Are you keeping up with your dental care? Oral health is a main concern as the oral cavity is a great risk for infections.
Ryan White does cover some oral care services. While there may be a waiting list and it can take a little while to get seen from first request, they do a great job at keeping your mouth very healthy. Call your Case Manager today for a referral (NOTE: referral forms must be re-done every 6 months to be current, but a call to your case manager is all it takes to get one sent to the clinic).
There are a few different places in O.C. where you can go for care that are noted below in the excerpt from the OCHCA Oral Care FAQs.
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1. How do I get Ryan White dental services?
Currently, none of the Ryan White dental offices are able to screen for eligibility for Ryan White services. So first, you will need to get a referral from a Ryan White case management or medical care provider:
17th Street Care
AIDS Services Foundation (ASF)
Delhi Center
Laguna Beach Community Clinic (LBCC)
REACH Program
Shanti Orange County
When getting the referral, choose the Ryan White dental office that is most convenient for you. After getting the referral, contact the dental office and make an appointment. Bring your referral form to your appointment. A referral form must be completed and submitted every six months.
2. Where can I get Ryan White dental services?
You can get dental services at any of the four Ryan White-funded dental providers in Orange County
Santa Ana: Dr. Ly, 17th Street Dental Clinic
Santa Ana: Dr. Begino, Bristol Family Dental
Laguna Beach: Dr. Garcia
Laguna Hills: Dr. Shahangian
3. What services are not covered by Ryan White?
Ryan White does not cover dental implants, cosmetic procedures, periodontal services, or oral surgery. Providers may help refer you to other dental offices or dental schools that may charge for services.
4. Can I get the same services at a non-17th Street dental office?
Yes, all of the providers can offer the same services. Non-17th Street dental providers can perform a list of basic dental services without requesting authorization. These basic services include dental exams, cleanings, x-rays, fillings, extractions, and drainage of abscesses. If additional or more complicated procedures (such as a root canal) are required, the non-17th Street dentist will have to request authorization. Authorizations should take no longer than five days if all forms and information provided is complete and sufficient. Crowns, bridges, and dentures are available to clients on a limited basis using a waiting list (see Question 8 below). If a client needs these services, a non-17th Street dental provider can provide them, but the client will go through the same waiting list process as clients of all other dental providers.
5. Can I change my dentist at any time?
Yes, you can change your dentist at any time. However, to maintain continuity of care, it may be best for you to stay with the same dentist while a treatment is being completed. If possible, talk to your dentist or case manager before you change your dental provider.
6. How long will it take to get my first appointment?
The time from referral to your first appointment will depend on each dental office’s capacity and your dental needs. Dental offices will make every effort to see you for an emergency visit within 24 hours and a non-emergency appointment within three weeks.
7. How long does it take to finish treatment?
The time it takes to complete treatment for one tooth is based on what needs to be done. Sometimes treatment can be done in one visit (for example, a cleaning or simple filling). Other treatments could take several visits to complete (for example, a bridge, root canal, or dentures). Talk to your dentist about the time frame for finishing treatment for your situation.
8. Can I get crowns, bridges, or dentures (advanced dental services)?
Due to limited funding, crowns, bridges, and dentures are provided to clients on a limited basis. There is a waiting list for these services that is prioritized based on the client’s medical or dental need. Currently, the waiting time for a client can vary from months to years depending on the client’s need. It is important for you to communicate any changes to your medical or dental need for advanced dental services to your case manager and/or dentist as it may affect your place on the waiting list. Any Ryan White dental provider can put a client on the waiting list for advanced services and provide the service.
Orange County Ryan White Dental Services
8 Reminders for Clients
1. Bring your completed “Oral Health Referral” form to your first appointment with a Ryan White dentist.
2. Get an updated “Oral Health Referral” form every six months or if you change Ryan White dentists before the six months is up.
