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In this issue: |
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In 2019, in a park in Cardiff, Wales, a friendly dog approached an older man sitting alone on a bench. The man smiled and petted the dog. The dog’s owner watched from a distance, wondering if the man was lonely, and she had an idea: public parks could have “chat benches” labeled with signs where people could sit and signal their willingness to chat. Chat benches have since become a global phenomenon—an effort to inspire social connection, even in Ashland, Oregon.
United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has declared loneliness an epidemic in the U.S., warning that loneliness is “associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death.”
We asked newsletter readers to tell us how they cope with loneliness, and we received a fountain of thoughtful responses, some of which appear in this story. Thank you! We also spoke to experts about what’s behind this epidemic and what people might do to feel better, and we offer free resources for all age groups.
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Schools in Oregon can now order the opioid overdose reversal medication naloxone at no cost. Naloxone reverses an opioid overdose usually within a couple of minutes, which allows time for emergency medical services to arrive. This is a crucial step in providing school staff with resources to respond to an opioid overdose on or near a school campus.
Any school in an Oregon or Tribal community that teaches 7th grade or higher is eligible to receive naloxone, including public, private and charter schools, as well as colleges and universities. OHA’s Save Lives Oregon initiative is offering each eligible school up to three opioid overdose reversal kits.
Each kit includes:
- 1 wall-mounted naloxone box
- 8 doses of naloxone nasal spray with instructions
- Emergency medical supplies
- Posters showing where to find an overdose reversal kit on campus and how to administer naloxone
More information and instructions for educators can be found here. The kits are paid for with Oregon’s opioid settlement funds. Additional resources for educators, administrators, school nurses, students and families can be found in the Fentanyl & Opioid Response Toolkit for Schools.
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Health notes |
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People can now order four more free at-home COVID-19 tests from the federal government. If you already placed an order for four kits this fall, this new allotment is in addition to those. If you haven’t ordered any tests this fall, you can place two orders for a total of eight test kits.
Order online at COVIDtests.gov, and the tests will arrive via U.S. Postal Service.
If you still have unused at-home COVID-19 tests, check the expiration dates. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) extended the expiration dates on many at-home COVID-19 tests beyond what is printed on the box. Check this FDA webpage and search for your test’s brand and lot number to see if the FDA extended the expiration date. If your tests have expired, throw them away with the regular trash.
Oregon State Hospital (OSH) staff is absolutely thrilled with the generosity of newsletter readers who have placed holiday gift orders for its patients. Thank you!
We wanted to send out this reminder that the last day to order holiday gifts using OSH’s new Amazon gift registry is Dec. 5.
Each year, the hospital’s Volunteer Services Caring Tree program makes sure every patient receives a gift. Scan or click the QR code to the right to access the Amazon gift registry.
Check out the Nov. 16 issue of Oregon Health News for more details, including other ways to give to OSH patients this year.
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A new online tool shows COVID-19 vaccination rates among staff and residents at Oregon’s long-term care facilities (LTCFs). The interactive LTCF COVID-19 Vaccination Data dashboard is updated weekly and allows users to filter search results by region, county, facility, and facility type and characteristic.
The goal of the dashboard is to help improve facilities’ reporting of COVID-19 vaccinations and provide guidance on ways to increase their vaccination rates.
Through the week of Oct. 2-8, only 6% of staff and 11% of residents at Oregon LTCFs were up to date on their COVID-19 vaccination. “Up to date” is defined as having received the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine newly available this fall. It does not take into account prior COVID-19 vaccines.
“Nursing, assisted-living and residential care facilities are still experiencing outbreaks of COVID-19, and many of their residents are at high risk for serious illness from the virus,” said Dat Tran, M.D., M.S., medical director for OHA’s Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Program. “Vaccination remains our No. 1 tool for reducing infection risk for vulnerable persons.”
The current vaccination rates are “woefully low,” Tran said, though they are higher than the national rates reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which were 1% of staff and 9% of residents.
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OHA answers your questions |
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Questions are answered by experts at OHA and other state agencies or community partners.
Q: I tested positive for COVID-19 in October while I was traveling out of state. I had mild-moderate symptoms (fever, runny nose, headache, tightness in chest) and went to an urgent care facility thinking that I would be able to get a prescription for Paxlovid. I was surprised when I did not meet the requirements, even though I am a 62-year-old woman with asthma on Day 2 of my illness. All of the information I saw about Paxlovid indicated that I would qualify. Are there different rules for eligibility in different states or at different times depending on the availability of Paxlovid? – Linda, Corvallis
A: There are not generally different recommendations regarding COVID-19 oral antiviral medication from state to state. Most U.S. providers follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendations, and it’s always ultimately a prescribing provider’s decision (in partnership with the patient). Paxlovid is plentiful all around the country. In the future, and for those planning domestic travel, consider calling your primary care provider. They can assess your condition over the phone and call in a prescription to a local pharmacy wherever you are.
Q: Does Medicare or OHP Open Card cover compounded medications? – J, Portland
A: Medicare does not cover "extemporaneously compounded medications," which means if you have a custom blend compounded just for you, it is not covered. It may cover the individual components, and if you were to get a prescription for those components, then pay the pharmacy’s compounding fee, the overall cost may be in your favor. But generally speaking, it is hit or miss, especially when it comes to hormone therapy which uses microdoses specifically tailored to an individual's need.
If you’re covered by Oregon Health Plan (OHP), whether you have coverage through Open Card (also known as “fee-for-service”) or a coordinated care organization (CCO), some compound medications are covered. OHP may cover a portion of the costs for some ingredients, but not all of them, in which case you would need to pay the uncovered costs out of pocket. There are some additional exceptions, such as not covering bulk powders. You can find the list of OHP-covered drugs here.
For specific questions about OHP Open Card coverage for a particular drug or ingredient, call OHP Client Services unit at 800-273-0557 or email dmap.rxquestions@oha.oregon.gov.
If you have a question related to COVID-19 or other public health topics, submit your question here. While we are unable to answer every question, we try to address questions that may be of interest to a broader audience. Please understand we are unable to provide specific medical advice for personal medical conditions.
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If you need mental health support for any reason, help is out there.
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