April 2004

• Positive Parenting Focus of Child Abuse Prevention Month
• 2004 National Youth Sports Program
• Ideas for Child Abuse Prevention:  Everyone Can Do Something

• Ethics Conference Brings Nationally Renowned End of Life Authors to Magic City
• Governor's 3rd Annual Health Care Summit
• Native American Youth Achievement Conference
• Nutrition Grant Available
• Foster Cline to Speak

Positive Parenting
Parenthood is one of the most important, rewarding and challenging responsibilities any one will ever face.  The many emotions and demands parents experience can certainly be daunting, even when paired with the joys and rewards.  Fortunately, many parents have family, friends, and co-workers with whom they can share both the challenges and the successes, and it's clear that all parents can use some support.  This year is the 21st year that, by Presidential Proclamation, April is recognized as Child Abuse Prevention Month.  The Family Tree Center, Billings Council to Prevent Child Abuse, hopes to raise awareness about the tragedy of child abuse, but more importantly it hopes to raise awareness that prevention programs can and do work.  "The Family Tree Center is really about providing support to parents from many different walks of life," says Center Director Mary Gilluly.  "While we provide many programs to teach parents and children about healthy family functioning and about developing healthy relationships, our primary focus is that support piece," she adds.  Gilluly says that every parent needs support at some time during his or her parenting journey.  Sometimes that support is informal - friends and family, for example - but sometimes, that kind of support isn't available, and more formal supports can be put in place.  "Recognizing the need for support can be hard; we've all been led to believe that parenting should be instinctual, and the reality is, like so much else, it's something we learn how to do," Gilluly says.  The Family Tree Center plans to celebrate Child Abuse Prevention Month by hosting an open house on April 12, 2004, from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm.  Center staff will be on hand to provide information about different programs, and Gilluly hopes that parents, as well as interested community members, will stop by the Center at 1001 North 30th Street to become more familiar with the many services the Center provides to children and families.  The Family Tree Center will co-sponsor, along with Family Support Network, the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program, First Congregational Church, and the Department of Public Health and Human Services, Child and Family Services Division, a "Light of Hope" event on April 20, at 7:00 pm.  This event honors prevention, family preservation, and intervention program efforts to keep families strong and children safe in our community.  It will be held on the steps of the First Congregational Church downtown, and candles will be lit to acknowledge the nearly 400 children in foster care in Yellowstone County. 

2004 National Youth Sports Program
Montana State University - Billings will once again be hosting the National Youth Sports Program (NYSP) beginning June 14th.  This five week free summer sport camp provides youth ages 10-16 with the opportunity to participate in the following activities: aerobics, basketball, cooperative games, football, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, team building activities, volleyball, weight training/fitness, education.  In addition to sport, youth participate in career opportunities, drug/alcohol education, healthy lifestyle choices, nutrition, and university opportunities. Many youth in our community come from families that have the financial resources to send them to sports camps during the summer. However, there are also many youth who are unable to participate in these camps due to the cost.  In an attempt to “level the playing field” and provide an opportunity for all youth to participate in sport camps, Montana State University – Billings started NYSP during summer of 2001. For more information regarding this years camp, please contact Sean McGary at (406) 657-2398 or smcgary@msubillings.edu.

Ideas for Child Abuse Prevention Month
1. Volunteer your time.  Get involved with other parents in your community.  Help vulnerable children and their families.  Start a playgroup.  Simple support for children and parents can be the best way to prevent child abuse.  After-school activities, parent education classes, mentoring programs, and respite care are some of the many ways to keep children safe from harm.  Be a voice in support of these efforts in your community.  2. Discipline your children thoughtfully.  Never discipline your child when you are upset.  Give yourself time to calm down.  Remember that discipline is a way to teach your child.  Use privileges to encourage good behavior and time-outs to help your child regain control.  Both words and actions can inflict deep, lasting wounds.  Use your actions to show children and other adults that conflicts can be settled without hitting or yelling.  3. Support prevention programs.  Too often, intervention occurs only after abuse is reported.  Greater investments are needed in programs that have been proven to stop the abuse before it occurs - such as family counseling and home visits by nurses who provide assistance for newborns and their parents. 4. Know what child abuse is, and what the signs are.  Physical and sexual abuse clearly constitute maltreatment, but so does neglect, or the failure of parents or other caregivers to provide a child with needed food, clothing, and care.  Children can also be emotionally abused when they are rejected, berated, or continuously isolated.  Unexplained injuries aren't the only signs of abuse.  Depression, fear of a certain adult, difficulty trusting others or making friends, sudden changes in eating or sleeping patterns, inappropriate sexual behavior, poor hygiene, secrecy, and hostility are often signs of family problems and may indicate a child is being neglected or physically, sexually, or emotionally abused. 5. Report abuse.  If you witness a child being harmed or see evidence of abuse, or if a child tells you about abuse, make a report to child protective services    (1-866-820-5437) or local police.  When talking to a child about abuse, listen carefully, assure the child that he or she did the right thing by telling an adult, and affirm that he or she is not responsible for what happened. 6. Invest in kids.  Encourage leaders in the community to be supportive of children and families.  Ask employers to provide family-friendly work environments.  Ask your local and national lawmakers to support legislation to better protect our children and to improve their lives. 7. Participate in ceremonies to raise awareness.  Join community agencies in bringing greater awareness to child abuse and neglect prevention and intervention programs; greater awareness helps families reach out more readily for help when they need it. 

