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Show Wednesday, December 20,2006 Vernal Express AVMC places higher than average on pneumonia treatment standards mm Winter Winter Solstice is coming com-ing up fast ... now just a day away. Days have been getting shorter since the Equinox in September; nights in turn are longer. As a gardener, I have always noted these special astronomical turnings. The weather is uncertain as it ebbs and flows with the air stream currents. Today, warm and sunny. Tomorrow, perhaps warm, perhaps cold and more seasonal. Having cold weather helps my holiday spirit rise to the occasion. Bundling up for the cold: scarves, hats, gloves and overcoats remind me of my carefree childhood, running outside with my brothers to frolic in the snow. The holiday seaaoiat was magical to me then, and it still carries mystery and wonder now. Gardeners are almost done with the chores of autumn. Winter storms bringing in heavy snows, breaking What way is your way! ?S When selecting a Medicare plan, . ;'; ,X; people nave amerent priorities, mars i$iw Ciarra llnilflt anrl l - different Medicare plans to fit your health insurance needs. -v. ? .) Sierra Spectrum, a Medicare Advantage V;; PPOplan , ':'!; O Sierra Optima Select, a Medicare V V, Advantage Private Fee-for-Service r - plan .W-",r--. - ' ' . . " Q) SierraRx, a Medicare Prescription Drug plan We're confident we have a Medicare plan that's just right for you! Vir.t us at: www.sierraspectrumppo.com or www.sierrarx.com. ....... V, 1 .... -- i ill i ' liiic.nflLM . in iri in .hi Notes from the December soumca Solstice branches and squashing the late flowers set us back somewhat. some-what. Ornamental grasses, not hardened off to sustain the weight of the snow, crashed over, needing support and grooming. Sadly, some grass plants we had to cut down totally. total-ly. The gardens lost the winter interest aspect of upright golden gold-en grass heads. Planting of the bulbs is near-ing near-ing the end as well. Christmas lights are going up and a few new beds wait for preparation before the winter takes over. Finally, the roses will be put to bed under a soft blanket of humus mulch to protect them. Then the gardeners can rest for a few weeks before the call of winter pruning is heard in January. We may need to winter win-ter water if the warm and dry weather continues. This time of year is very busy in the garden though. I !fa ff rn n n ii ... ivieaicar Friday applications. Uintah Mountain Club Squirrels rush to fill their winter win-ter caches. Birds squabble over the seeds. The hills are brown and dappled with the evergreen of the conifers. Deciduous trees, bared and leafless, reach out to the passing clouds. The night's stars rotate over our heads, revealing winter constellations. con-stellations. Gardeners are powerless power-less against the coming cold. Gardeners must give in - to sweaters, hot cider, pumpkin pump-kin pie and snow. Red noses and icy toes. Candle light and steamy windows. Hot soup and warm bread. Mmm. All gardeners could celebrate the Winter Solstice as the planet plan-et begins to turn toward the sun and the days begin to lengthen. I feel sure the plants know and perhaps they celebrate in their plant-like way. One celebration cel-ebration could be the swelling of the winter buds. They will grow until they must pop open with green leaves in spring ... but that is a long while away from this moment in time. For now, this gardener will satisfy herself with crystalline starry nights and the familiar chilly breath of winter. Blessings! Raven the gardener Here comes December, like a ship in the night. . Riding the water, cold and bright, steely touch and frigid bite. Winter steals in on a November's night. -Raven WiWWVlM Willi ill J Gteyour way. far You enrollment meeting to Stockman's 1684 West US Highway 40 (Vernal) - December 29 1 0:00 a.m and 2:00 p.m. Rcscrvo your seat and join us for refreshments by calling: 1477.2894221 orTTY: 1400-349-3538 Our insurance specialists can help you sort through your Medicare options, and we'll have a sales representative present at enrollment meetings with information and A report issued by the U. S. Department of Health Care Statistics indicates that the average Utah death rate from pneumonia in adults is less than most states. Pneumonia accounts for a significant number num-ber of in-patient hospital stays every year. It can be bacterial, viral, or atypical and any form of the illness may cause "serious "seri-ous illness or death," says Robert Rob-ert Rolfs, state epidemiologist. Statewide nearly 20,000 Utahns were hospitalized for pneumonia pneumo-nia between 2003 and 2005 and five percent of those patients died from the illness. Subsequent evaluation by the Utah Public Health Department Depart-ment compared hospitals across the state in the treatment of pneumonia. This report looks at patient care and hospitalization hospitaliza-tion charges for pneumonia treatment in 43 state hospitals and care centers. Results of this comparison are available on-line at health.utah.gov muhealthcare. Local results indicate that the Ashley Valley Medical Center Cen-ter in Vernal had fewer than expected pneumonia patient deaths in 2005. Debbie Spaf-ford, Spaf-ford, public relations officer for AVMC, attributes success in pneumonia treatment to their strict adherence to medicare 'core measure' standards. She says, "We have a great group of internal medicine and family practice physicians who follow all the guidelines to achieve the best results." Hospital clinicians apply core measures to determine treatment options. Hospital admittance ad-mittance may be based on the type of illness, the severity of symptoms, and the presence of certain risk factors. Physicians find out more! .Jill .HA . .