Bree wit:
We’re not just a pharmacy,
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THE WALSH COUNTY PRESS - WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2020
GRAFTON
I -
’\ Walsh Couh‘l‘y
’ Spoi'l i gh1‘ ‘
The merchants below are .
proud to announce:
Salvation AMy Bells
are Ringing, Grafton
Walsh County Salvation Army Ringing the bell to
'8
fill the kettles.The Walsh County
Ring is still
going on just virtual due to COVID- 9.A|| dona-
tions made will stay within the county. Checks can
be mailed toAmerican Legion Post4 |,PO Box'4 |,
Grafton, ND 58237. Any
questionsor to make a '
donation please contact Shannon Brazil (70 l )2 l 5-
3420 or Lauren Wild (70 )360-204l.
a spotlight
ALSH COUNTY
E‘SS
Interested in becoming
Contact the Press at 701 -284-6333
sponsor?
Park River
PO Box 49
I 284-6333
‘Park Riveri,‘; «'
301 County Road '123
284-71 1 5
AUTO PARTS
E
. FIRST
J FBankailnsurance
Park River
Implement
284-631 6
Park River ~ 284-7244
Adams 944-2231
G_raf_ton 352-3668
Michl an ~ 259-2112
' Hoop e 894-6123
Crystal 657-2168
110 4th St. E
Park River
284-7221
Jim’s SuperValu
101 3rd St. W
Park River
2846433
For, all your dinner needs!
.PQMHA/Wedgwood Manor
Flex Time Social Worker: BSW and ND SW
licensure required
Duties include but are not limited to over-
seeing Social Work Designee, assist with
residents/patients admission, discharge,
and care coordination.
Approximately 12 hours per quarter.
Pembina County Memorial Hospital
Full/Part/Flex Time FlN
Full Time LPN
Flex Time CNA
Wed ew od Manor
Full Time Director of Nursing — must have
current ND RN license
Flex Time Housekeeper/Laundry
Full Time LPN/RN ($5,000.00 Sign On
Bonus)
Full/Part Time CNAs ($1,200.00 Sign On
Bonus)
Part Time RN/LPN
BENEFIT PACKAGE!
Apply online: www.cavalierhospital.com or contact Ann
Russell at 701-265-6329 for more information.
i‘THE SAVVY 1 ’
Dear Savvy Senior;
My mom, who is 76, has become
more forger lately and is worried
she may be gettingAlzheimer Is dis-
ease. What resources can you rec-
ommend to help us get a handle on
this? '
Oldest Daughter
Dear Oldest,
Many seniors worry about mem-
ory lapses as they get older, fearing
it may be the first signs of
Alzheimer’s disease or some other
type of dementia. To get some in-
sight on the seriousness of your
mom’s problem, here are some key
warning signs to be vigilant of and
some resources you can turn to for
help.
Warning Signs
As we grow older, some memo-
ry difficulties — such as trouble re-
membering names of people or
places or forgetting where you put
your glasses or car keys — are asso-
ciated with normal aging. But the
symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease
are much more than simple memo-
ry lapses.
Knowing the early warning signs
isagoodfirststepinrecognizingthe
difference between typical age-re-
lated memory loss and a more seri-
ous problem. To help you evaluate
your mom’s condition, here’s a
checklist of some common early
F01! THE TRO0PS
-Walsh County Veterans Service Office
symptoms to watch for:
- Asking the same questions re-
peatedly.
- Getting lost in familiar areas.
- Failing to recognize familiar
people.
- Having difficulty following di-
rections.
Misplaces items in inappropri-
ate places, for example putting her
keys in the microwave.
- Having difficulty completing fa-
miliar tasks like cooking a meal or
paying a bill.
- Having trouble remembering
common words when speaking or
mixing up words.
For more information, see the
Alzheimer’s Association list of 10
early signs and symptoms at
losignsorg.
Another good tool to help you
evaluate your mom is the Self-Ad-
ministered Gerocognitive Exam
(SAGE test) that was developed at
The Ohio State University Wexner
Medical Center. This free test helps
identify mild cognitive impairment
and early dementia and can be tak-
en at home in about 10 to 15 min-
utes. The SAGE test can be taken
online at BrainTest.com.
