Newsletter May 2019

OUR MISSION: TO RAISE THE PHYSICAL, MENTAL, SOCIAL, AND SPIRITUAL HEALTH OF
AMERICAN INDIANS AND ALASKA NATIVES TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL

Lawton Service Unit

May 2019

IHS Leadership visits the Lawton Service Unit

Pictured L to R: IHS Deputy for Field Operations, RADM Kevin Meeks; IHS Chief of Staff, RADM Brandon Taylor;
IHS Principal Deputy Director, RADM Michael Weahkee; President of Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, Terri Parton;
LIH Acting CEO LCDR Lenora Littledeer; IHS Oklahoma City Area Director RADM Travis Watts

On May 20th, the Lawton Service Unit had the honor of hosting IHS senior leader-
ship, including RADM Michael Weahkee, Principal Deputy Director of IHS. The site visit
was a success and highlighted efforts to continuously improve operations at the Lawton
Indian Hospital. Thank you to all who participated in the visit and shared your
departmental accomplishments.

Zero Suicide Monthly Update:

Zero Suicide Monthly Update-The Impact of Safety Planning

By Eryn Bull, MSW, LCSW

One of the interventions that has been implemented as part of Lawton Indian Hospital’s
Zero Suicide Initiative is the use of the Stanley Brown Safety Plan with patients who are identi-
fied as at risk for suicide. Safety planning is a collaborative process where the patient and clini-
cian work together to identify ways a patient can stay safe in a time of crisis. The process helps
the patient to identify seven things in an effort to improve safety:

Warning signs that a crisis may be developing

1. Internal coping strategies they can use to take their minds off their problems without con-
tacting another person

2. People and social settings that provide distraction

3. People whom they can ask for help

4. Professionals or agencies they can contact during a crisis

5. Things they can do to make their environment safer

6. The one thing that is most important to them and most worth living for

This process can take as little as ten minutes and can be facilitated by a nurse, physician, social
worker, therapist, or other healthcare worker who has training. It is an evidenced-based inter-
vention that can save lives. National Public Radio recently reported on a study published in JA-
MA Psychiatry that followed 1200 Veterans’ Administration patients who presented to the emer-
gency room with suicidal ideation. Some of the patients received a safety plan and some did
not. They followed the patients for six months and found that in the group that received the
safety planning intervention, there were half as many repeat suicidal crises as in the group that
did not receive the safety planning intervention. They also
found that of patients who received the safety plan, two-
thirds reported using their safety plan within the time frame
they were followed. Patients who received a safety plan
were twice as likely to participate in follow-up behavioral
health treatment as the group who did not receive safety
planning.

(https://www.npr.org/sections/health-
shots/2018/07/11/628029412/a-simple-emergency-room-
intervention-can-help-cut-future-suicide-risk).

Meet our new employees at the LSU!

Image to the left: Front Row (L to R): Alejandra
Bull Calf-Nurse Extern; Natalie Parton, Volunteer
Dental Assistant (Anadarko); Michelle Brown,
Contractor, Lab

Back Row (L to R): Ryan Boasi, Pharmacist
(Anadarko); Gordon Whitewolf, Mental Health
Family Specialist (Anadarko); John H. Bear, Ad-
min. Support Assistant Oral Surgery; Stacey San-
ford, Nurse, Med-Surg.

Not pictured: Brooklyn Nuani-Johnson, Cook,
Dietary.

