizing the results, HealthInsight aims to help providers improve health care and help patients become more active and informed participants in that care. For more information on the HealthInsight Quality Awards visit www.healthinsight.org. “The staff at Gunnison Valley Hospital Home Health is dedicated to providing the very best in patient care, and our efforts have been enhanced through our quality improvement collaborations with HealthInsight. We are proud to be a recipient of this distinguished award,” said Barbara Lund, Gunnison Valley Hospital Home Health Administrator.