3. Talk to your dentist or case manager before switching to another dentist.
4. Talk to your dentist or case manager any time you feel pain or a change in your condition.
5. Go to all of your scheduled appointments.
6. Be on time to all of your appointments.
7. Keep your contact information updated with your case manager and dentist.
8. If you can’t make it to an appointment, call the dental office to let them know.
It’s Valentine’s Day – a time to celebrate love, friendship, sharing and caring!
Shanti Orange County has just launched our new website, www.shantioc.org and on the front page is a link to our Sea of Hearts campaign. It is your opportunity to remember a loved one lost to AIDS or someone living with HIV/AIDS while supporting Shanti’s programs and services provided to the HIV/AIDS community in Orange County. Please dedicate a heart today!
Shanti Orange County also has a Face Book presence, go to Shanti OC and like us! We are regularly posting important information about our programs and events on our wall.
We have newly elected officers to our Board of Directors: Chairman – Charles Cannon, Vice Chairman – Michelle Sherman, Treasurer – Scott Tyree, Secretary – Sarah Kasman.
In January I was elected Chairman of the Laguna Beach HIV Advisory Committee, along with Vice Chairman – Dennis Junka and Secretary – Joyce Swaving. Our committee meets the first Thursday of the month September through June and we welcome guests who are interested in membership. The HIV Advisory Committee will be participating in the Saturday, March 3rd Patriots Day Parade in Laguna Beach.
Our education series is moving forward with an EMPOWER Dinner, February 21st at Shanti. It will feature Rev. Jim Coleman speaking about Spirituality without the Stained Glass, a non-religious look at prayer, meditation and spiritual journey.
Our education series for the Circle of Women will feature Michelle Sherman speaking on HIV issues specific to women, sponsored by Gilead Science.
Club MedZ is now on a YouTube Minute with Michelle Sherman speaking to the HIV community monthly. Visit http://yourtube/X4YFJDNYUZW for the Club MedZ minute related to treatment adherence.
Shanti Strutters – our AIDS Walk team is gearing up for an outstanding great time as we raise funds and walk with the masses on Sunday, May 6th at Disneyland. Sign up your school groups, your family, your church groups, you clubs and professional associations on Shanti Strutters. Remember that Shanti is a recipient agency of AIDS Walk and the money we raised serves Shanti clients!!!
We remain grateful to our most recent foundation supporting our Shanti programs, Pacific Life Foundation has granted funds that will make a difference in people’s lives.
Happy Heart Day!
Sincerely, Sarah
Many health care professionals agree that clinical trials should be considered as treatment options. One source of information on what is available is:
One study being highlighted can be found at:
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01044654?term=hiv+sangamo&rank=1
This study is currently open for new people to become involved. As with most trials there are criteria for inclusion and not all who express interest will be accepted.
If you are interested in the science and what options are available today I urge you to visit the site and check it out.
Shanti—Orange County has started a drop-in group for parents, family, and friends of people living with HIV/AIDS. We have found these groups to be especially helpful for people in this situation, because the person with the disease can often find his/her own support network. However, the people close to them often feel isolated and alone–living with a “secret” which they are usually reluctant to share with their friends. This group provides a venue in which those people can express their questions, concerns, confusions, and frustrations, and find both support and validation for those feelings.
The group provides answers to commonly asked questions, such as: What is the course of this disease? How will it affect my loved one’s health over the years? What can you tell me about the medications s/he is taking—and their expected side effects? What is the best way for me to provide support for my loved one? What should appropriate medical care for this disease look like? Should I ask if s/he wants me to go with him/her to her/his doctor’s appointments?
When a group of people with a similar concern (in this case, a loved one living with HIV/AIDS) meet together, we find that they can provide powerful support for one another’s feelings of fear, confusion, frustration, and helplessness. They can also compare notes on how to deal with common complications to the treatment, such as drug/alcohol dependency, the presence of hepatitis C, being in a dysfunctional relationship, or being homeless.