Alejandra Bull Calf: IHS Nurse Extern, Nursing
Alejandra is a nursing student at Midwestern State University. Alejandra will be work-
ing as a student extern this summer. She looks forward to this opportunity and to gain
some experience.
Natalie Parton: Dental Assistant Extern, Dental
Natalie is a recent graduate of Custom Dental Assisting School and is looking forward
to starting her career as a Dental Assistant.
Michelle Brown: MLT, Laboratory
Michelle attended Southwestern Oklahoma State University where she earned an Asso-
ciates in Applied Science. Michelle was previously employed at Great Plains Regional
Medical Center in Elk City for 23 years.
Ryan Boasi: Pharmacist, AIHC Pharmacy
Ryan graduated from Notre Dame University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in 2017
and brings experience in community and hospital pharmacy. Ryan also has a back-
ground in emergency management and has previously served as one of the Maryland
General Partners to the Strategic National Stockpile.
Gordon R Whitewolf: Mental Health Family Specialist, Behavioral Health
Gordon will be providing behavioral health counseling for the Native youth in addition
to outpatient services at the Anadarko Indian Health Center. Gordon earned his mas-
ter’s degree in Behavioral Science from Cameron University in 2002 and has been
working in the substance abuse and behavioral health counseling fields since 1984.
John H Bear: Administrative Support Assistant, Oral Surgery
John will be working in the Oral Surgery Department. He has a Bachelor’s degree in
Psychology from Cameron University.
Stacey Sanford: BSN, RN, Med Surg
Stacey received her BSN from the OU College of Nursing in July of 2018. Stacey is look-
ing forward to beginning her nursing career at IHS and strives to provide the best nurs-
ing care to the Native community.

Administrative Professional’s Week

During the week of April 21-27th, administrative professionals were recognized for the valuable
work they do on a daily basis while meeting the immediate needs of patients and supporting
clinical functions. They are often times a patient’s first impression as they are responsible for
providing support for medical facility staff, managing front desk operations of the hospital and
clinics, and scheduling patient appointments. The service unit appreciates the work of our
administrative professionals and acknowledge their critical role in maintaining hospital/clinic
functions.

Pictured (L to R): Janie Gooday, Pediatrics; Napua Gonzales, Med/Surg; Lancee Cooke, Adult Care/SDA; Carol
Poolaw, Adult Care 1; Hope Baeza, Adult Care 2; Debra Knox, Adult Care 2; Thea Alexander, Adult Care 1. Not
pictured: Seb Palmer, ER; Stephanie Stevenson, Nursing Admin; Brook Powell, Admin.

LSU Bids Farewell to
Dr. Christopher

Dr. Bea Christopher was recently honored
as she concluded 17 years of service as
an anesthesiologist with LIH. The service
unit would like to thank Dr. Christopher
for her years of dedication to providing
care to the Lawton community and wish
her well in her retirement.

National Nurses week 2019 was observed May 6th through 12th. This year’s
theme was “4 million reasons to celebrate.” This is a week where the approximate-
ly 4 million nurses in the US are recognized for the work they do daily to provide
evidenced-based care and advocate for their patients. The LSU would like to thank
all of the units who participated in nursing week events and would also like to
extend sincere gratitude to our nurses for all of their hard work in ensuring the
needs of our patient’s are met.

Keeping informed about the weather is the best way to avoid being caught in a
tornado or severe thunderstorm. Your local National Weather Service Forecast Office
provides information about dangerous weather in your area, and you should keep a
close eye on this information whenever storms threaten your area. A battery operated
NOAA Weather Radio with a warning alarm feature should be a part of your information
system! The Safety Officer monitors for severe storms in the Lawton Service Unit.
When a severe storm or tornado threatens, remember these basic guidelines:

GET IN - get as far inside a strong building as you can, away from doors and windows
GET DOWN - get to the lowest floor
COVER UP - use whatever you can to protect yourself from flying or falling debris
With these things in mind, please take a moment to read through the
LIH Code Yellow Policy and/or your Department Emergency Response Plan (DERP) for
your roles in a severe weather incident.

National Men’s Health Week: June 10-16

National Men’s Health Week is observed each year leading up to Father’s Day. This
week serves as a reminder for men to take steps to be healthier, but they don’t have to
do it alone! Whether it’s your husband, partner, dad, brother, son, or friend you can
help support the health and safety of the men in your life.

1. Set an Example with Healthy Habits

2. Remind Men to Get Regular Checkups

3. Know the Signs and Symptoms of a Heart Attack

4. Encourage Men to Seek Help for Depression

For more information go to:

https://www.cdc.gov/features/healthymen/index.html

LSU is Four Certified Diabetes Educators Strong!

