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Show Health care facilities at capacity Larry Wells Financially, December by 1995 was the best month ever Juan Health Care Services, according to bookkeeper Troy Simonson. Simonson reported details at the January 25 meeting of the health care board. San Juan Health Care Services turned a $156,000 for San loss in 1994 to a $270,281 gain in 1995. To date in January gross revenues are $437,000, higher than December revenues. There were 354 visits to the Blanding Emergency Room in December and in recent weeks, the Montezu- Rainbow Bridge, a remarkable wonder of San Juan County. Courtesy photo The San Juan Record HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER FOR SAN JUAN COUNTY, UTAH V0I8O No 18 30 cents surance SINCE 1915 January 31, 1996 Buffalo gourd may offer solution Navajo respiratory illness caused by firewood by Lee Bennett Respiratory illness is the leading cause of hospitalization for diseases among Navajos and the fourth leading cause of death. According to researchers, wood smoke is to blame. It contains a variety of cancer-producin- g chemi- cals which hinder the bodys ability to fight off respiratory disease. The smoke gets into the home through leaky chimneys and stoves. A study of Navajo children under the age of three found that youngsters exposed to wood smoke are five times more likely to contract bronchitis and pneumonia than children living in homes heated by another fuel stove. More Navajo women than men suffer from respiratory problems. of Navajo Over in rural live areas, people and Larry Rodgers, Navajo two-thir- Division of Community Development, estimates that 83 percent of these reserva- tion households are dependent on wood. A typical family needs 11 pick-u- p truck loads of firewood each year, roughly equivalent to 8 cords. Firewood is not plentiful on the reservation, forcing people to drive a fair 6-- distance to obtain fuel. On the public lands in San Juan County, for example, Navajos annually obtain enough firewood for households. about 142-18- 9 Most is removed from Cedar Mesa and Mon tezuma Creek, including areas which would effectively be closed to wood gathering with proposed wilderness designation. Researchers believe they have a way to help alleviate these difficulties. Eugene Shultz of Washington University, Missouri, and Wayne Bragg of Enable International, have completed the first phase of a project which could offer a substitute for the dried tuberous root of the buffalo gourd. LP gas, natural gas, and electricity are not practical solutions because they are too expensive and are not available in all areas said clean-burnin- g - wood Shultz. Lighting a fire is a unifying activity, important to family harmony, said Bragg. Putting the fire in a furnace where it cant be seen wont work; a wood fire would still be needed. Buying new stoves is not realistic either Shultz added, noting that more than half of Navajos live the poverty level. Is it realistic to replace firewood with dried buffalo gourd? Carol Brandt, an below ethno-botani- st with the Uni- versity of New Mexico, says The key will be how easily the gourd can be grown and dried. If it can be done by families without irrigation, then there is a good chance it could replace firewood. Bragg, an anthropologist, agrees. The importance of fire in traditional Navajo ma Creek Clinic has treated up to 100 patients per day. Indian Health Services had been catching up and keeping up with payments until the government shut down. They owe $188,000, but are paying faster than some in- mated. The buffalo gourd looks and feels like wood and would fit into family tradition. The gourd is not native to the Navajo Reservation but has been grown experimentally at New Mexico State Universitys research cenIn ter near Shiprock. order to be a dependable crop, the buffalo gourd will need more water than typically provided by rainfall explained Dan Smeal, research scientist at the center. Water is not a limiting factor in the irrigation project areas, but it will be He is not sure elsewhere. how much dried gourd would be equivalent to a cord of firewood. Water can be trapped in ponds, lakes, and tanks suggests Shultz, who notes that several reservation areas already have these structures in place. In addition to the San Juan River Project near Shiprock, the Navajo Office of Water Resources Management reports adequate sources may be found at Bird Spring, Many Farms, Navajo, Tsaile, Wheatfields, Kerley ValIt could ley, and Ganado. to take years develop Shultz acknowlsources, Le-up- p, edges. If the buffalo gourd can be grown and distributed commercially, the Tribes (continued on page 5) and Si- monson. Roger Atcitty, board member, stated the clients at the Montezuma Creek Clinic feel rushed because of the crowds and not enough chairs in the waiting room. culture canrot be overesti- companies Medicare, according to Executive Direc- tor Dana Barnett reports that San Juan Health Care Services is trying to hire two more physicians and will try to retain a student physicians assistant to alleviate overload at the Montezuma Creek Clinic. The current staff can treat an average of 68 patients a day, which has been the average. However, on Mondays and Fridays, a larger number of patients stretches the capacity of the clinic and staff. San Juan Health Care Services is a member of ARCH, a rural Utah health care consortium. ARCH sent a team to make suggestions for improvement at the San Juan Hospital and Montezuma Creek Clinic. Some changes have already been made at the hospital. When the evaluation is complete at Montezuma Creek Clinic, improvements are expected there also. Board member Andy Savarese thanked the board for helping meet the need at the Monument Valley Hospital. Eight hours before the hospital was set to close forever, the Oljeto Chapter put money in escrow to cover the loss from November 1 to December 31, 1995. The Navajo Nation has put money in escrow to cover the loss for 1996. Four members from the Oljeto Chapter will form a committee to direct and move the Monument Valley Hospital to a community hospi tal. OB will be converted to a birthing center, and the swing beds and transportation services will expand. The transportation service is the only entity that will take Utah Strip residents to dialysis center in Kayenta. The group will also recruit physicians and nurses. a The hospital plans to pool resources with San Juan Health Care Services to the benefit of both entities. For instance, recruiting a surgeon is more likely if both hospitals work together. Monument Valley Hospital will also operate the Kayenta Clinic. Lou Mueller reported for the Blanding Advisory Committee on the proposed America SurgiCare Hospital in Blanding. She expressed the desire of the advisory committee to continue working with the health district in an advisory ca- pacity. America SurgiCare is negotiating with Blanding City to purchase 10 acres of city land for the hospital at fair market value. Blanding City stipulates that the property must be used for health care and be developed within one year or revert back to the city. ASC plans to break ground in March 1996. Mueller asked that the $75,000 grant from Com- munity Impact Board for architectural fees for a San Juan Health Care Services clinic in Blanding be kept as long as possible in case ASC ran into trouble. Infighting between Republicans and Democrats in Washington, D.C. will likely delay a new health facility built in Red Mesa or Montezuma Creek, according to board member Ron Johnson. Cleal Bradford asked the board about health care plans for Navajo Mountain residents. Bradford stated that Nayajo Mountain residents feel they are being forgotten. The district had met with Linda White of Indian Health Services regarding Navajo Mountain. Bruce Shumway suggests that the Navajo Mountain Chapter send a written request to the Health District and to Linda White at IHS. Tax Anticipation Notes will be considered at a public meeting on February 5 at the board room of San Juan Hospital. |