Virginia Graziani

Redwood Times

A roomful of community activists gathered at the Sanderson Building in Garberville on December 2 for the monthly public meeting of Southern Humboldt Working Together. They shared their news, discussed building a SHWT website, and heard a presentation on personal health care records by Southern Humboldt Community Healthcare District administrator Harry Jasper.

The meeting began with the customary go-around of updates on community projects.

Dotti Russell briefly described a successful meeting in Phillipsville regarding the federal Section 8 Housing program, which assists low-income families by covering a portion of their rent. Approximately 20 people attended the meeting and interest was shown in further discussions.

Christina Huff of the Family Resource Center said that a full-time grant-funded position at the resource center is still open.

Anyone interested in applying should contact Americorps, which is funding the position, through their website, www.americorps.org. Information is also available from the Redwood Community Action Agency, which can be reached at 269-2020 or afactr@rcaa.org.

The Family Resource Center also has information about application and training for jobs in the 2010 national census. Representatives of the State CalWorks program will be at the center on Tuesday, December 8, to talk to interested persons.

Patti Rose, manager of the Cedar Street Senior Apartments in Garberville, reported that Christmas decorations went up the previous day. Rose, who is also coordinator of the Food Pantry located at the Presbyterian Church in Garberville, announced that representatives of KHUM Radio would be at Shop Smart in Redway that afternoon to kick off Food for People’s annual holiday food drive.

Food Pantry worker and Southern Humboldt Unified School trustee Susan Thompson added that the Redway Baptist Church is now taking signs-ups for households who would like to receive Christmas dinner boxes from the Food Pantry. In addition to the Baptist Church, people can sign up for a box at the Food Pantry and the county services building in Garberville, and the Family Resource Center in Redway. Boxes will include a turkey and all the trimmings.

Donations to both the Food Pantry and the Christmas dinner box program are welcome.

Tina Nerat of the Small Business Development Center in Eureka had just left a “rapid response” presentation at AEE Solar in Redway, where 18 employees recently lost their jobs. The rapid response program educates laid-off employees on how to make the most of federal, state, and county resources, such as unemployment compensation and job training.

Sydney King, secretary of the Piercy Volunteer Fire Department reported that the Piercy VFD has received struts and airbags needed to stabilize vehicles after accidents for safer extraction of victims. Additionally, the VFD received a donation of hoses from the Ukiah Fire Department.

Kathryn Lobato, SoHum’s only member of the Humboldt Area Foundation Board, reminded SHWT participants that the deadline for the first round of applications for grants dedicated to Southern Humboldt is February 1, 2010.

Following the go-around, SHWT board president Rio Anderson facilitated a brainstorming session about creating a website for SHWT, a project he and Jasper had previously agreed to spearhead.

Jasper began by saying that he sees SHWT as a “gathering place, a resource hub” for many organizations and programs that benefit the community. Likewise, the website should be an electronic hub for communicating information, announcing events, opportunities for grant funds, and more. “The idea is the easy part,” said Jasper.

Several people mentioned the Humboldt Switchboard as an existing communication center, but others pointed out that while it is helpful, it is countywide and Southern Humboldt needs a local service.

The webiste should also serve persons from outside the area who are planning to visit or thinking about relocating to Southern Humboldt. This will not duplicate the Garberville-Redway Chamber of Commerce website because SHWT will focus on social resources.

The group determined that essential elements of the webiste are a list of members, their missions, goals, and contact information, and a coordinated calendar showing programs, events, activities, grant application deadlines and other important dates throughout the area. A staff person will probably be needed to keep the calendar accurate and up-to-date.

Nerat offered to donate some of her time and expertise to help get the website started. Huff recommended inviting the South Fork High School web designers to participate. Rose suggested applying to Humboldt Area Foundation for a planning grant.

With the grant application deadline of February 1 in mind, the SHWT board agreed to meet with Nerat early in January.

Following the business portion of the meeting, Jasper began his presentation on personal health records with a series of questions for the group to consider.

Is health care in the U.S. really health care, or is it sick care? Locally, are we “the healthiest community possible?” Do we know what health care is? Do we know how to become healthy? Do we want to live healthier lives?

Almost everyone would say yes to the last question, Jasper said, but this desire often is not strong enough to create healthy living habits.

”But health care is not something independent of a person’s whole life,” objected SHWT secretary Kathy Epling, a longtime homeless advocate and board member of Redwoods Rural Health Center. “Some people live in conditions that make it hard to stay healthy even though you may know how to be healthy.”

She gave the example of a homeless person who knows he needs to keep his wound clean but has no access to soap and hot water.

RRHC executive director Anne Staunton added that if people who could improve their health with better lifestyle choices did so, more resources would be available to help others.

A catalyst is needed to transform health care, Jasper went on. For example, debit cards transformed banking, making it possible for people to access their money almost anywhere in the world. Email made personal communication easier, faster, and more accessible. Digital cameras have transformed “film processing shacks in parking lots to coffee shops,” Jasper quipped.

Currently most people’s records are at their doctor’s office or in their health insurance company’s files. When patients change providers or insurance coverage, their records have to be recreated.

Personal health records, such as those provided by an organization called Shared Care Plan, which Jasper used as a model, are controlled by the patient. Patients can share this information with their providers, family, caregivers, or whomever they choose.

Included in the record are past and present medications; allergies and drug interactions, immunizations, diagnoses, and health indicators such as blood pressure, cholestrol, and blood sugar levels. Health goals, personal preferences, and other information unique to the individual can also be included.

Personal health care records can be cross-referenced with providers’ records to match and verify information. Emergency personnel can have immediate access when needed for quicker and better responses.

Additionally, patients’ access to this information makes them more active participants in health care, able to have informed dialog with their providers, and helping them achieve their goals. It also assists families and caregivers of elderly or disabled people.

Personal health records can be converted to paper for those who don’t use computers or who want to carry their records while traveling.

SHCHD and RRHC, along with several other regional organizations, are collaborating to bring personal health records to the area, Jasper said. They are working on a grant from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy to start the process by exploring community needs.

He suggested that SHWT’s proposed spring workshop would be an opportunity to talk to the community about personal health records, This event has been tentatively planned to coincide with Healing Arts Alive! at the Garberville Town Square, probably next April.

”We’ve done things like this before,” Jasper said. “We need to translate ideas to action.”

He alerted the group to a new website sponsored by SHWT, sohumhealth.org., and invited everyone to become a member of the health care committee. Thirty or 40 people have already signed up, he said.

Jasper’s final comment was in response to concerns about the confidentiality of personal health care records. Participation is voluntary, and he added, “Paper health care records are as secure as the lock on the window. Electronic records are as secure as a hacker’s ability.”

SHWT’s next general meeting, open to all, will be at noon on January 6 at the Sanderson Building (formerly Masonic Hall) in Garberville.