OCR Text |
Show HILLTOP TIMES Tricare helps families face challenges of autism TIMES April 16, 2009 41: .a • Special education ? • Assistive technology device^ TrtWest Healthcare Alliance • Institutional care jjj • Certain transportation 4 utism delays the de• Services under the Autism ::l velopment of imporServices Demonstration ni tant life skills. Children eligible for the AuMost people may take these tism Services Demonstration 'rrt social and communication must have an active duty spon- m'jV skills for granted, but autismsor, be living in the United States1/* related delays and problem bebe age 18 months or older, and be. haviors usually start in infancy enrolled in the ECHO program -J and can last a lifetime. Life is through their regional Tricare conchallenging not only for the ditractor. A TWWest Healthcare Al-y agnosed child, but for parents liance ECHO case manager helps"' and siblings, too. eligible families in Tricare's 21- , Talk to your child's primastate west region to enroll into the" ry care manager if you have ECHO program and the demon- ,. concerns about your child's stration, find providers and get thgj development. Developmental required authorizations. TriWest,.^ delays may have a number of also offers an interactive state-byroot causes, but treatment is state directory of contracted Edu7j most effective with early intercational Intervention for Autism ,-j vention. supervisors in the TRICARE West; For an autism diagnosis, ApRegion online at www.triwest.com/ plied Behavior Analysis may autism. help reduce problem behaviors Registered users can also track; and teach new skills, accordreimbursements throughout the -1* ing to the National Institute of ••••••• •••••*••••••••••• year by logging on to a secure Child Health and Human Dewww.triwest.com account to view' velopment. TVicare's Enhanced past and current explanations i Access to Autism Services of benefits. Beneficiaries who use ECHO are also onstration, by 20 percent. Demonstration allows eligible active duty military Tricare implemented a fiscal year (Oct. 1 to Sept. responsible for monthly cost-shares based on the families access to certain ABA services. information is available atf The demonstration benefit is growing to help fam- 30) ECHO reimbursement limit of $36,000. Certain sponsor's pay grade. Cost %1 ilies get the care they need. In the past three months, ECHO services remain subject to a $2,500 monthly www.tricare.mil/costs. TriWest's ECHO case manager can help explain •? cap and count towards the fiscal year limit, with the number of Autism Services Demonstration supervisors has doubled in the Tricare west region. the exception of the following services that have no the program, the benefits and the costs. A case man-; monthly cap but also accrue to the fiscal year limit: ager directory is available online at www.triwest. Tricare recently increased the annual benefit reimcom/beneficiary/echo. You may also call 1-888-TRIbursement limit for certain Extended Care Health • Training WEST (874-9378) for assistance. Option services, including the Autism Services Dem- • Rehabilitation BY BRIAN R SMITH A gAutlSi EGGS-ACT FIT Participants like combination of Easter egg hunt and fun run BY MARY LOU GORNY Hilltop Times editor |he Warrior Health and Fitness Center had.an.Easter 5K,and,a kids one mile fun run April 11. Approximately 60 adults and 30 youths attended the event prior to the basewide Easter egg hunt. Free T-shirts were given to the first 50 adults to sign up. All youth participants receved a free T-shirt. Fruit and drinks were provided, and the Easter Bunny was there to kick off the start of the run. The general consensus was that the event was a success. Kids reportedly liked the one-mile run KATHERINE PURSER/U.S. Air Force around the track and having the Easter Bunny there put that extra added hop in Adult participants run in the Easter 5K at the Hill Air Force Base track on April 11. The event was held along with their step. a one-mile fun run before the basewide Easter egg hunt. TREE From page 9 Tree City USA award and proclamation signing ceremony that morning. The day will begin with six of the group's environmental engineers talking to students at Northridge High School about how they preserve and maintain the natural and cultural resources on Air Force installation lands. "We usually go to schools in the surrounding area to do activities with them, but this is the first time we have gone inside of a classroom to teach about what we do everyday for Hill Air Force Base and society," Blood said. "These students will be going to college soon and will become future scientists, biologists and engineers, so we would like to teach them how we meet the requirements of society while sustaining the environment for future generations." For the engineers who are not attending the high school presentation, there will be a group cleanup effort in the xeriscape area at the north end of Building 5 which the 75th CEG landscaped and designed themselves four yeara ago. Once the area is clean, the award and proclamation signing ceremony will begin there and a group-sponsored cookout will commence after the ceremony. "We designated the theme for April 30 as *Earth Day - Every Day' because for us, Earth Day is not just a one-day event," Blood said. "We live it day in and day out in Environmental Management. We value our resources and we make every effort to use them in the appropriate manner and to avoid its degradation because then it will be no longer available for use." dren how fun it is to reuse and recycle using an egg carton and the bits and pieces found in the bottom of your craft bin, sewing From page 9 kit, or junk drawer. (http://articles.directorym.net/Earth_Sci"There will be craft-making for ence_Crafts_Utah-rl009984-Utah. kids, an opportunity to make html) crafts out of recycled materials. We will have 'Leave no trace' lecUnderwater Volunteers: Dive tures and the U.S. Forest Service for Earth Day 2009 — Project will be demonstrating how erosion Aware Foundation, a registered impacts rivers and streams." nonprofit organization, works in direct partnership with divers Other Earth Day activities inand water enthusiasts to conserve clude: underwater environments through • April 20-23: University of education, advocacy and action. To Utah's Office of Sustainability get involved in environmental acexhibits will include educational opportunities on electronic-waste tivities and make a lasting differrecycling and how to reduce your ence visit www.projectaware.org. carbon footprint. Of local interest • April 23-25: Natural Resource Festival at the Sevier Events CenAnd here at Hill Air Force ter in Richfield. Base, we are enjoying our six• May 11: Department of teenth consecutive year as a desEnvironmental Quality's Bring ignated member of the National Your Child to Work Day, which Arbor Day Foundation's Tree City features families who have taken USA program. The benefits from the DEQ employee challenge: our participation in this program "Reduce Your Carbon Footprint." include: (http://www.deq.utah.gov/Newslet• "An effective community ter/2009March/deq_participates_ forestry program that is an ongoin_earth_day.htm) ing process of growth and renewal — a program of planting and care Other projects of interest that continues through the years," as stated by John Rosenow, PresiEarth Science Crafts Utah: dent of the National Arbor Day Activities that can help your kids Foundation. understand the importance of Mother Earth. Teach your chil• Hill AFB uses trees to pro- OBSERVANCE vide beauty and value to the com- ;j munity, to conserve energy by % providing windbreaks and shade, \ to help clean the air, prevent ero-; £ sion and provide wildlife habitat, j • Did you know that by using "-• a row of conifer trees to act as a { windbreak in the winter and by .3 using large deciduous trees to | shade the western and southern y, sides of a building in the summer, jj a yearly savings of 25 percent in * heating and cooling costs can be p achieved? According to the U.S. £ Department of Agriculture, the 5 net cooling effects of one healthy N tree is the equivalent of ten room- Jj sized air conditioners operating 20lj hours a day. ! • Did you know that trees J j improve air quality through the } removal of pollutants and the " '% production of oxygen? The U.S. \ Department of Agriculture states \ that a one-acre forest absorbs six \ tons of carbon dioxide and pro- it duces four tons of oxygen yearly, j That is enough to meet the annual j needs of 18 people. j • Did you know that trees are ! a critical component of wildlife « habitat? Trees provide food, shel-^ ter and nesting sites for several ^ species of animals. Trees also >J§ improve water quality for aquati habitats through erosion control ? and the removal of contaminants^ Happy Earth Day everyone! |