The group meets at Shanti—Orange County (23461 South Pointe Drive—Suite 100; Laguna Hills, CA 92653) at 6 PM on the first Wednesday night of each month. There is a nominal charge of $5.00 per group to defray our costs. The group is professionally led by a licensed psychotherapist. For further information, please feel free to call Dr. Michael Jarvis at 949.452.0888.
It has been said that “we dream in generalities, but we live in detail”. Of course, “the devil’s in the details” is popular as well. Clearly, there are details in life that demand attention or there will be consequences down the road. While it may be easy to put off until tomorrow whatever you can in favor of more pressing, momentary issues, those consequences don’t disappear.
In the course of a serious illness it is all too easy to put this off as being far less important than the immediate demands of treatment. But there comes a time when failing to get ready can produce some surprising and maybe unpleasant outcomes. I have said that the good news is that an HIV positive person who gets on meds and stays adherent can look forward to a normal life expectancy. The bad news is that an HIV positive person who gets on meds and stays adherent can look forward to a normal life expectancy. Given that, one must attend to the tasks that affect everyone else regardless of medical status.
One of those details is the business of having our legal house in order. Included in this category are many issues, but lets focus on one for the moment; Advanced Health Care Directives (AHCD). Do you have such a document in order? How will decisions be made if you can’t speak for yourself? Will the people in your life select options as you would given the chance to speak for yourself? It is a thorny question.
To help with the subject Shanti is organizing a presentation on January 10, 2012, 5:30pm – 7:30pm. Entitled “Who Do You Trust To Pull The Plug” the matter will be addressed by state licensed fiduciary Eric Mayfield. The presentation will cover the process of deciding on what your wishes are in a situation where you cannot speak your own desires. It will include how one communicates these wishes to those around you and to the one person who will be responsible for enforcing your desires.
The program is presented free of charge, but RSVPs are requested (949) 452-0888. Dinner is NOT included but brown bags are welcome.
Call today and join us for an important evening and start getting your “affairs” in order at the start of 2012.
PIMCO FOUNDATION HELPS ENSURE SERVICES, SUPPORT FOR
OLDER PATIENTS WITH HIV/AIDS IN ORANGE COUNTY
The PIMCO Foundation, the charitable arm of the Newport Beach-based money management firm PIMCO, has awarded a grant to Shanti Orange County, a nonprofit agency serving the HIV/AIDS community of Orange County, California. The funds will help provide a range of supportive services for those 50 and older living with HIV and AIDS. Nearly a quarter of Americans diagnosed with HIV disease fall into this age range, and as a result must face both the complexities of lifelong medical treatment for HIV/AIDS and the impact of aging, with increased risks for degenerative diseases, such as heart disease and arthritis.
“More than 40 percent of those we serve at Shanti Orange County are over 50, and consequently have greater needs that come with being older and living with chronic illness,” said Executive Director Sarah Kasman. “We are immensely grateful to The PIMCO Foundation for its support of our efforts to provide essential services for the older members of the HIV/AIDS community here in Orange County.”
Shanti Orange County was founded in 1987 in Laguna Beach, California, with the goal of creating a safe place where people could feel welcome and valued as they faced death, despair and isolation as the AIDS pandemic grew. Over the ensuing 24 years, the agency’s programs have grown and evolved with the changing nature of HIV/AIDS, and now include post-diagnosis counseling and education, healthcare coordination and referral, pharmaceutical consultation and medication adherence assistance, secondary HIV prevention programs, case management, mental health services, and extensive seminars and workshops that provide cutting edge, up-to-the-minute information on the nature and treatment of HIV disease. More than 100 volunteers offer Shanti’s clients compassionate support and assistance to counteract the fear, isolation and stigma sufferers continue to encounter because of an HIV diagnosis.
PIMCO is a global investment management firm that was founded in Southern California in 1971; it manages retirement and other assets that reach more than 8 million people in the U.S. and millions more around the world.
Shanti Orange County is located in Laguna Hills, California, and serves all of Orange County. More information about its services and programs for those living with HIV/AIDS as well as educational programs for the public about the nature, treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS can be found at www.shantioc.org or by calling 949-452-0888.
