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Show Oi. ntw roimn mm Page 2 Orcm-Gcncva Times Wednesday, August 22, 1990 Editorial u Don't forget safety in the Back-to-school Shuffel The carefree, fun-filled days ing to a close. As you hustle to prepare your children for the first day of school don't forget safety. School can quickly turn into a sad occasion when a child is injured in an avoidable traffic accident on the way to or from school. Traffic accident's where the child is a passenger, a pedestrian or a cyclist are the leading cause of death for children 1 to 14 years old. Each year nearly 3000 children are killed and thousands more are unjured. "Kids need to be taught the do's and don'ts of traffic safety early on and parents need to go over them every year just before school starts," says Robert Parenti, Director of the Utah Safety Council. The Utah Department of Public Safety reports that 13 children died last year and 774 were unjured in pedestrian accidents. Crossing not at an intersection (jaywalking) was the most common accident. Many accidents can be avoided, if kids practice safe pedestrian skills. The Utah Safety Council offers these safety tips for parents: FOR WALKERS CHOOSE THE SAFEST ROUTE AND DISCUSS IT WITH YOUR CHILD. Help your child select the safest rout to and from school. Look for the most direct route with the fewest street crossings. Walk the route with your child until heshe is familiar with the route and demonstrates adequate traffic safety awareness. Children under age 8 should walk with an adult or older v i 1 By Postmaster Clyde E. Weeks Iraqi tyrant Saddam Hussein's Persian Gulf aggression is having ' world-wide consequences, as the United States and many other nations na-tions join in a variety of efforts to counter his actions and to preserve peace in that strategic part of the world. Part of that effort involves the activation of certain military reservists and guardsmen as an integral part of the regular armed forces. During the '80s, the nation's military was strengthened by transferring various support services ser-vices from full-time, professional personnel to part-time Reserve and National Guard units, changing the nature of these units from being essentially a back-up to being actually part of the armed forces whenever a call to arms is sounded. In Utah many men and women are active members of the Utah National Guard and Reserves, acting ac-ting as citizen-soldiers throughout the year. They perform week-end drills once each month and serve a 15-day period of active duty every year. POSTAL RESERVES Eight Orem postal workers are serving double-duty as members of the Guard and Reserves, being subject to call-up whenever they are activated. These include: Lyman D. Swensen, Monte Palmer, Pal-mer, David Starr, Jorge Huerta, Kermit Christopher, Marvin Tuck-ett, Tuck-ett, Randy Edwards and Edward Batson. Currently, David Starr and Monte Palmer are serving on active ac-tive duty as the result of their individual in-dividual call-ups three weeks ago. Presently, President Bush is deciding decid-ing which military reserve and National Na-tional Guard units to activate. That decision may affect the six other Orem postal employees who may also be called to active duty. Everyday, momentous events agitate the situation in the Persian Gulf. Hopefully, the economic embargo em-bargo against Saddam Hussein may yet result in an early resolution resolu-tion to the Persian Gulf crisis. Meanwhile, Utah Reservists and Guardsmen stand ready to meet the call to serve if and when it cornea. ELVIS STAMP It may have been more than a coincidence that the 13th anniversary anniver-sary of Elvis Presley's death was observed in Orem last week with the performance at the SCERA Shell of a local Elvia Presley impersonator. imper-sonator. Dr. Robert Moody attracted at-tracted a large audience to the SCERA Shell with his outstanding performance. "Elvis" sang many of his old favorites to an enthusiastic crowd who, for 90 minutes, were swept up into the music an 1 showman ship that made him a legend. And that legend is the stuff of which stamp collectors insist will soon make Elvis Presley the subject of of summer are rapidly draw POST MARK 6 1990 a U.S. commemorative postage -: stamp." . ' ' . j, ; No less an authority than Postmaster General Anthony M. Frank said recently that we can look for a new series of U.S. definitive defini-tive stamps honoring American musicians-possibly including rock legend Elvis Presley-as early as 1992. What's more, the stamps could be joined by a complementary complemen-tary series of recordings, perhaps in association with the Smithsonian Smith-sonian Institution. WHICH ELVIS? If the release of the music definitives incorporating Presley is accomplished, the move would cap a 13-year campaign for an Elvis stamp, that has been marked by controversy over the late singer's lifestyle. Presley died, apparently of a drug overdose, in 1977. Should the decision be made to feature Elvis on a stamp, the next question will probably be: which photo to use in designing the stamp-the one showing the singer earlier in his career, orone showing the overweight, bleary-eyed performer. per-former. Which one would you choose STAMPS BY PHONE Buying stamps by mail-including the latest commemorative stamps-has been a widely-used service of the Orem Post Office for several years. Local residents appreciate ap-preciate the ease with which they can fill out an order form and