Railbelt Mental Health & Addictions

Nenana Wellness CoalitionMINUTES 

August 25, 2009

 The Nenana Wellness Coalition is an alliance of representatives from various organizations, government agencies, community groups and individuals that meets weekly to discuss, evaluate, coordinate, consolidate, celebrate and help implement plans for improving the wellness and quality of life in Nenana Alaska.

There were 32 in attendance today, including: Beverly Joseph, Jeannie Bennett, Rebecca, Bill, Ethan and Aerin Troxel, Miles & Irene Martin, Matt Rodgers, Robin Carter, Shaylee Coghill, Johanna Kukes, Gene Jensen, Susan Kaufman, Andy Corbin, Felicia Musick, Susan O’Toole, Mary & Wes Alexander, Walter & Andrea Tommy, Lindy, Adam, Miriam, Sabrina and Natalie White, Virginia Young, Audrey Roth, Jason Mayrand, Faith Minnema, Merrily Verhagen and Kat McElroy. We had chicken salad. Whole grain breads, and mixed greens salad for lunch.

 

READING OF MISSION STATEMENT: By this week’s chairperson: Rebecca Troxel

 

PRAYER By Jeannie Bennett, followed by the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIENCE.

 

PRESENTATION OF AGENDA AND CALL FOR MODIFICATIONS: There were no modifications.

 

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Minutes were posted on the WIN kink at www.railbelt.com and posted to the WIN e-list by Kat.

 

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS: Faith Minnema was introduced.

           

 

SPEAKERS/TOPICS:

 

Help Wanted: Preparing For Mass Dispensing Of Flu Vaccine: Felicia began with a brief overview of what a Mass Dispensing Clinic is and how it is used. It is a model for getting a lot of anything out into a community in a fast and organized fashion. This model can be used to address epidemics such as doing flu vaccinations as well as for getting disaster relief organized and dispensed such as during the flood we experienced last summer. Felica’s goal is for Susan O’Toole to do her Power Point presentation on MDC’s and then with the clinic and EMS people here to brainstorm what might work for our community and what won’t.  Felicia emphasized that with the H1N1 flu there have only been deaths in the case where there have been other health issues complicating the condition. She suggests that people get their regular flu shot in addition to vaccine against H1N1 as flu viruses like to mutate and the worst case scenario would be to end up having both seasonal and H1N1 flu simultaneously. At risk are pregnant women, young children 6 months to 4 years, young health adults, health-care workers, people ages 24-64 with other health conditions. People over age 65 seem to have acquired immunity over the years by being exposed to previous flu bugs. 56% of the population of Alaska fall into some manner of priority category. We will likely not get enough vaccine at one time to do all the needed vaccines at once so the first doses will be given to those at highest risk. Felicia explained that vaccine will come from CDC in Atlanta, to the state department of public health, and thence into communities. The intent of vaccination programs is to help minimize the effect of epidemic infections on human lives, property and the economy.

Susan began her power point. She outlined the operational responsibilities for the federal state and local governmental entities and described the logistics for each. The key component parts for a mass dispensing clinic are:

            Site—-such as a school gym, community center, tribal hall. For logistical purposes it is important to have an entrance and an exit for orderly crowd flow.

            Staff—profession and volunteers. Some of the roles she mentioned being needed were people for parking, safety, registration, volunteer coordinator, translators, triage, dispensers, runners and check-out staff.

            Supplies—the government will supply vaccine. This would be shipped air freight and arrives quickly. They will also supply sharps containers, needles, shot records, etc., but those would come by land freight, would be slower, and so a MDC would need to be prepared to use their own supplies and back-fill their supplies when the government supplies arrived.

            Strategy—what are the operations core functions? She mentioned screening, registration, education, triage, evaluations, dispensing, and information management. There are also support functions such as security, traffic control.

Susan explained about what is called Just In Time Training which is provided for various volunteers so they can perform their set tasks on site.

Various stations would need to be set up for the MDC, including: registration, triage, dispensing, and check-out. If they can do one injection every four minutes (which is a conservative estimate; Felicia is much faster than that), they could estimate their ability at 15 per hour, per dispenser.