All of us our subjected to stress on a daily basis.
How we react to that constant stress has everything to do with our quality of life. If we can take it in stride and react by taking a few deep breaths or take a few moments to meditate or otherwise relax ourselves, we an proceed with our day with no ill effects flowing from that stressor. However, most of us have developed life-long dysfunctional reactions to the daily stressors in our life.
The “stress” literature is quite clear about the adverse effects of stress on our immune system. Stress alters powerful hormones in our bodies. It raises cortico-steroids and adrenaline, while reducing DHEA. These changes, in turn, inhibit the formation of disease-fighting white blood cells. ”The effect of these hormones lead to a significant suppression of the immune function…Stress also leads to immune suppression by stimulating the sympathetic nervous system” which controls our “fight-or-flight” response to external stimuli (page 150 of The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine by Michael Murray and Joseph Pizzorno).
Shanti’s Mental Health Staff are well-trained to help you deal with the on-going stresses of your lives. We can teach you new habits to reduce your adverse reactions to stress. The simplest of these new responses is long, slow deep breathing. This method is deceptively simple and you can do it on your own. However, if you are trained by experienced practitioners such as your Mental Health Staff, you will probably learn the skill faster and apply it more effectively. Another popular strategy for reducing these adverse health effects is “progressive relaxation” which our staff can also teach you within one counseling session. Finally, we can help you to explore your complex reaction to stress in a more comprehensive manner and design a remediation strategy tailored to your individual needs.
Please feel free to contact Shanti’s Case Manager, Bruce Vancil, at 949-452-0888, for a referral to Counseling Services.
Kelly is the newest member of the Shanti family! She will be joining the Shanti staff for the next year as a Counseling Services Intern.
Kelly Lewis-Rauch, M.A. is a 4th year graduate student in the California School of Forensic Studies doctoral program at Alliant International University, Irvine.
Kelly’s clinical experience extends from working with adults and adolescents with acute and chronic mental disorders and substance abuse in a psychiatric hospital to counseling at risk youths, children with special needs and learning disabilities.
Her greatest passion other than her work as a Psy D intern is raising her two wonderful children. When she has time to spare, she enjoys exploring her creative art side in scrapbooking and card making.
Next time you are at our NEW office, make sure to introduce yourself to Kelly!
Sarah Says:
It’s Thanksgiving Season and there is news and excitement in the air at Shanti.
You will notice that we have a new more permanent home, located a few blocks from our previous site. Our new address is 23461 South Pointe Drive, Suite 100, Laguna Hills, CA 92653. Our phone number, facsimile number and website remain the same. There is more room for growth and additional activities.
We are inaugurating our new space on October 31st Halloween with Club Med-Z where Michelle Sherman will speak about the new drug Complera and the evening will be sponsored by Gilead Sciences.
We are also gearing up for our November 8th Self Advocacy Seminar to be held at the Wyndham Hotel. We have a dynamite group of panelists and great sponsors. This is a seminar open to the public that will be unique in nature and an exciting new direction.
With Thanksgiving right around the corner we are fortunate to have Andy and Pol Sandro -Yepes sponsoring another Thanksgiving Feast and Fundraiser named EAT! So they can! The event will take place on Saturday, November 12th at 6:00 pm. The proceeds will benefit Shanti’s Home Delivered Meals program. Please join us by making your reservation on our website.
We are thankful to Allergan Foundation and Wells Fargo our latest funders for recognizing the Shanti’s services and our impact on the HIV and AIDS Community.
We are grateful to our Shanti Ambassadors who made presentations to the UCI Law Students, the Consumer Advocacy Committee of the OC HIV Planning Council, met with potential funders and represented Shanti at a health fair and assisted in the planning of the our upcoming seminar.
Thankfulness and gratitude are words that sum up our feeling for all the activities impacting Shanti. Please continue to stay connected through our Blog, our website and our Facebook presence.
Happy Thanksgiving !
Sincerely,
Sarah
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