In compliance with this act, mastectomies and related reconstructive surgery are covered benefits for CHP members. Coverage includes reconstruction of the surgically altered breast, as well as surgery and reconstruction of the other breast for a symmetrical appearance. Coverage is also available for breast prostheses and for the physical complications of mastectomy, including lymphedemas. If you have any questions, please call Member Services at 850-383-3311.

This health path isn’t a metaphor. It’s real: an outdoor trail close to your home. You’d be surprised how many trails exist and how many more the medical community and U.S. cities want to create. The reason? It’s spelled out in the theme of National Trails Day: “Take the Path to a Healthier You.”

Exercise—and More.

Excess weight, high blood pressure, heart disease, osteoporosis, back pain, stress: Walking is a proven weapon against all of these, and yet Americans today are more sedentary than earlier generations. Experts now know that trails have special properties for both exercise and motivation.

Blaze It, and They’ll Come.

Great advantages of trails are access, attractiveness, and variety. They can be designed for walking, running, biking, rollerblading, and wheelchair recreation. When well laid-out in natural settings, trails beckon people—fostering exercise as an everyday activity. That’s why blazing more trails is a nationwide urban and medical movement. Almost a decade ago, the U.S. Surgeon General created the Health and Trails Initiative. In 2006, as one example, the Medical Mile greenway opened in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas, a collaboration among Heart Clinic Arkansas and the city and national park services. A Nebraska study found that every $1 investment in trails resulted in nearly $3 in reduced health care costs (Health Promotion Practice, April 2005, pp.174–79).

Nature Deficit Disorder.

Childhood expert Richard Louv’s term “nature deficit disorder” is deliberately catchy to catch awareness. Today, kids under 13 spend only one-half hour weekly in outdoor freestyle play. Nature outings for most of us are limited. Exercising outdoors—playing, rambling . . . not directed activity—has been shown to foster more creative and cooperative play in children, says Louv.

Bottom Line Benefits.

Interestingly, data is building that city trails increase economic activity and can increase property values—in addition to the health care and insurance savings. The real end-benefit, though, is where we started: a healthier you. Trails are a stimulating, beautiful, enjoyable, and an easy way to Choose to Live Well.

If you need immediate care for a sickness or injury, consider calling CHP’s expertly staffed Urgent Care Center at 850-383-3382. You will bypass the hectic surroundings and long waits of a hospital Emergency Department—along with the higher copayments. Just telephone our Urgent Care Center and receive an appointment. (If you have a truly life-threatening condition, go to the Emergency Department.)

The CHP Urgent Care Center, located at the Centerville Place Health Center, is staffed by physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurses.

Medical problems appropriate for treatment at the Center are:

• upper respiratory infections, ear infections, and sore throats
• minor but acute illnesses that include high fever, nausea, or vomiting
• minor trauma, including ankle sprains or cuts
• urinary tract infections

CHP Urgent Care Center Hours
Monday–Friday, 11 a.m.–10 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday,
9 a.m.–8 p.m.
Holiday hours may vary.

Appointments
Call 850-383-3382

Through an innovative online tool, Capital Health Plan members can create an individualized guide for managing their health and feeling their best. It’s

Melissa Dancer Brown, RN, LD/N

easy to do, takes 15–20 minutes, and makes you a much more active participant in your health care. The guide:

• establishes a health baseline so that you can monitor changes over time
• creates useful personalized forms
• enables more productive, organized doctor visits
• lets you set and track personal health goals

How the Health Survey Works.
The first step is an online health survey, accessed through Capital Health Plan’s secure Internet site (see directions on this page). The survey uses a new questioning technology called “branching logic.” From a general question, your response may or may not lead to follow-up questions for more specific information. All responses then are compiled into a report of health information designed just for you! You are able to save your survey for future reference and comparison.

Tailored Forms and Resources.
In addition, the survey provides you with useful forms for yourself and your doctor. One set of forms organizes your conditions into categories, such as things you are doing well, conditions that could use attention, family history, and prevention. There is space on each page for writing important notes.
Other forms outline goals for issues and conditions that you indicated in the survey. The grand finale of the report is a tailor-made list of resources for gathering more health information.

The Big Picture.
One of the most important and exciting components of completing the survey is looking at “the big picture” of your health and deciding personal goals. Maybe you want to lose 20 pounds over the next year, improve your strength and balance, or reduce the number of medications you take. Remember, CHP has many services and benefits to assist you with your goals. CHP Health Coaching is the newest member benefit. With this service you can call 24 hours a day (850-383-3400) and speak with a Health Coach about your specific needs. Online, a coaching feature includes numerous Lifestyle Management Programs. Topics include weight and stress management, smoking cessation, and preventing and managing back pain.