In response to a question from Merrily, Susan stated that UAF has approximately 1500 students on campus and another 1500 off campus. They have plans in place to provide vaccinations for their on-campus student5s. Off campus students will receive vaccine in the community. UAF is being very proactive about getting this information to their students early.

Irene asked if the MDC is planned only for this year. Yes, Felicia answered, although as always they will be doing regular vaccinations which typically occur at school, on a drop-in basis at the clinic and at the Senior Center. She reminded everyone that the seasonal flu vaccine comes in two doses administered several weeks apart.

Felicia mentioned that there are clinical trials going on right now in eight different sites nationally to determine the ideal strengths of dosage and intervals between doses. She said the major bottleneck is filling and finishing of the vaccine as it is manufactured. The schools will have to deal with sick students for a month to two months before vaccines become available.

Virginia asked if hypothetically 40 percent of a community has already had the flu by the time the vaccine became available, why would we want to bother going through with a MDC. Felicia said the thinking is to do vaccines anyway as flu viruses mutate constantly and people could be at-risk to get both types of flu.

Merrily asked if one can be tested for H1N1. Susan said that if you have symptoms (fever, head-ache, muscle ache, vomiting, diarrhea), you likely have it. Vomiting and diarrhea occur usually in younger children, Susan added. “We know so far flu cases have been mild. Both types of flu viruses will be out there. When they come back in the fall, they will likely be stronger.”

Matt said they should maybe be looking at doing two clinics, one to address seasonal flu and one for H1N1. Also, it is important to understand that the vaccine may come in batches. We can do what we know works, for instance at the NSLC, Susan Kaufman noted, there are enough rooms that students that are ill can be isolated from those who are well. A “safe” distance is six feet, but in classrooms, students are an average of three feet apart. If a youth is sick, they need to be kept home from school until they are well. This means at least 24 hours after no symptoms, no fever without Tylenol or Ibuprofen. It was noted that in 25% of flu cases there is no fever.

There are two types of vaccine: dead and live virus vaccines. Dead flu virus comes in the form of a shot in the arm. It can NOT make you sick. Live virus vaccines come in a liquid squirted up your nose. There is a small risk o becoming slightly ill with this type of vaccine but it is a better, faster response with a greater immunity boost. There are two web sites with information:

http://www.pandemicflu.alaska.gov/  

This is the state web site which Susan helped create.

www.flu.gov.sg/

This is the official federal web site. Both have excellent information and sources.

We were advised it is a good idea to get the pneumonia vaccine as well if one is at risk for respiratory illness as there are 23 strains of pneumonia circulating. It was noted that in the 1918 pandemic what killed people was their own immune response to the virus which allowed bacteria to take over, resulting in pneumonia, respiratory failure, dehydration and death. 

Discussion ensued regarding our local emergency preparedness planning. It was suggested that WIN meetings can be the vehicle for planning to do a MDC in Nenana. It is estimated that there will be 45 million doses of vaccine for H1N1 virus by mid-October with perhaps 20 million available every other week thereafter. We can anticipate being able to do a Mass Dispensing Clinic sometime in late October.

 WELLNESS THOUGHT:  Today is the first day of the rest of my life. 

UPDATES/ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Miles: received an e-mail from people wanting to organize small businesses in Alaska He will email it to Kat so she can attach it to the minutes.

Susan: There will be a school board meeting at 6:30 in the pit.

Jeannie: Our next Freecycle and Project Overhaul awards will be at the RV Park the afternoon of Saturday, September 5^th. Nominate your neighbor for an award!

ADJOURNMENT: 1:50 P.M.

Nenana Wellness CoalitionMINUTES 

August 18, 2009

 The Nenana Wellness Coalition is an alliance of representatives from various organizations, government agencies, community groups and individuals that meets weekly to discuss, evaluate, coordinate, consolidate, celebrate and help implement plans for improving the wellness and quality of life in Nenana Alaska.There were 15 in attendance today, including: Rebecca, Bill, Aerin and Ethan Troxel, Kat and Leon McElroy,  Maryellen Robinson, Tara, Gloria Johnson, Virginia Young, Walter & Andrea Tommy, Miles and Irene Martin, David Poppe and Audrey Roth. 

