Introduction to the Regional Contact and Telehealth Center

Tami Hillstrom, Senior Administrator, RTMC/Telehealth and
Treena Bello, Telehealth Manager

Technology has changed our lives in many ways, and health care delivery is no exception. The rapidly expanding field of telemedicine has the potential for improving patient care, making it easier to receive fast and convenient medical attention, and empowering patients to be more proactive about their health. Telehealth connectivity also expands provider reach. Doctors can care for people who live in remote areas or have mobility or transportation issues.
     In January of 2016, Kaiser Permanente NW opened its 49,000 square foot, 400 employee, Tanasbourne Regional Contact and Telehealth Center. The Center houses all appointing and advice nurse services for the Region and a physician-led virtual care team – streamlining several immediate care needs (like selecting a new doc, transferring prescriptions, setting up mobile access to services on kp.org).
    Join us on February 14 to meet Tami Hillstrom, Senior Administrator of Telehealth, and Treena Bello, Telehealth Manager, who will introduce us to Kaiser’s new state-of-the-art facility. They will tell us how telemedicine is making care more accessible for patients in the Region, and future new developments on the horizon. Please join us for this important presentation – seats are limited, so sign up soon!

President's Corner

Patti Lawyer

Happy New Year! Another year has gone by and 2018 is upon us. Whatever your goals for the New Year, I hope participation in KaPeRs will be part of them. We’d love to have you be involved in your organization. Reconnect with people you’ve worked with by attending our general meetings, social events, and workshops. Or, volunteer for a community service project.

Your Board of Directors is actively making plans for the coming year. Our goal is to have our revamped website up in early spring. Watch for notification when it will be “live”. You will be able to electronically sign up & pay for your luncheon at the general meetings, sign up for workshops & social outings, notify us of your volunteer activities, and update your contact information.

We’re also planning workshops, day tours, art show and speakers for our general meetings. Please contact Judy Parmenter (parmenter.judy@gmail.com) or Peggy McClure (peggy.mcclure@gmail.com) with suggestions for speakers or topics of interest.

We’re very pleased to welcome new Board members Mike Kinard, Judy Shafer Collinsworth & Jan Loewen. Judy has graciously agreed to help retirees who have questions about our Benefits. We want our Board to reflect our membership and are always recruiting for potential Board members. Please contact any Board member & let them know of your interest and attend one or more of our Board meetings

As we’ve mentioned recently, we’re anxious to increase our electronic communications. Our largest expense, as an organization, is mailing the newsletter. If you have not already done so, please send your name, phone number & email address to our Membership Chair, Janeene Siler (kapersmembers@comcast. net). If you do not want to receive communications from KaPeRs, please let Janeene Siler know that also

Sincerely, 
Patti Lawler,
Board Chair

KaPeRs Needs Your Help

KaPeRs is unique. There are no other retiree groups as robust as ours in any other KP region. And there are no membership dues for participation. Thanks to the many members who have guided this group for more than 25 years, our quarterly gatherings have been (to quote 1985 President Dr. Paul Trautman) “…pleasant visits with your KP family…learning about new developments and recent improvements….a moment of fellowship and warmth.” Today KaPeRs is that and so much more: it’s the Arts Exhibit, day trips, workshops, engaging and diverse presentations, a Website, and community giving projects. Our operating expenses continue to rise and even with assistance from Kaiser we find ourselves in need of funds to maintain low-cost luncheons, and the quality and the quantity of programs our members enjoy. We are reaching out to you for assistance. If you can help, please send a donation of any size (payable to KaPeRs) to KaPeRs, P0 Box 2732, Tualatin, OR 97062. Thank you very much for your help in supporting KaPeRs, our one-of-a-kind organization.