CHP also offers weight management classes and support groups each week at our Governor’s Square location. Call 850-383-3511 for more information.
Live Well. It’s Your Choice!

Dr. Nancy Van Vessem, MD Chief Medical Officer

Q: It’s February. Do you know where your New Year’s resolutions are?

We are six weeks out from our New Year’s resolutions, and most of us had a resolution regarding our own personal health. Whether we vowed to lose weight, or to become stronger, or to improve our cardiovascular condition, or to stop smoking, now is the time to decide whether our plans are on track.

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, health is “[s]oundness, especially of body or mind; freedom from disease or abnormality . . . [a] condition of optimal well-being.”

Wow! Sign me up. Give me that “health pill.” As we know, health (particularly as we age) is more a product of what we do and don’t do rather than what anyone does for us or to us. The good news is that a lot of our personal health is under our own control. The harder news is that we have to expend effort and make choices that will lead to optimal well-being.

Do these five simple things to Live Well:

1. Move. Walk fast for 30 minutes most days. You will feel better almost immediately. Take your kids along. Wear them out.
2. Eat healthy foods. Too much fat and sugar and not enough fruits, vegetables, and fiber are the root cause of many of the chronic diseases that we all want to avoid.
3. Drink eight glasses of water a day.
4. Take a multi-vitamin daily, particularly if you don’t eat enough vegetables and fruit.

Get a health baseline by doing an online health survey. If you have any questions about how to proceed with your own plan for health, call a Health Coach at 850-383-3400.

Best of luck in moving forward in good health!

For too many people, the reaction to those common questions is a resounding “Yes!” Low back and neck pain trouble a number of CHP members. Now, a new program is doing something about these aches and pains—with definite success.

The education and intervention program, a collaboration with the Center for Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy, was conducted as a pilot study for one year. Approximately 170 patients achieved nearly 80% improvement in their pain after a little more than three visits. Physical ability or function scores improved on average from a capacity score of 59 on entering the program to 91 on completion.

CHP physician Charles Tomlinson, MD, worked on the pilot program with the Center’s Tom Kane, MS, PT (cert. MDT), and Chad Gray, PT (cert. MDT). Physical therapists Kane and Gray are pleased to provide the safe and effective treatment and education. If you feel that you might benefit from this program, please discuss it with your primary care physician or contact the Center. No authorization number is necessary. Contact the Center for Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy at 850-656-1837. Office location is 1834-A Jaclif Court, just off Capital Medical Boulevard. CHP members experiencing back and neck pain also can get additional information by calling a CHP Health Coach at 850-383-3400.

Sore throats have multiple causes, but in 85–95% of cases, the culprit is a viral infection. This means that up to 95% of sore throats will go away on their own, without antibiotics, usually within 7 to 10 days.

Try home remedies to help ease your pain while the sore throat runs its course.

• Drink warm liquids.
• Gargle with warm, salty water (about 1 tsp. of salt per glass of water).
• Suck on throat lozenges or hard candy.
• Use a cool-mist vaporizer or humidifier to add moisture to the air and help a dry throat.
• Use over-the-counter pain medications such as acetaminophen (Tylenol®) or ibuprofen (Motrin®, Advil®). Avoid giving aspirin to children.

When does a sore throat require a trip to your doctor? Be sure to call your health care provider if you experience any of the following:

• severe difficulty swallowing or breathing
• excessive drooling in a young child
• fever, especially 101° F. or greater
• tender or swollen lymph glands in the neck
• pus in the back of the throat
• a red rash that feels rough, and increased redness in the skin folds

If your doctor suspects a bacterial infection (such as strep), he or she may perform a rapid strep test or take a throat culture. If an antibiotic is prescribed, be sure to complete the entire course—even if you feel well.

Clinical Pharmacist

It starts with a runny nose and then turns into a sore throat. Before you know it, you’re sneezing and coughing all over the place. Think you need to visit your doctor for an antibiotic? You may be surprised to hear that the answer is usually “no.”

How do you know if you need an antibiotic? Check out our list below. We reveal the facts behind the myths and help you decide when to visit the doctor and how to use antibiotics appropriately.

Myth #1: Antibiotics work against the common cold and flu.