WELCOME followed by the READING OF MISSION STATEMENT: By this week’s chairperson, Rebecca Troxel.

 

PRAYER: Was lead by Virginia Young, followed by the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIENCE.

 

PRESENTATION OF AGENDA AND CALL FOR MODIFICATIONS: One call for modification.

 

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Minutes were posted at the WIN link at www.railbelt.com and will be sent to the WIN e-mail list when Kat returns to the office.

 

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS: No visitors today.

           

 

SPEAKERS/TOPICS:

Dancing In the Streets:  Maryellen has been organizing the parade. She has got the Shriners lined up to participate as well as the Lion’s Club. It was suggested that she contact Mr. Hugney to see if the soccer team would like to participate. Christine Kraus has volunteered to organize a float with the Student Living Center students who will be returning to Nenana September 5.  The Head Start kids will be marching, wearing the Anti-smoking campaign t-shirts. Kat reports she made three batches of Get Clean/Stay Clean soap for give-away. She will make several more batches. We are still looking foir music for the dance.  Envisioning Wellness: Kat passed out flyers that she printed that Tim generated to advertise the EW presentation next week by public health nurse Felicia Musick. Various members of the WIN coalition took copies of the flyer to post in all our usual locations: post office, Laundromat, Coghill’s Store, A-Frame, the school, The Cultural Center and the clinic.  Operation Overhaul: We are still on for the next Freecycle combined with Operation Overhaul awards bar-b-que. It will start about 3 P.M., Saturday, September 5^th and will be held at the RV Park again. There will be prizes for most attractive yard, most improved, etc. People are encouraged to contact Jeannie to make nominations. 

Alaska Farmer’s Markets: Miles mentioned that people had stopped by his booth up at the Fair from the Alaska Farmer’s Market. They are interested in coming to Nenana to do a presentation. Miles believes that they have information about a seed savers exchange, among other things. They would like to talk to people in Nenana about options for Farmer’s Market projects for Nenana. Miles is awaiting further information from them via e-mail regarding this matter.

  WELLNESS THOUGHT:  “Walk the Spiritual Path with practical feet.“  Phil Lane Jr.  

UPDATES/ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Maryellen asked if anyone has information about Pay-to-pick gardens. The Troxel’s said they understand that people can pay to pick after the Spencer’s get finished harvesting. Maryellen also passed out I Quit and Help for Smokers and Other Tobacco Users informational pamphlets for people interested in tobacco cessation.

 

Gloria shared a recipe for kohlrabi: Peel it, slice it thin, par-boil and drain, then mix it with dried apricots and a little bit of sugar. Delicious.  

 

Virginia asked about notes from Tara’s presentation last week. There was so much information; she couldn’t remember all of it. Bill said he would be willing to share the notes he took. Perhaps he can email them to Kat for inclusion with the minutes?

 Tara said she has been reading about an FBI program to deputize various public citizens involved in business, banking, energy, etc., who are authorized to use deadly force in times of martial law. She suggests others google FBI martial law and read about this.  

Rebecca says she had an interesting conversation with Alex at the Cultural Center about the housing situation in Nenana. He was talking about several properties in the community that could be demolished, materials salvaged to build new or refurbished. There is an especial shortage of rental units. He is concerned for Elders as well as people who are technically homeless.

There is a funeral today at 2 for Eugene Williams followed by a pot latch scheduled to begin at six tonight.

 

OPEN FLOOR FOR COMMENTS/QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION: None

 

 

ADJOURNMENT: 1:30 P.M.

Nenana Wellness Coalition

MINUTES

August 11, 2009The Nenana Wellness Coalition is an alliance of representatives from various organizations, government agencies, community groups and individuals that meets weekly to discuss, evaluate, coordinate, consolidate, celebrate and help implement plans for improving the wellness and quality of life in Nenana Alaska.