KP News Roundup

Emma on the Government Relations team with Dan Field

The health care coverage of hundreds of thousands of Oregonians is under threat. As part of the special election in Oregon this January, Oregonians will vote on Measure 101, which allows a fee on hospitals and insurance companies to fund Medicaid. We support the passage of this Measure, as it is directly related to our mission. It will keep costs down for one in four Oregonians and ensure that health care remains affordable for our most vulnerable populations.
     Learn more about Measure 101 here: https://voiceaction.kaiserpermanente.org/page/content/measure101
     Are you interested in learning more about issues like Measure 101 and KP's public policy work? KP Voice is a community of advocates who promote Kaiser Permanente’s values of affordable, accessible, high-quality care. http://www.kp.org/voice
     You can join KP Voice by visiting kp.org/voice and clicking "Sign Up" and you will begin to receive these communications directly from Kaiser Permanente.
     We invite all employees and retirees to join KP Voice to learn more.

KP Dental Coverage — Informative Message

There are a number of KP retired individuals that, based on both hire and retirement dates, are unable to access or purchase KP Dental care. Both the Dental Providers and retired members wish to continue their relationship. On January 9th a group of Dental Managers, Human Resources, and retired/interested individuals met to explore options for dental access. A variety of options were discussed and other avenues to explore were identified. It is estimated there may be 1500 former members with the same issue and concern. Additional meetings will be scheduled to work towards resolution of the issue.

Board of Directors Actions

January board meeting

1. The Board unanimously voted to appoint Jan Loewen and Judy Collinsworth to the Board.
2. July 1 is the deadline date for members to make their preferences known regarding receiving the newsletter.
3. Judy Shafer Collinsworth will be available at the end of the February General Meeting to hear concerns members have about interacting with the KP Retirement Center and to offer pointers on getting assistance from the retirement center.
4. The Board agreed to share information in the KaPeRs newsletter when KP takes a public stand regarding local health issues.
5. The new KaPeRs Website is scheduled to be launched by the May General Meeting.

Keeping in Touch

Jane Walker is asking for someone to step up and volunteer to take over the position of editor for our newsletter. Due to other obligations, she needs to step down this year. If you enjoy writing and proofreading, this could be a very rewarding position for you. She will be happy to work with you and get you up and running.

Want to Reach Out and Find Someone?

Lost contact with an old friend from your working days? Perhaps KaPeRs can help you get in touch.

Send your contact information in an email to kapersmembers@comcast.net along with the name of the person you would like to locate. If we have details on that person we will contact them, tell them about your interest and ask if it is O.K. for us to send their information to you.

Welcome New Retirees

James Konieczny, DPM
Bernadine Lindemann
Glenda Lorimor
Mary I Martinez
Carrie McColly
Kim Nilsen
Doug O'Dell
Linda Onheiber
Jamie Peterson
Vicki Reid, MD
Marion Roach
Susan Sharp, PhD
Thora Stacy
Tori Taylor
Steven Thalberg, MD
Linda Vanderbeck
Julie Volpel
Kristen Walsh
Dianna Williams
Laura Willis

KP Human Resources Business

For questions regarding your pension, retiree health, HRA, or Part B Medicare Reimbursement, please contact the Kaiser Permanente Retirement Center (KPRC) at 1-866-627-2826.

     For those retirees receiving a quarterly Medicare Part B reimbursement check and are now required to submit proof of Medicare coverage, here is a reminder of important deadlines. Remember if a reimbursement request is submitted late, you will not receive reimbursement for that quarter.

     Questions: 866-627-2826. Press Option 2 and Option 2 again.

Reimbursement Quarter -- Request must be postmarked or received via FAX by
1st (Jan.–Mar.) -- April 30th
2nd (Apr.–Jun.) -- July 31st
3rd (Jul.–Sept.) -- October 31st
4th (Sept.–Dec.) -- January 31st
     Judy Shafer Collinsworth will be available at the end of the February General Meeting to hear concerns members have about interacting with the KP Retirement Center and to offer pointers on getting assistance from the retirement center.