-ir- s .rZ-p-i ' illiSJi consider risk factors such as age, the presence of autoimmune autoim-mune disease, heart disease, or smoking to determine effective treatment for the patient. The fewer the risk factors the more likely a patient is recommended recom-mended for outpatient treatment. treat-ment. Two or more risk factors may recommend a patient for hospital admission or outpatient outpa-tient treatment with additional therapy. Nathan Dean, IDS hospital pulmonary specialist, says that application of the risk assessment approach not only results in fewer pneumonia related re-lated deaths but also fewer hospital hos-pital readmissions. Once a patient is admitted to the hospital the same medical guidelines apply in pneumonia treatment Spafford said, "An AVMC committee of clinicians meets monthly to see that we are 'right-on-target' in diagnosing diagnos-ing and treating pneumonia patients." The latest guidelines track patient inoculation with pneumococcal vaccine (if over the age of 65), whether antibiotics antibi-otics were administered within four hours of arrival, whether a patient received oxygenation assessment upon arrival, and if smoking cessation counseling was offered. Performance results re-sults based on these standards are compared nationwide and here again, AVMC placed better than the national average. Comparison Com-parison of pneumonia care performance per-formance for all Utah hospitals is found on-line at hospitalcom-pare.hhs.gov. hospitalcom-pare.hhs.gov. Treatment for adult pneumonia pneu-monia varies with the level of care required. Out-patient or mild cases of pneumonia may be treated with oral antibiotics, whereas in-patient care may require re-quire several days of hospital Space shuttle "If current predictions hold and the weather cooperates," cooper-ates," says NASA Solar System Ambassador to Utah Patrick Wiggins, "we in northern Utah have an excellent chance of seeing space shuttle Discovery during its current mission. Sunday evening, Dec. 17, has Discovery, still docked with the International Space Station, rising in the southwest about 6:20 p.m., reaching a point half way up the southeastern sky at about 6:22 and fading from view as it passes into the shadow of the Earth low in the eastern sky at about 6:23. The next pass occurs Monday evening when the shuttle, by then undocked from the station, will make a brief appearance halfway up the northwestern sky between about 6:42 and 6:43 p.m. followed about a minute later by the space station. Northern Utah's best pass of (ISSN 0892-1091) Published every Wednesday for $26 per year in the shopping area and $42 per year out out of the shopping area within the state and $46 per year out of state within the USA by the Vernal Express Publishing Company, 54 North Vernal Avenue, Vernal, Utah 84078. Periodical postage paid at Vernal, Utah, 84078 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to VERNAL EXPRESS, P.O Box 1000, Vernal Utah 84078. Steven R. Wallis .Editor and Publisher Jen Petty Writer Janine Shannon Writer Elizabeth Goode Writer Sarah Forsgren Writer Gabrielle Jones Legals, Obit, Classifieds Patty John Proofreader Jennifer Downard AdsLayout Heaher Crosby AdsLayout JacqueHobbs Advertising Eric Petty .Advertising Harriet Harding Circulation & Billing Phone: 435-789-3511 FAX: 453-7894690 Website: www.vernaLcom email: editorvernal.com DEADLINES News Friday 5 p.m. Display Advertising .Friday 5 pjn. Classified Advertising Friday 12 Noon Public Notices. ....Friday 12 Noon ization. A Utah Department of Health statistical comparison of hospital charges for mild to moderate cases of the illness found the statewide average for a four-day stay was $8,057 compared com-pared to $7,009 at AVMC. Further Fur-ther cost comparison for more severe cases saw a commensurate commensu-rate rise in statewide average to $13,947 compared to $13314 at AVMC for treatment of adult pneumonia. The U.S. Department of Health Care report focuses on adult incidents of pneumonia and does not provide information informa-tion on children. However, children chil-dren and adults benefit from immunization as the most effective effec-tive preventative step a person can take to reduce their chances of getting pneumonia. Immunization Immuni-zation against influenza, a 'flu shot' may lessen the effects of the illness, but only a pneumococcal pneumo-coccal vaccine targets the bacteria bacte-ria that causes pneumonia. Diane Miller, nursing director direc-tor for TriCounty Health Department, De-partment, stated that the health department is one the few places plac-es one can receive the vaccine. She said, 'Usually one dose of the vaccine is all that is needed. However, under some circumstances circum-stances a second dose may be given! A second is recommended recommend-ed for those people over 65 or older who got their first dose when they were under 65, or if 5 years or more have passed since that dose." For children, Miller says, "those with chronic diseases, dis-eases, under the advisement of their physician, are also recommended recom-mended to receive the vaccine." In all cases, a person must consult con-sult their health care provider to determine the risk andor the necessity of pneumococcal immunization. to be visible the current mission will be the evening of Wednesday the 20th when Discovery will pass out of the Earth's shadow high in the west at about 5:46 p.m., pass nearly overhead about 5:47 and set in the northeast about 5:49 p.m. The shuttle and station will look like bright stars moving slowly across the sky and bright enough to be seen even from light polluted urban areas. Wiggins notes that he always enjoys seeing the space shuttle and space station because he knows "there are heartbeats on board." The above times are specifically spe-cifically for northern Utah. Sighting information for other areas can be found by following follow-ing the "See the Space Shuttle" link on Wiggins' Solar System Ambassador web site at http: utahastro.info. T |