There were 19 in attendance this date, including: Harriet & Gabriella Borst, Bonnie Reed, Tara, Bill, Rebecca, Aerin and Ethan Troxel, Walter & Andrea Tommy, Beverley Joseph, Mary Alexander, Drew Mackie, Virginia Young, Audrey, Judi Latham, Judy Junge, Kat McElroy, David Poppe and Laura Vance. We had chicken and rice soup, cucumber and tomato salad, home-made cookies, Ritz crackers with sliced cheese and raisins with pecans for lunch.

 

WELCOME followed by the READING OF MISSION STATEMENT: By this week’s chairperson, Rebecca Troxel.

 

PRAYER was lead by Beverly Joseph, followed by the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIENCE.

 

PRESENTATION OF AGENDA AND CALL FOR MODIFICATIONS: There were no modifications to the agenda.

 

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Minutes were posted on the WIN link at www.railbelt.comand submitted electronically to the WIN e-list.

 

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS: Judi Junge introduced Judi Latham.

           

SPEAKERS/TOPICS

 

Weedwalk  Tara began her presentation by leading us outside, behind the Meda Lord Center.  She said, plants can be used externally, as poultices, or eaten or made into teas, infusions or decoctions. Tara said that most herbal books will say that various parts of any given plant are best for use as medicine, however the medicinal qualities are in all parts of the plant, generally.

The first plant she talked about was stinkweed, a kind of wormwood. It has been used traditionally for healing as a tea.  Stinkweed will get rid of worms but it is effective for all manner of ailments. The next plant discussed was fireweed.  Fireweed grows where the soil is disturbed, where there have been fires. It can be used to treat burns. Generally, plants that grow in disturbed areas, Tara said, are good for treating disturbed people. She talked about Balsam Poplar, which has that very rough bark. The buds are used to make a healing salve. Balm of Gilead, which is mentioned in the Christian bible, is salve from poplar trees. Next she talked about willow. The inner bark of willow has the same healing properties as aspirin because aspirin is made of salicylic acid which is found in willow. The willow trees in Alaska right now are under attack by a leaf miner which has affected several species of Alaskan willow which explains why they are turning all brown right now.

Next, Tara showed us Yarrow, which is a tall white flowering plant found all over the Interior; it is used for cleaning the blood and removing toxins from the system. Raspberries also grow all over this area; the leaves can be used for tea. Raspberries are good for pregnant women. Chamomile (pineapple weed) is
good for bringing in milk and for babies.
Golden Rod is a tall yellow flowering plant. It can be used for treating asthma and allergies. Goldenrod doesn’t cause allergies, it just looks similar to a plant that does and people blame it. 

Tara talked to us about the medicinal qualities of various greens. Dandelion is one of the earliest spring greens. You can eat the leaves. They get bitter as the plant gets older. Lamb’s Quarter, on the other hand, can be eaten all through its life span and the leaves do not become bitter when the plant gets older. Lamb’s Quarter is iron-rich and nutritionally dense. Chick weed is another very common weed considered by many to be a pest but in fact is quite tasty and nutritious. It can be eaten raw as a salad. It can be preserved in vinegar for winter use as a tonic. Tara showed us how to recognize plantain by the characteristic “dental floss”-type threads left when you pull the leaf away from the plant. It is delicious and mildly cleansing.

Sweet clover is considered to be an invasive species. It is a cousin to red clover. Both are used as teas. Both fix nitrogen to the soil so are good for the garden. Sweet clover thins the blood when fermented.  Red clover is completely safe for everybody all the time. Wild chamomile has long been used as a tea for soothing and sleep aid.

Tara told us about various ways that plants can be saved and stored for future medicinal use. Some plants can be merely dried by hanging them upside down. She uses brown paper bags and tacks them to the ceiling in her cabin. Plants can also be preserved in vinegar. They can also be preserved in oil, like olive oil or coconut oil.