Fact: Most illnesses (for example, the common cold, most coughs/bronchitis, the flu, and most sore throats) are caused by viruses, and antibiotics do not kill viruses. They only kill bacteria. If you have a viral infection, taking an antibiotic will not get rid of the infection or make you feel better any faster.

Myth #2: A runny nose that is green or yellow in color means the infection is bacterial and an antibiotic is needed.

Fact: Yellow or green mucous does not mean that the infection is bacterial; this can also occur with a viral infection. Therefore, the need for antibiotics cannot be determined strictly by the color of your nasal discharge.

Myth #3: Taking an antibiotic is harmless; therefore it can’t hurt to take one “just in case.”

Fact: Taking any medication can lead to unwanted side effects and the risk of drug interactions or allergic reactions. In addition, the overuse of antibiotics enables bacteria to adapt and overcome the medicine’s effect. The antibiotic won’t work as well when you truly do need it. Overuse of antibiotics can lead to problems such as methicillin resistant staph aureus (MRSA).

Myth #4: If an antibiotic is needed, I can stop taking it once I feel better.

Fact: Although you feel better, bacteria still may be present. Take the full course. Otherwise, the infection may come back. Stopping an antibiotic too early also can lead to resistant bacteria.

Myth #5: When I start feeling sick, I can use some of the antibiotic that I never finished from my last prescription.

Fact: See Myth #4 —Have no leftovers! Equally important to know is that an antibiotic targets specific bacteria. Even if your new infection is caused by bacteria, the left-over antibiotic may not treat it.

When in doubt, call your doctor to see if an antibiotic is needed, but don’t be disappointed if you don’t receive a prescription. By avoiding an unnecessary antibiotic, you’ll be doing your part to ensure that antibiotics remain effective when you really need them to work for you.

Donna Wells, Medicare Sales Representative

If Medicare Is in Your Future, Come to One of Our Regular Seminars

Please note: CHP Medicare Advantage Plans do not have a cap on occupational therapy, physical therapy, or speech/language therapy.

You may have heard that original Medicare will have a $1,810 cap on these therapies in 2008, but this will not affect you if you are enrolled in a CHP Medicare Advantage plan. Please call Member Services if you have questions at 877-247-6512 or 850-523-7441 (TTY 850-383-3534 or 800-955-8771), seven days a week, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Capital Health Plan is a health plan with a Medicare contract.

Are you approaching age 65 or retirement? Do you have questions about Medicare? Capital Health Plan regularly offers seminars for our members to learn the basics of Medicare, get answers to questions, and review the options in CHP Medicare Advantage plans.

Our Medicare Advantage program—ranked highest in the Southeast by the National Committee for Quality Assurance in U.S. News & World Report, “America’s Best Health Plans 2007TM”—covers all parts of Medicare including Part D (prescription drug benefit), offers extra benefits, and costs less than many Medicare supplemental plans. The program has three options.

CHP Preferred Advantage includes coverage of generic prescription drugs throughout the year, even during the government’s coverage gap (known as the “doughnut hole”).

CHP Advantage Plus is our original, popular Medicare plan. It carries a lower premium than CHP Preferred Advantage but does not include coverage of generic drugs during the gap.

CHP Retiree Advantage is sponsored by some employers. Through these plans, Medicare-eligible retirees continue their employer group health plan, including the group copayments and unlimited drug coverage with no gap.

They’re at least 60 years of age. They’re high achievers who help others. They’re shining examples to young and old. They’re Silver Stars—annual honorees at a celebration created by the Tallahassee Senior Center and cosponsored by Capital Health Plan. Because of the event’s growing popularity, this year’s gala and dinner will be held at the FSU University Center.

First we need nominees! This is your chance to honor someone—friend, neighbor, or relative—who brings light to lives. Past Silver Stars have included athletes, executive directors, community advocates, caregivers, volunteers, and entrepreneurs. Think a few moments. You know someone. Please let us know, too.

Silver Star criteria: Eligible people are those who, since age 60, have accomplished outstanding achievements, demonstrate exemplary service to others and our community, and are inspiring models of active aging.

Nomination process: Write a description of up to 100 words about the person’s accomplishments since age 60. Mail it to Silver Stars Nomination, Tallahassee Senior Center, 1400 N. Monroe St., Tallahassee FL 32303.

Deadline: February 22, 2008.

Silver Star Celebration: May 22, 2008, FSU University Center (tickets required).

Contact: Sheila Salyer, Tallahassee Senior Center, 891-4001.