Get Help
If you would rather have profes-
sional assistance in evaluating your
On occasion, people ask me, “So, what do you do as a Veterans Serv-
ice Officer?” And I respond with, “I help veterans and their families
get
the benefits for which they are eligible.”
I get quite a few calls on any given day with questions and requests, and
I do the best I can within my scope.
But for the past couple of months, I have added another task to my day:
digitizing files. I have filing cabinets full of records, some date back
to the
19405. We finally have the-proper technology to digitally scan these
records
for safekeeping.
Along with the scanning, I use the vast Internet to find out if the voter-
an has passed away yet. Most of the files I am working with are those of
veterans who have passed away. I learn if they are in a National Veterans
Cemetery or a private one. So far, I’ve noted one Walsh County Veteran
who has been buried in Arlington National Cemetery. His name was Glen
E. Liddle from the Lankin area. I though
t that was a nice bit of history to
note and I hope to learn more about the veterans of Walsh County as I go.
I also see images of their headstones and inscriptions. As I write this
col-
umn, I just looked up a veteran and the inscription on his headstone said
“A Good Man.” Truth be told, it choked me up a little and got me to
think-
ing. With all that has happened this year and the holidays happening now,
what would fiiends, family, and colleagues say about me? Would I be wor-
thy of “A Good Woman” on my headstone?
In this position as a Veterans Service Officer, I get to do some good in
the world. I listen to the stories of past service and I hear the struggle
of
today’s challenges from veterans and their families. Life is hard. And
some-
times there is nothing a person can do but be present and listen.
I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Blessed Yule, and a Hap-
py New Year. Let us try to be more present for our fellow man. It is quite
true that not all wounds are visible and you just never know how much a
kind word can mean.
Katrina Hodny,
Walsh County
Veterans Service Officer
Admin Building, 638 Cooper Ave Suite 5, Grafion, ND 58237
701-352-5030 or 701-331-1700 - walshcountyvso@nd.gov
www.walshcountynd.com/veteran - Facebook @WalshCounty
Veterans
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If you need help, push your personal help button,
which automatically dials the Lifeline Response
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who have instant access to your pertinent
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‘what help you need. Even if you can't answer,
Lifeline will send the help you need right away and
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(,3er .
‘samzmtan
. ocrcty‘"
PM»: Rrvrn
IF YOU ARE AT RlSK CALL
284-7 1 ’l 5
Park River
Good Samaritan Campus
cared for.
Lifeli
Pae 3
ND Extension Educators
Receive National
Awards, Pembina Co.
Agent honored
FARGO, N.D. —— Several North
Dakota State University Extension
agents and a specialist received
awards at the recent National As-
sociation of Extension 4-H Youth
Development Professionals virtu-
al conference in Boise, Idaho.
The awards and the recipients
were:
Achievement of Service (rec-
ognizes recipients for providing 4-
H programming for more than
three but less than seven years) —
Caroline Homan, 4-H youth de-
velopment agent, LaMoure Coun—
ty, and Angie Johnson, agriculture
and natural resources agent, Steele
County
Distinguished Service (recog-
nizes recipientsfor providing 4-H
programming for seven or more
years) Kari Helgoe, family and
community wellness agent, Pem-
bina County, and Acacia Stuckle,
4-H youth development land fam-
ily and community wellness agent,
Emmons County
Meritorious Service (recog-
nizes recipients for providing 4-H
are
a...“
Photo: NDSU
Above: Kari Helgoe, NDSU Ex-
tension Pembina County
programming for 15 or more
years), Rachelle Vettem, professor
and leadership and volunteer de-
velopment specialist, Center for 4-
H Youth Development
The North Dakota Association
of Extension 4-H Youth Workers
nominated these individuals for
their dedication and service to 4-
H outh.
COVID-l9 coverage
to vaccines
FARGO, ND. ~— In an effort to
provide support through the COVID-
19 pandemic, Blue Cross Blue
Shield of North Dakota (BCBSND)
is ensuring members will have free
access to COVID-19 vaccines when
available. The federal government
has indicated they will cover the cost
of the vaccine and BCBSND will
cover administration costs associat-
ed with the vaccine, resulting in no
charge for the member. In addition,
BCBSND is extending its expand-
ed benefits for the testing and treat-
ment of COVID- 1 9 through March
3 1, 2021, which is a unique offering
by a health payer in the state.
