Welcome to our ND Medicaid Member E-Newsletter
We will update you on the programs we offer, share tips for getting the most from ND Medicaid, seasonal reminders for staying healthy, and more as North Dakota aims to be the healthiest state in the nation!
July's issue: An ounce of prevention.
In this edition, we offer information on self-care, sun safety, behavioral health, and more. We will also share ways to make sure you are giving yourself the care you deserve!
July 24 is Self-Care Day
Set aside a day for others to take care of you!
Make appointments for your six-month teeth cleaning, vision screening, and wellness check, because you matter!
Annual wellness visits allow your primary care provider to find any current or possible health risks. They also make sure you are staying current on recommended vaccines and preventive health screenings. These visits are overall wellness checks of your physical and mental well-being to make sure you are the healthiest version of you.
Firesafe Cannula Valves make home oxygen use safer
As of July 1, 2024, ND becomes the second state Medicaid program covering Firesafe Cannula Valves for our members using home oxygen.
This small device stops fire from reaching your oxygen supply if your oxygen tubing catches on fire. One valve is connected to your oxygen line near your oxygen supply. The other is placed on your oxygen line closer to you. The valve is maintenance-free and meant to be used for five years or more or until activated by fire.
Firesafe Cannula Valves are important because home oxygen can be dangerous when in contact with fire sources. Close contact with flames could create a fire and allow it to travel down your tubing and to your oxygen source. Fire sources are all around us in our daily lives such as stoves, candles, grills, or smoking.
ND Fire Marshal shares this video of an oxygen tube igniting.
Your health care provider can order valves from your enrolled durable medical equipment provider.
For more information about ND Medicaid Durable Medical Equipment and Firesafe Cannula Valve coverage, contact:
- Durable Medical Equipment Administrator
- Phone: (701) 328-2764, 711 (TTY)
- Email: tamholm@nd.gov
- Medical Services Division
- Phone: Toll-free: (877) 328-7098, press 2 or 711 (TTY)
ND Medicaid covers behavioral health supports
ND Medicaid covers behavioral health supports and services through the 1915(i) program. Some supports and services are care coordination, transition and planning services, nonmedical transportation, support for housing, education, and employment, and peer support specialist services!
A peer support specialist is someone who wants to help others overcome the same challenges they used to have. Your specialist will help you connect to community resources, be independent, and find a support network. Your specialist will help you build skills for self-advocacy, coping, goal setting, and so much more!
These services help people living with a brain injury, substance use disorder, or a covered mental illness. ND Medicaid members need to be screened to see if they qualify and must apply for this program. A screening is a set of questions that tells your providers if these services are right for you.
If you have questions about 1915(i) services or peer support, please contact a 1915(i) navigator:
- nd1915i@nd.gov
- Call: (701) 328-4850, 711 (TTY)
Give your child's teeth an extra line of defense from cavities
Sealants help protect your child’s adult teeth as they start to come in. Fluoride varnish can help protect your child’s teeth from cavities. Your child can get these treatments at their dentist.
Your child can also get a fluoride varnish at participating local public health units and participating providers during their ND Medicaid Health Tracks well-child check.
Children may also be able to get these treatments at school! Find out if your child’s school participates in the SEAL!ND program by contacting their school or the North Dakota Health and Human Services Oral Health Prevention Coordinator Toni Hruby at (701) 328-4515 or tlhruby@nd.gov.
Be a quitter!
NDQuits is a free coaching program that can help you stop using cigarettes, vapes or e-cigarettes, chew, and nicotine pouches. NDQuits coaches work with you to make a recovery plan to prepare you for triggers and cravings.
ND Medicaid members can get prescriptions for free medications that reduce withdrawal symptoms. This doubles your success rate when combined with a recovery plan.
You can get started by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW. You can also talk to your health care provider, pharmacist, or local public health unit.
Tips for men: How to enjoy a healthier life
In North Dakota, the life expectancy for a male is 7.5 years less than a female.
Men are often more likely to put off going to see a health care provider.
It is okay for men to be proactive about their physical and behavioral health.