WEL LNESS THOUGHT: Today is the first day of the rest of your life.UPDATES/ANNOUNCEMENTS.   

Bonnie: There is a community dinner scheduled for Friday, August 21, at the Tribal Hall. The topic is about formation of a borough. It is unknown if this is the Community Pride/Village Safety meeting.

Virginia said she just got back from a tour with the Alaska Peony Growers Association of the Kenai Peninsula. They toured four farms in that area. She said it was “Very impressive.”

Walter: J.R. came out and looked at the work they have done at 4-mile slough. Walter is hopeful that J.R. will be willing to help them further their culture camp project.

Andrea said that they are still dealing with the aftermath of their friend Carol Gallo’s unexpected demise.

Beverley announced that Wednesday, September 16, there will be a small tea to celebrate the ordination of Marilyn Duggar at St. Mark’s church at 7 P.M.

David said that it is time to begin butchering the Cornish Cross chickens.

Kat said that preparations are being made for the Dancing in The Streets celebration which is still scheduled for September 11 even though the start date for school has been moved from mid-August to September 8^th. This does make some of the planning more problematic.  

Rebecca said that Wanda Haken has loads of blueberries on her property people are welcome to come and pick.

Jeannie announced that the next Free-cycle/Project Overhaul celebration dnawards ceremony will be held September 5^th, “If it doesn’t rain,” at the RV Park.

 OPEN FLOOR FOR COMMENTS /QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION.  None                                                                       

ADJOURNMENT: 2:15 p.m.

Nenana Wellness CoalitionMINUTES 

August 4, 2009

 The Nenana Wellness Coalition is an alliance of representatives from various organizations, government agencies, community groups and individuals that meets weekly to discuss, evaluate, coordinate, consolidate, celebrate and help implement plans for improving the wellness and quality of life in Nenana Alaska. 

There were 20 people in attendance at today’s meeting, including: Brian Fisher, Mary & Wes Alexander and their grandson, Drew, Bill, Rebecca, Aerin and Ethan Troxel, Gloria Johnson, Kat & Leon McElroy, David Poppe, Tara, J.R. Benedict, Nina Alexander, Bonnie Reed, Tim Horn and Walter & Andrea Tommy. We had beef stew, Ritz crackers with sliced cheese, pecans and raisins and sliced watermelon for lunch.

 

WELCOME followed by the READING OF MISSION STATEMENT: By this week’s chairperson. Tim Horn

 

PRAYER was lead by Leon McElroy, followed by the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIENCE.

 

PRESENTATION OF AGENDA AND CALL FOR MODIFICATIONS: There were no modifications to the agenda.

 

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Minutes for 7/21 and 7/28/09 meetings were posted on the WIN link at www.railbelt.com and submitted to the WIN e-list electronically by Kat. She also post and submitted Miles Martin’s notes for his presentation 7/28/09 on Wilderness Survival. 

 

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS: Drew was introduced.

 

SPEAKERS/TOPICS:

 

It Isn’t About Us (An overview of Custody & Visitation in Alaska and the Best Interests of the Child:  Alaska District Court Magistrate Brian Fisher provided us first with a brief overview of who he is and what he does. He has been the District Court magistrate for Healy and Nenana for a year-and-a-half; he hopes to obtain housing in the Nenana area. For the time being, he and his family have been living in a rental unit near Clear Sky and the children have attended Anderson School. They will enroll in Nenana City Public School this year. He and his wife have been married for 20 years. His daughter is 14; his son is 12. He gave us a short update on the new court-house project.

He summed his topic up by stating that the court is obligated to make custody decisions always based on what would be best for the children involved. He said children are important; their wellness needs to be a primary concern. He cited national and state statistics regarding divorce rates and numbers of single-parent households. There are 12.9 million single parent households in the USA. In Alaska, about 30% of our households are single parent. This demonstrates the possible magnitude of the problems that may be encountered regarding custody and visitation disputes. He provided a hand-out that can be found at http://www.kidscount.alaska.edu/2006-2007db/200607db.html which gave a wealth of Alaska specific information. He said that courts have to take into account the mental health, emotional growth, developmental needs and well-being of children whose parents are involved in a custody dispute. Ideally parents divorcing or separating will make good decisions regarding custody and visitation; if not, the court has to step in to promote the health and welfare of the children.