Decreasing the Health Disparity of Native Americans

The Diabetes Educators of the Lawton Service Unit
Diabetes Education and Prevention Program would
like to congratulate LT. Sara Kernell on achieving the
status of Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE). Sara’s
successful completion of the certification examina-
tion for Diabetes Educators on May 18, 2019 means
that all of the diabetes educators with the Lawton
Service Unit Diabetes Education and Prevention Pro-
gram are certified. Candidates must meet rigorous
eligibility requirements to be able to take the exami- LT. Sara Kernell, CDE, MSN, RN
nation. Achieving certification status demonstrates to
people with diabetes and employers that the health care professional possesses
distinct and specialized knowledge, thereby promoting quality of care for people
with diabetes. A CDE is a health professional who possesses comprehensive
knowledge of and experience in diabetes management, prediabetes, and diabetes
prevention. They educate and support people affected by diabetes to help them
understand and manage the chronic condition. A CDE promotes self-management
to achieve individualized behavioral and treatment goals that optimize health out-
comes. Currently there are 223 diabetes educators in Oklahoma and less than 30
in the western region who have earned National Certification Board for Diabetes
Educators designation.

LSU Certified Diabetes Educators

Christie Lea Coggburn RD, Shirley Burris MS, RN, CDE Leslye Trachte Pharm. D.,
BC-ADM, CDE

Pharmacy
Monthly

Lawton Indian Hospital
May 2019

Come Get Your Refills!

Getting your refills on time is an im- Prescription Label Example:

portant part of medication therapy.

Not keeping up with refills can lead to

missed doses which can be detrimental

to one’s health. Some medications

may also take a long time to work and

abrupt discontinuation could lead to

unwanted side effects. For example, that can be reached in order to request

some high blood pressure medications a refill of your medications. These
(i.e. metoprolol) can actually cause an numbers are located below with the
increase in heart rate if suddenly pharmacy hours of operation. Keep in
stopped. mind that the automated refill line

All medication vials have helpful refill may not work if your prescription

information. The prescription vial number has changed. If this is the
shows the date that the prescription If you are approaching the end of your case, you can leave a message on the
refills it is important to schedule an refill voicemail line to request your
will expire (circled in red). Most pre- appointment with your doctor. Sched- refill. This line is checked daily and
scriptions expire after one year or until uling an appointment when you have your request will be processed in the
all available refills are used. The pre- one or two refills remaining, will help order it was received. If at the facility
scription vial also shows you how ensure that your doctor can renew already you can also request a medica-
many refills you have remaining your prescriptions before you run out tion refill in person by pulling a
(circled in blue). of refills. Medication refills can be “request a refill” ticket at the pharma-

ordered in several different ways. cy service kiosk. If you do not want to

There are various phone numbers wait you can also fill out a refill re-

quest form and place it into the over-

night box located next to station 5 at

the pharmacy window.

Pharmacy Monthly continued

Meet your staff – Jessica Steinert

Where are you and your family from?

I was born in Ft. Sill and spent the majority of my life in Lawton
aside from attending undergraduate studies at the University of
Oklahoma and attaining my Doctor of Pharmacy degree at South-
western Oklahoma State University.

What made your pursue pharmacy as a career?

Pharmacists are one of the most accessible health care profession-
als. The profession has diverse career paths and the Indian Health
Service allows me to pursue the path I’m most passionate about –
Ambulatory Care Pharmacy. I recently received my Masters in
Health Care Administration from Oklahoma State University and
have been enjoying learning the administrative side of pharmacy
and hospital operations also.

If you could master one skill in an instant which skill would it be?

I think my life would be a lot easier if I could just master Microsoft
Excel in an instant. All of it.

What is your favorite quote?

“If you are working on something that you really care about, you
don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you” – Steve Jobs. This
quote really speaks to my approach to my career and life in gen-
eral.

Pharmacy Hours: Pharmacy Phone Numbers:

Monday – Friday Refill automated line
7:30 AM – 7:00 PM 580 - 354 - 5539

Saturday and Sunday Refill voicemail line
10:00 AM – 7:00 PM 580 - 354 - 5538

Refill mail line
580 - 354 - 5533
*All refill lines available

24 hours

Pharmacy clerks
580 - 354 - 5532

**Clerks available m-f from

8am – 5pm