mail it in to the post office. Their stamps are delivered by their carrier within two days, along with a new order form. - Now, by calling a toll-free phone number, customers with major credit card can now place an order for postage stamps, postal cards, or stamped envelopes any hour of the day, every day of the year through the Stamps by Phone program. The order will be delivered in three to five business days. Elderly and handicapped people will find the program very convenient. It is also a valuable , service for single heads of households, dual-income families and time-conscious customers whose busy schedules make it difficult dif-ficult for them to visit a post office during business hours. There is a $3 service charge included in each Stamp by Phone order. It covers only the phone charges connected with the toll-free toll-free number and the credit card fees. Senior couch potatoes Sixty-two out of every 100 people consider themselves overweight, over-weight, says a recent Weight Watchers International poll. In reality, experts say, only 20-to-30 percent of the population is overweight. child to school. Ensure your child takes the same route every day, avoiding shortcuts which may be more gangerous. TEACH YOUR CHILD TO OBEY ALL TRAFFIC SIGNALS SIG-NALS AND MARKINGS. A flashing "walk" sign is not an automatic "go" signal, always stop and check for cars. TEACH YOUR CHILD TO CROSS THE STREET AT A CORNER OR CROSSWALK. Make sure children allow plenty of time to cross. Teach them to walk, not run, across intersections and to look left, right, and left again before attempting to cross. Darting into the street between intersections accounted' for 70 of 1989 pedestrian deaths in Utah. WARN CHILDREN TO BE EXTRA ALERT IN BAD WEATHER. Explain to your children it is harder for drivers to see them and stop during inclement weather. FOR RIDERS Parents who drive their children to school or participate in car pools should follow these safety tips: Pickup and drop offyour kids from the sidewalk closest to the school. Do not carry more pasengers than there are safety belts in your car. Every person must wear a seat belt and remain belted until exiting the vehicle. Remove items from inside the car that can injure you if the car stops suddenly. Allow extra time to avoid the pressure of driving too fast when late. ; Letter to the Editor Thanks for services Dear Editor: There are many people in this great United States of America that give literally hundreds and thousands of hours of public service. ser-vice. That service takes the form of community involvement, church service and anonymous giving o time and resources. ' ' '"?' Recently, an event quietly took place in Utah County that has temporarily interrupted the service of one such couple named Bill and Sue Arseneau. For many years, in addition to serving their church in key leadership capacities, they also ; gave abundantly of their time to the political process as members I of the Republican Party. Bill has served as a County! Delegate, State Delegate, and has been involved on numerous task forces in the local area and State. ; Bill has worked as a Congressional ; Aide and has run for public office himself. He has served for the last six years as the Director of Surplus Properties for the State! of Utah and has done one of the BEST jobs in the State's history of any director for that division. ; Sue has virtually served in ; every leadership capacity in the Grass Roots and executive organization or-ganization for the Republican Party, both in the County and in the State. She has served as a District Officer, has been elected Secretary, Vice-Chairman, and, has served as Chairman of the ? Utah County Republican Party. , She has served as the President of the Federation of Republican Women for Utah County and later for the entire State. Bill and Sue, thanks to you and so many more like you that give unselfishly of your time and resources. Steve Shallenberger Former Utah County Republican Chairman Help needed at Detention Provo Youth Detention Center needs citizens to volunteer some time and to donate some craft supplies. sup-plies. The Detention center is a locked lock-ed facility for court-sentenced youth. The youth are between the ages 8 and 18, and stay at the facility anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. While at the center they participate in schoolwork, as well as after-school social and recreational activities. Volunteers are needed to help with several different activities. First, volunteers are needed to teach arts or crafts. This could include in-clude just about anything that someone could go in and make a short presentation or demonstration demonstra-tion about. Sketching, ceramics, beads, macrame, etc., are all appropriate. ap-propriate. For more information on becoming be-coming a volunteer at Provo Youth Detention, please call the United Way Volunteer Center at 374-8108. i MO MATTER VVHAtN . A THE COURTS SAX -mm , AS LOWC3 AS ' . . f there is -ps7YAG, wmmmwiXk THERE'LL BE J lf,,ffffff fXri Orem hospital provides over a $million in charity services During April of this year, 11-year-old Sandy Johnson (not her real name) of Orem had been complaining com-plaining of pain in her side for several hours, with the discom-fort discom-fort steadily increasing. At 1 a.m., her parents decided that it might be something serious, so they rushed her to the Emergency Center at Orem Community Hospital. The doctor examined her and ordered some