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Show C M Y K The Garfield County Insider Page 2 March 19, 2009 C M Y K C M Y K Health Career Exploration Camp High School students interested in a future health care career are invited to participate in the Health Career Exploration Camp at Southern Utah University. The camp will take place June 8 – 10 and is open to all 9th – 12th grade high school students. The camp is designed to teach students about health care careers in a hands-on learning environment with health care professionals. Participants will participate in 8 different workshops, as well as participate in the SUURocky Mountain Power Challenge Course to learn leadership skills. Workshops are hands-on and teach students about careers such as: Veterinary, Dentistry, Doctor, Nurse, Pharmacist, Medical Technologist and many more. Group activities, including keynote speakers and a dance are also included. Cost for the camp is $70.00, which includes housing during the camp at The Eccles Living Learning Center, meals, workshop supplies and a camp t-shirt. Scholarships are available to waive the cost of camp for individuals who qualify based on household income. Transportation to and from Southern Utah University is up to the individual attendee. The Health Career Exploration Camp is sponsored by the Southern Utah University Center for Rural Health. For more information you can contact Carrie Torgersen at 435638-7449 or torgersen@suu.edu. You can also download an application packet for camp by visiting their website at www.suu.edu/ruralhealth. Space is limited and participants will be selected on a first-come, first-serve basis. APPLE • BROTHER • CANON • COMPAQ • DELL • EPSON • HEWLETT PACKARD (HP) • IBM • KONICA MINOLTA LEXMARK • PANASONIC • RICOH • SAMSUNG • SHARP • TOSHIBA • XANTE • XEROX & MORE... SAVE INK & TONER FOR THOUSANDS OF DIFFERENT PRINTERS & COPIERS WE WILL YOU MONEY! Call 691 -2875 • Free Shipping The difference will be obvious... Utahns Speak: Affordable Health Care for All By Rob Ence, AARP Utah State Director In 1987, medical costs represented 7% of family income. That grew to 17% in 2006. The households of two of my married children, with multiple incomes, health insurance, good jobs, and college degrees, experience an average of 24% of their family income going to medical expenses. It is a significant hardship and delicate balance to make ends meet. Others are even less fortunate. The young Wilkerson family of Ogden is uninsurable because of the mother’s Type 1 diabetes; North Ogden’s Bryan Gerritsen, age 58, works three jobs to cover medical costs following his wife’s bone marrow transplant in an ongoing battle with cancer; and the Derricks of St. George struggle on limited incomes, being uninsurable and coping with high prescription drug costs. AARP Utah fully supports improving our health care system by increasing access to affordable, quality care. We are encouraged that health care reform was a top issue for the 2009 Utah Legislature. AARP hopes as the process moves forward that citizens’ opinions and real-life experiences are taken into account. In an AARP survey of Utahns, Improving Affordability, Expanding Coverage: Opinions about Health Care Reform in Utah, released this month [available at www.aarp.org/uthcr] an overwhelming majority of Utahns said they want reform to be a shared responsibility of employers, insurance companies, individuals, health care providers, and the government. Almost all respondents say employers and insurers should contribute to the cost of health care coverage. Nearly three-quarters agreed that insurers should be prohibited from charging higher premiums based on health status or pre-existing conditions. This compelling statistic signifies belief that the market alone will not protect those who are already sick from being able to find affordable care. These are likely the people insurers would exclude in a market-based system that is at the core of our legislative proposals. Basic benefits providing access to primary and preventive care, prescription drug coverage, and hospital services for all Utahns was supported by nearly eight Dr. Richard Barnett’s MOBILE ORTHODONTICS OFFICE WILL BE IN PANGUITCH THE AFTERNOON of ON APRIL 6TH AND ALSO ON May 21st. Complimentary consultations will be available. Call 896-4930 C M Y K to schedule an appointment for you or your family in ten survey respondents. Approximately seven in ten believe it is extremely or very important for the state to make health care more affordable and to reduce the number of uninsured residents. This does not mean state-provided care but rather the belief that the state play an important role in ensuring that those not served by a competitive system should be taken into consideration in health care reform efforts. Access also means affordability. A market-based approach without a mechanism for sharing risk or providing assistance from all stakeholders makes this goal illusory. Costs must also be controlled. Rep. Menlove’s bill in this year’s health care reform package aims at reducing administrative inefficiencies and eliminating wasteful spending. This is a significant step in making the system more accessible and affordable. Quality controls are also a crucial step. AARP supports the use of evidencebased medicine so that the health care delivered is of known value. Basing care on what health care providers already know to be effective makes sense. The concept of a medical home, where a person’s primary doctor could coordinate care with the person’s other health care providers would help eliminate unnecessary care and help providers take preventive measures before a condition worsens. This approach was strongly supported by nearly nine in ten survey respondents. As House Speaker David Clark emphasized, we are only at year two of a ten-year process toward comprehensive reform. Citizens need to stay involved in these reform efforts by communicating with their legislators and engaging in community conversations. AARP is also closely involved with health care reform efforts at the federal level. We believe reform must come at all levels — reform that leads to affordable, accessible, quality care for everyone. |