Magistrate Fisher discussed some of the negative effects that children can begin to experience when raised in households where there is ongoing conflict and disrupted custody. He touched on the issue of attachment disorder and cited this as one of the reasons that the state sometimes needs to step in and make decisions about placement. He provided a hand-out that explores bonding and attachment disorder which can be found at

http://helpguide.org/mental/parenting_bonding_reactive_attachment_disorder.htm if interested in knowing more about this issue. The court will intercede when they see custody arrangements being made at the convenience or to fit the needs or desires of parents at the expense of children’s needs-physical, emotional, and developmental. He cited several generic examples of the court having to deal with this, and how interventions are put into place.

In addition to attachment and bonding issues, he talked about ways that parent’s inability to resolve personal conflicts can bleed over onto and poison children’s relations with mom or dad. “Parents in agreement and able to co-parent (despite separation or divorce) is ideal,” he said. He provided a handout, put together by now retired Superior Court Judge Steinkruger, http://forms.lp.findlaw.com/form/courtforms/state/ak/ak000046.pdf who created this crosswalk of contingencies to assist parents to codify decisions regarding custody, visitation, and other vital issues.

Magistrate Fisher said, “They (children of divorced or separated parents) just do better when there is consistency regarding rules, expectations, consequences and routines.” He cited some of the specific statutes that mandate decisions being made in the best interests of the children involved and discussed information he has received from court custody investigators regarding developmental needs of children at various ages and stages. One example is that non-custodial parents be allowed frequent contact with their children; three visits a week of 3 to 6 hour duration was recommended for children birth to age three. Typically, he said, overnight visits were not recommended until at least age one, more frequently not until age two or three. After age three, multiple overnight visits ought best be on successive nights as opposed to broken up over the course of the week. He talked about how this may not be convenient for the parents but would best support the needs of the child.

As children get older, their needs change. Continuity is a vital factor. Love and affection is another. By age 12 to 13, children mature to the point where they are able to begin to express their own personal desires and preferences. What isn’t wanted is for the children to end up bouncing between schools or day-care providers to fit parental convenience. Parents may NOT with-hold visitation due to non-payment of child support, as this would adversely affect the children’s relationship with the other parent. He re-iterated that Steinkruger’s Parenting Guide is an excellent resource.

A question was asked regarding Alaska Native children and custody. Magistrate Fisher stated that he is not an expert in ICWA (Indian Child Welfare Act) law and so has only a superficial understanding of how that works. A child of Native blood who is recognized by a tribal entity as a member of their tribe may come under ICWA jurisdiction and issues would then be resolved by tribal court entities. Factors that the court may consider relevant and for which they may put into place restrictions or interventions would include domestic violence against a parent or child, sexual assault, substance abuse or neglect. Interventions could include completion of substance abuse treatment or anger management programs and/or documentation of behavior change over time.

Magistrate Fisher outlined criteria for deciding if a juvenile is a Child In Need of Assistance in cases of abuse, neglect or delinquency. He talked about other factors the court might consider to be pertinence in making decisions regarding custody placement, visitation and resolving parenting conflicts. We unfortunately ran out of time for questions and answers.

 WELLNESS THOUGHT:  “Within each of us lies the power of our consent to health and to sickness, to riches and to poverty, to freedom and to slavery. It is we who control these, and not another.”  Richard Bach  

UPDATES/ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Rebecca: Freecycle went well. Kat counted a total of 42 participants (including children but excluding dogs).

Andrea said there is no word yet regarding a service for Carol Gallo.

Tara will be conducting the Weed Walk next week. Tim will generate flyers and PR info. Kat will print the flyers and get them posted.

 

OPEN FLOOR FOR COMMENTS/QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION: None

 

 

ADJOURNMENT: 2:10 P.M.