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Thursday, August 20, 2020 |
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Back to School Immunizations
With the start of school right around the corner, don't forget about your children's immunizations. There is no waiver from this ruling this year as parents are responsible for obtaining immunizations for their children before they will be allowed to attend. Students entering preschool, kindergarten, 8th and 12th grades are scheduled for immunizations and boosters according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for immunizations.
All immunizations through the health department must be scheduled in-person at Patee Market, Monday through Friday during the hours of 8-11am and 1-4pm, at the clinic check-in window. Once the clinic reaches scheduling capacity, no further clients will be taken for the day. Only two children per adult will be allowed. Please bring the following if available: insurance card (there is no charge for immunizations to those without insurance at the health department), current immunization record(s) and child(ren) needing immunizations.
The client will be asked to give a mobile phone number and/or a vehicle description and will return to their vehicle to wait until they are called in to the clinic to continue the process. Once contacted, clients will be given 15 minutes to claim their spot. If the client does not answer their phone or staff are not able to find the designated car make/model, the client will forfeit their place in the appointment queue. The client will return to the clinic waiting area, check in at the front desk and receive paperwork for each child needing immunizations. Once the paperwork is completed, the client and child(ren) will be asked to wait in the clinic waiting room until a nurse brings them back into a patient room for the immunization(s). For more information, call the health department at 271-4636.
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Clearing Out the Ditches
Following the flash floods in July, several departments and divisions have been busy assisting the residents as they face the aftermath. One of those divisions is Street and Infrastructure Maintenance and Repair (SIMR). SIMR is made up of four divisions: street maintenance, sewer maintenance, traffic and public parking.
The street maintenance division has had three ditching crews working on cleaning out the ditches along Parker Road and on two of the streets which directly intersect with Parker, Marie Street and Ollmeda Street. These crews have been working in the area for the past few weeks and are beginning to show some progress.
The ditching work has been slow as the area is very flat, with some streets having only a foot drop in over 600 feet of ditch line, meaning virtually flat. Because of this, all ditching and placement of culverts must be laid out using a construction level. With four ditching crews going, along with a small crew from sewer maintenance ditching, the foremen are hard pressed to keep up with them due to the required use of the levels.
On Marie Street, immediately north of Parker Road, both the street and the yards were covered with thick mud which took some time to dry out. Since this was the path the water from several areas took to reach Contrary Creek, it had to be ditched first. Due to the consistency of the mud, this took more than one try as the sides of the ditch were constantly falling in and re-filling the ditch.
Sewer maintenance has played a big part in the area as well. During and immediately after the flash floods, personnel were in the area trying to make sure the inlets were open. Although the sewers were overwhelmed, as they were not designed to handle a storm of that size, once the levels in the sewers went down, the inlets needed to work. In the days following the events, and the water receded, sewer maintenance crews checked every inlet in the area and pulled every manhole lid in the area to confirm good flow.
Despite these challenges, all the employees involved from all the departments are working hard to help however they can.
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Medicare or Medicaid?
For some, there might be some confusion between the two Medi programs. So, what is the difference between the two and can you qualify for both at the same time?
Medicare Part A is hospital insurance and Part B is medical insurance. Medicare Part D is a prescription drug coverage plan which works best with Medicare Part A and B. Medicare also has a Medicare Advantage plan, also known as Part C. Part C offers the Part A and B benefits, excluding hospice care, and most of the Part C plans cover prescription drugs. Medigap policies are available to people three months before turning 65 and three months after turning 65. After this period, there is a late enrollment penalty.
Medicaid eligibility is based on a person's modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) and covers low income families, qualified pregnant women and children, and individuals receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Some individuals are exempt from the MAGI-based income rules based on disability, blindness or for persons 65 and older. For those 65 and older, who have a disability or blindness, income eligibility may be determined the same way their SSI is determined.
Dual eligibility occurs when a person is both 65 and meets the income or health requirements for Medicaid. Medicare enrollees with limited resources and income may be eligible to receive help paying their premiums and out-of-pocket medical expenses from Medicaid. These expenses can include care beyond the 100-day limit at nursing homes or skilled nursing facility care, prescription drugs, eyeglasses and hearing aids. The 2020 dual eligibility standards based on a percentage of the federal poverty level are specified on the Medicaid website.
Both programs are complicated and should be researched by those seeking to determine their eligibility. To help remember what each of these programs covers, in a nutshell, Medicare is for persons 65 and older and Medicaid is for low income families, qualified pregnant women and children, persons receiving SSI, and persons with disabilities, blindness or over 65 who have a disability or blindness.
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Understanding the 2020 W-4 Form
To many, the new 2020 IRS W-4 form can be confusing or difficult to complete. Some would say you need...read more
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Feed the Birds
The parks department is excited to announce two feeders have been installed at the Krug Park Lagoon for guests to use during their visit to feed the birds. As a reminder for the safety of the birds and fish, please do not feed them bread.
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