Volunteers Caring and Sharing

Carol O’Connor is a retired RN from Mt. Scott Medical Clinic, since 2004, so it’s been awhile. She has volunteered at several organizations since moving to AZ. The most significant of all is MOM. Mission of Mercy serves the Phoenix metro area with 6 locations at present. She volunteers in Avondale at a clinic that serves at least 7000 patients a year. It is a free health clinic for the uninsured. The clinics are like a primary care clinic — they get most of their meds for free from MOM and lab work is also free from a local lab. She knows they make a difference with the patient responses they get. On any one day they have 6 or 7 volunteer RNs and 5 or 6 volunteer physicians. They can serve approximately 70 patients in a day, which includes refills only and Dr. appointments. It’s a rewarding volunteer experience.

Volunteer with KaPeRs

We always need people to help with mailing out newsletters. If interested in helping, contact Jane Walker, lois246@aol.com for mailing schedule.

Join the Board of Directors at a Board meeting. Contact any Board member if interested. 

mORE volunteers opportunities

As chair of KaPeRs' new Volunteer Committee, Nick Socotch encourages members to contact him (nsocotch@gmail.com) regarding future volunteer opportunities, and to let him know what is meaningful and important to those who want to volunteer. Nick is also working with Rob Perry to update KaPeRs' Web site which will be a resource for retirees to connect with volunteer opportunities.

Take Action Now: To learn more about how to best match your interests, time, and geography with one of our other projects, please contact Ron Shoals at Ron.R.Shoals@kp.org or 503-813-4234.

CARE FACILITIES VOLUNTEERS

Contacts for each of our ambulatory care facility volunteers programs:

• Carolyn Ortman – KWMC   971-310-4563
• John Tisserat – KWMC  471-400-7197
• Annette Shaff-Palmer – Hospice – 503-499-4644
• Randi Orth – KPB - 503-813-2050
• Bonnie Morgan – KSMC – 503-571-4155
• Jani Hazen – KSMC Teen Volunteer Coordinator – 503-571-7201

KaPeRs Making Changes

Over the years the cost of producing and mailing the quarterly newsletters has steadily risen and your Board of Directors has been brainstorming ways to more efficiently get the newsletters out to our 3700+ members. Our current process is labor intensive and costly. The newsletter is KaPeRs’ primary means of communicating with our members and we are mindful of the importance of continuing its publication.
     While we appreciate the financial support we have received for many years from KPNW and KaiPerm Credit Union, their budgets are impacted by rising costs as well. Their financial support could be put to use keeping the cost of luncheons down as well as providing high-quality programming and events of interest to members, rather than postage, paper and printing costs. Therefore, your Board of Directors has decided that, beginning no later than July, 2018, the newsletter will be available primarily by email and on our website. We realize that not everyone has a computer, and visiting our website is not an option. So, for $10 per year, those members can continue to receive a paper copy.

Here are your options:

1. Pay $10 per year to continue receiving paper copy. Make check out to KaPeRs, and send to KaPeRs, P.O. Box 2732, Tualatin, OR, 97062, with note, “Subscribe to Newsletter”.
2. To switch from paper to email delivery, send email address to kapersmembers@comcast.net with subject line, “KaPeRs Newsletter” Current email address will also allow you to receive communication throughout the year from the updated KaPeRs website, like meeting reminders and special events.
3. If you already receive the newsletter by email, you will continue to receive it that way, unless you send an email to kapersmembers@comcast.net, asking to stop receiving it.
4. If you currently receive the paper newsletter and don’t want it anymore, do nothing, and your name and information will be moved to an “inactive” list. You will no longer receive the newsletter by paper, but can still access it online at kpnwretirees.org and can always send an email later to kapersmembers@comcast.net requesting email delivery.
5. The deadline for taking one of the actions above is July 1, 2018.
6. If you have questions, please reach out to one of the Board members.
    

KP Human Resources Business

Human resources business is conducted through the Human Resources Service Center (HRSC) in Northern California. The Retiree and Benefits Team can be reached at 1-877-457-4772. Press Option 1 for Northwest Region and Option 2 for Benefits and Retirement. For pensionrelated inquiries call toll free 1-866-627-2826. When prompted for pass code, please enter pass code. If you do not have a pass code or you have forgotten it, select the * (star) button, then press 0 to speak with a representative.

Online Newsletter

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