Ethics Conference Brings Nationally Renowned End of Life Authors to Magic City
Saint Vincent Healthcare will present an Ethics Conference, April 21 - 23, to focus on "End of Life Care:  Choices and Decisions" with nationally recognized authors, physicians, and ethicists Dr. Ira Byock and Dr. Daniel Callahan.  The conference begins with a special lecture by Dr. Ira Byock, entitled, "The Four Things That Matter Most," which is the title of his book to be released in March.  The presentation is at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, April 21 at the Alberta Bair Theater in Billings.  Tickets for the event are $18 and $24 and include a complimentary copy of Dr. Byock's new life altering book about what really matters in living every day, a $23 value.  Tickets are available at the Alberta Bair Theater Box Office.  The presentation is designed for healthcare professionals, social workers, counselors, hospital/nursing home staff or any person with an interest in regards to the issue, including the general public.  The Ethics Conference continues for clinical professionals on April 22nd and 23rd in the Mansfield Health Education Center with two nationally known keynote speakers, Dr. Ira Byock and Dr. Daniel Callahan.  Dr. Ira Byock was recently appointed as the Director of Palliative Medicine at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Senior Faculty Member at Dartmouth Medical School.  Dr. Byock is a nationally recognized authority in palliative and end-of-life care issues and has authored "Dying Well."  Additionally he is co-author of "A Few Months to Life" and "Palliative and End-of-Life Pearls."  Dr. Byock will speak on April 22 at Grand Rounds at St. Vincent Healthcare and at the April 22 Conference luncheon.  The luncheon presentation will be on "Choices in End-of-Life Care."  The other keynote speaker, Dr. Daniel Callahan, is the co-founder of the Hastings Center and Director of their International Program in Garrison, New York.  He is the author or editor of over 36 books concerning life issues with the latest concentration on health policies and impacts of equity and health care costs.  His Conference presentations are on April 22 at 7:00 pm, "Age as a Factor in End-of-Life Care" and at 8:30 am on April 23rd, where he will present a workshop titled, "Battling aging and death: is it compatible with good end of life care?"  Conference presentations also include other speakers addressing end of life issues such as spirituality, bereavement and general palliative care.  The clinical conference is open to healthcare professionals, social workers, counselors, psychologists, nursing home administrators/staff, funeral directors and other appropriate professionals.  Continuing Education Units will be available to various disciplines including social workers, counselors, psychologists, nurses and hospital/nursing home administrators.  Cost of the April 22-23 Conference is $120 per person, which includes lunch and dinner on the 22nd. 

Governor's 3rd Annual Health Care Summit
The Governor’s 3rd Annual Health Care Summit on April 27 and 28, 2004, in Missoula, Montana.  This year’s Summit will bring to light the progress made, and the challenges yet to be overcome to ensure Montanans have access to affordable, quality health care.  The theme, A Roadmap for a Healthy Montana, captures the essence of this year’s Summit.  Many Montanans have stepped forward since our first Summit in 2002 to assist in forging a path to reform health care in our state and improve the quality of life for all Montanans.  The innovative ideas generated and recommendations explored have served as a roadmap for a collective journey by Montanans to transform the health care system. Throughout the Summit, you will hear highlights of the progress made during this journey on the myriad of issues surrounding health care. A study of the uninsured population has been completed and policy options for expanding health care insurance have been explored.  The redesign of the Medicaid program has been undertaken to better serve Montanans most needy and vulnerable populations.  The gap between Medicaid’s payments to hospitals and the cost of providing treatment was essentially eliminated with the implementation of a new state-financing program.  Numerous initiatives related to the health care workforce shortage, chronic disease, substance abuse, and children’s mental health have resulted in a better understanding of the impact of these forces to the health care delivery system.  There is much work yet to be done, and we cannot underestimate the challenges before us.  We must remain focused on working together to find solutions that will curtail future cost increases without compromising the quality of service.  This Summit brings together Montana’s leaders local, state, tribal, and federal government, the legislature, business and labor arenas with health care providers, insurers and consumers for an informed discussion on the policy options for addressing critical health care issues.  Registration materials, housing information  and the tentative agenda are available on-line at http://www.discoveringmontana.com/gov2/summit/  For more information, please contact Jean Branscum or Linda Ashworth at 406/444-3111.

Native American Youth Achievement Conference
Ken Bissonette is coordinating the 5th Annual Native American Youth Achievement Conference on Saturday, May 1st at the Billings Hotel.  80 teens from reservations across the state who have been recognized for outstanding achievement in school will be attending.  Ken is looking for fun health and wellness presentations for the teens.  You can reach Ken in Lame Deer at (406) 477-8077  or his daughter, Robin, at IHS (406) 671-6308.

Nutrition Grant Available
America's low calcium intake is recognized as a major public health problem. To address this concern, Western Dairy Council will award a $5,000 grant to an organization or individual proposing innovative, community-based nutrition education programs aimed at empowering kids to become advocates for healthy eating and an active lifestyle to achieve healthy weight.  To access submission guidelines and to download a sample application, please visit www.wdairycouncil.com.  For additional information, please contact Western Dairy Council at 800-274-6455.  Application deadline is May 31, 2004.

Foster Cline to Speak
Tumbleweed will once again be welcoming Dr. Foster Cline, co-founder of "Becoming a Love and Logic Parent" to Billings on May 5th. Dr. Cline will be presenting "How to Recognize if Your Child is At Risk."  This fundraising event will be at the Billings Holiday Inn - Missouri beginning with a dinner at 6:00 PM.  Please contact Tumbleweed at (406) 259-2558 for more information.