laboratory tests and x-ray exams, and presented the Johnsons with a diagnosis-appendicitis. diagnosis-appendicitis. A consulting surgeon sur-geon determined that Sandy's appendix ap-pendix needed to be removed immediately, im-mediately, so at 3 a.m., an emergency emer-gency appendectomy was performed. per-formed. After a three-day stay at Orem Community Hospital, Sandy returned home and continued con-tinued her recovery. However, one week later a visit to the doctor revealed a severe case of inflamed tonsillitis, requiring surgery for ; the tonsils to be removed. In a period of just two weeks, Sandy had undergone two unexpected unex-pected surgical procedures. This was an unplanned expense for the Johnsons, and even though they had insurance, it didn't cover all the charges. The Johnsons live on a tight budget and didn't know how they would be able to pay their hospital bill. Orem Community Hospital is a not-for-profit facility of" Inter-mountain Inter-mountain Health Care, and provides charitable medical care regardless of ability to pay. After working with the hospital's patient service representatives and explaining their financial situation, 60 percent of the Johnson's charges were classified as charity care and they were asked to pay only 40 percent of FOR BIKERS Children must wear a helmet every time they ride. Head injuries account for three-fourths of all bike-related deaths. 7 Utahans in 1989 were killed in bicycle-automobile related accidents. Teach children to obey the following rules: FOLLOW THE RULES OF THE ROAD. Bicyclists ride with the flow of traffic and obey all traffic signs. DO NOT RIDE AT NIGHT. Nearly three times as many bike collisions involving an automobile happen after dark. CHILDREN UNDER 8 SHOULD NOT RIDE THEIR BIKES TO SCHOOL CHOOSE A SAFE CYCLING ROUTE. Avoid streets with steady, fast-moving traffic. FOR BUSES Most accidents occur when children are boarding or exiting because a blind spot extends approximately 10 feet in front of the bus, obstructing the view of the driver. Kids should arrive at the stop at least five minutes before the bus arrives and stay out of the street. While on the bus children should observe the following safety rules: Remain seated at all times and keep the aisles clear. Do not throw objects, shout or distract the driver. Keep your head and arms inside the bus at all times. Wait until the bus comes to a complete stop before exiting. . ' Be the example ofproper safety and teach your children to "BE ALERT." For further information contact Utah Safety Council, 535 South 300 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84101: (801) 533-5851. their bill. "Each year we provide charitable medical care for numerous individuals and families," said Laurel Kay, Chief Operating Officer of Orem Community Com-munity Hospital "In 1989 the hospital provided over $28,000 in direct charitable care. If the first five months of 1990 are any indication, in-dication, that amount will double or triple this year." Not everyone is eligible to receive charitable care-it is based on the ability to pay, then arrangements can be made to have the services they received classified as charity care," stated Kay. Besides providing charity care, in 1989 Orem Community Hospital wrote off over $450,000 of charges for people who did not pay their bill. "Many of these people would qualify for charity care, but some are too proud or embarrassed to come in and talk with hospital patient service representatives rep-resentatives about it. "They shouldn't be. If medical care is needed, it is the mission of our facility to provideit, regardless of ability to pay," said Kay. Additionally, in 1989 Orem Community Hospital had over $475,000 in charges for Medicaid and Medicare patients for which no reimbursement was received. And $89,868 was provided in free community health screenings, classes, lectures, outreach projects and community education. educa-tion. All combined, in 1989 Orem Community Hospital provided $1,046,228 in medical care and services for which no compensation compensa-tion was received. , "Even though the cost of medical medi-cal care is high, in Utah, hospital costs are 7.8 percent below the national average," said Kay. "Orem Community Hospital is a facility of Intermountain Health Care, and IHC costs are 5 percent lower than costs at non-IHC facilities along the Wasatch Front." Additionally, IHC's charity care for the needy alone was over $10 million. "It's been estimated that there are 250,000 people in Utah without medical insurance," stated Kay, "so there is a real need for charitable services such as this to be provided. And as a not-for-profit hospital IHC hospital, hospi-tal, it is our mission to help meet these needs." Cancer screening clinic The Cancer Screening and Prevention Program, Utah Department of Health, in cooperation with the American Cancer Society and the CityCounty Health Department ofUtah County will provide a cancer can-cer screening clinic for women September 5th at the American Fork North 4th Ward Building,, . 455 East 300 North, 8:30 a.m. to 3:309 p.m. ; Appointments are necessary. neces-sary. For appointment call the Health Department at 370-8725. The clinic will include a Pap test, pelvic and breast examination, examina-tion, blood pressure check, hemocult kits to test for colorectal cancer, health education information informa-tion on risk factors, signs and symptoms of cancer, and referral for appropriate medical follow-up. t |