Here’s how you can put your health first:
- Go to regular health checkups and screenings – even when you feel well.
- Be up to date on routine vaccinations.
- Take care of your mental health by asking for help. If you are in crisis, call, text or chat the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for support.
- Eat healthy foods, add some exercise into your day and get enough sleep.
- Avoid drug and alcohol misuse.
- Avoid or quit smoking. NDQuits is a resource.
Durable medical equipment survey
Durable medical equipment (DME) helps you in your activities of daily living. DME may be incontinence products, wound care supplies, or mobility devices.
DME can help you prevent injury, recover from surgery, and improve your independence if you struggle with walking, dressing, bathing, or eating.
If you could benefit from DME, your health care, urgent care, or ER provider can help get the right DME for you.
You may see a survey about DME in the mail this summer. We want to know what you know about ND Medicaid coverage for DME. Take this survey to help us better serve our ND Medicaid members!
If you have questions or concerns about DME, contact the DME Administrator Tammy Holm.
- Call: (701) 328-2764, 711 (TTY)
- Email: tamholm@nd.gov
Register now for two fun community health events
Put your family’s health first! Plan to attend the Gateway to Health event on Saturday, Aug. 10 in Bismarck.
This fun-filled, health-focused event offers resources for healthier living, hands-on activities, interactive booths, games, prizes, and more! Your family can see emergency equipment up close, buy meals and snacks from local food trucks, and have free access to North Dakota's Gateway to Science exhibits!
Registration is free and open until Aug. 2.
Tickets are first-come, first-serve so get yours now by selecting a two-hour slot!
- 10 a.m. - Noon CT
- Noon - 2 p.m. CT
- 2 - 4 p.m. CT
This year we invite you to a new Gateway to Health event: The Step into Health Walk. This event is Friday, Aug. 9 from 6:30-8 p.m. CT at the Tom O’Leary Golf Course trail in Bismarck. Proceeds from the walk will help pay for student lunch debt in the Bismarck-Mandan community.
A suggested donation is $15 per person, $40 per family, or $150 per company!
To learn more about each event and to register, click on the above links.
Vaccines help keep our children healthy
Avoid the back-to-school rush by booking your child’s well-child visit now. Their health care provider can keep them up to date on routine immunizations and do their sports physical at a well-child visit.
Vaccines are one of the easiest and most important ways to keep our children safe and healthy. Vaccines are available at no/low cost to eligible children through participating health care providers (an administration fee may apply).
Students in grades K-6 are recommended to get these vaccines:
- MMR (measles-mumps-rubella)
- Polio
- Chickenpox
- DTaP (diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis)
- Hepatitis B
Middle schoolers should get meningitis and Tdap (tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis) vaccines. Most students going into 11th grade need a booster meningitis vaccine. Your health care provider may suggest other vaccines depending on a child’s age and medical history.
If your child cannot have a vaccine, you may file this information with their school.
Learn more about the Vaccines For Children program that can help pay for your child's vaccines.
Combining call centers
The Medicaid Eligibility Call Center is joining the Customer Support Center.
You will have one number to call for questions about your ND Medicaid and other economic assistance programs.
This will happen Aug. 1, 2024.
The Customer Support Center can help you with:
- ND Medicaid eligibility
- Updating your information
- Applications or renewals
- Other assistance programs
- Out-of-State travel
- Your ND Medicaid case
- ND Medicaid cards, ID numbers, client numbers
- Form requests
- Rides to ND Medicaid appointments
Contact the Customer Support Center at:
- Call: Toll-free (866) 614-6005, 711 (TTY)
- Email: Applyforhelp@nd.gov
- Fax: (701) 328-1006
- Mail: Customer Support Center
PO Box 5562
Bismarck ND 58506
Sun awareness and protection
Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light.
Protecting yourself from UV rays matters all year. It is especially important in the warmer months when we are outside more often.
Avoid midday sun between 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. when the sun’s rays are strongest.
Stay in the shade and wear clothing that covers as much skin as possible when you are outside. Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher every two hours.
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