“High vaccination rates are cru-
. cial for getting through this pandemic
and removrng any financial barriers
to receiving the vaccine is right
thing to do for our members,” shared
BCBSND president and CEO Dan
Conrad. “Now more than ever, we
encourage all North Dakotans to re-
ceive both the influenza vaccine
and the COVID— l 9 vaccine, once
available.”
According to the Center for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention (CDC),
flu vaccines have been shown to re-
duce the risk of flu illness, hospital-
ization, and death. Getting a flu
vaccine can also save health care re—
sources for the care of patients with
COVID- l 9.
Both vaccines are available to all
members at no charge. COVID vac-
cine coverage will be available for
any vaccine that receives emer-
gency use authorization by the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA).
“Initially, if a person receives a
vaccination from their health
provider, the federal government
will cover the cost of a COVID vac-
cine and BCBSND will cover mem-
ber costs related to its administration.
Afier government-fimded vaccines
are exhausted, BCBSND will cov-
er both the cost of the vaccine and its
administration,” shared Dr. Greg
Glasner, BCBSND Chief Medical
Ofiicer. “This is a direct cost we are
absorbing to support enhanced vac-
cination rates.”
While the federal government is
mandating these vaccine coverages
for Federal Marketplace plans, BCB-
SND has independently decided to
extend these coverages to all lines of
business, including grandfathered
plans. Exclusions may apply for
some self-fimded plans.
As some carriers discontinue
waivers and extended coverage,
BCBSND remains committed to
expanded COVID-19 coverage and
benefits through March 31, 2021, in—
cluding:
Waiving out-of-pocket costs
Your Professional Prescription. Service
We offer. . . Mail-Out Prescriptions - Delivery Service - Blood Pressure
Screening - Photo Kiosk -
10% off Sr. Citizen Discount - Zoovio Video Dealer ' Gifts - Hallmark
Cards Drive-up Window
Ye Olde Medicine Center
Park River o 701—284-7676
Drayton Drug
for the treatment of COVID- 1 9, in-
cluding hospital stays and outpatient
treatment. This applies to fiilly in-
sured members and self—funded
plans that have opted in.
- Waiving out-of-pocket costs
for medically necessary laboratory
COVID-19 testing. Cost-shares will
be waived for an in—network provider
office visit, urgent care center visit,
or emergency room visit when test—
ifo'r'C’OVIDllQ” This applies to
fully insured members and self-
fiinded plans. ’ '
Allowing pharmacies to refill
prescriptions earlier than typically al-
lowed, and most plans allow mem-
bers to fill maintenance medica-
tions for up to a 90-day supply
through local or mail-order phar-
macies.
Offering online benefits to
members including access to:
Learn to Live
V - Silver Sneakers
Waiving cost—shares on tele-
health visits for all services (not just
COVID-l9 related visits) when
members seek care from in-net-
work providers or our telehealth
provider, Amwell. This applies to fiil-
ly insured members and self-fund-
ed plans that have opted in.
“While the vaccine is an impor-
tant step in containing the spread of
COVID-19, it is not the end of the
pandemic story,” says Dr. Glasner.
BCBSND is also looking at the
long-tail disease burden due to de-
ferred preventive care and disease
management
“It’s much more effective to
monitor and treat someone with di-
abetes than to put that person on dial-
ysis. Likewise, it’s much easier to do
a colonosc'opy than to treat colon
cancer,” Dr.’Glasner says. He also
suspects North Dakota will see the
real disease burden after the pan-
demic because preventive health
screenings are also down.
According to health care re—
searcher, Advisory Board, through
May 2020, there were 89% fewer
breast cancer screenings and 85%
fewer colorectal cancer screenings
compared to theyear. before. “Pre-
ventive care, disease management
and self-care are more important now
than ever before,” Dr. Glasner says.
Please visit www.BCBSND.
com/coronavirus for detailed cov-
erage information and program
ming details.
Draytonaml 1
Pembina County Memorial Im‘pitul
ll'ierlgewoml Manor
é
Hours: M—F 9-6 - Sat. 9—1 2
