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COVID-19 Info From United Health Care (for PURCare and PURA Medicare Advantage plan members)
April, 2021
This is a time of concern and uncertainty for us all. Hoping to allay some of the stress and concern, UnitedHealthcare (UHC) has informed PURA that their top priority is the well-being of their health plan members and the safety of those who deliver healthcare.
UnitedHealthcare is aligned with guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) and is taking actions to insure that those affected by COVID-19, including Purdue retirees covered by PURCare and the PURA Medicare Advantage plan, have the support and resources they need. For updated information, please visit https://www.uhc.com/health-and-wellness/health-topics/covid-19
In summary, the following is of significant interest:
UHC has waived all member cost sharing-including copays, coinsurance and deductibles for approved diagnostic testing for COVID-19 for all commercial insured, Medicaid and Medicare members who may be affected by COVID-19.
UHC will cover a provider visit for COVID-19 in the same way it covers other provider visits based on health benefits plan. Where available, UHC, is encouraging a Virtual Visit with a provider.
You have probably heard this many times already, but the following is the most important information:
STAY INFORMED
Those at highest risk are older adults and those with serious health conditions. Protect yourself:
* Wash hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds.
* Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
* Avoid close contact with others--especially with those who are sick.
* Clean and disinfect things that you touch often.
* Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your sleeve. Place used tissues into trash.
* If you feel sick, stay home.
We hope that this information will be helpful to you. We encourage you to visit the above web link frequently for updated information. Be careful and stay well!
Retiree Presence on Campus During COVID-19 Situation
Bill Bell, Purdue Vice President for Human Relations, addressed the question of whether retirees should visit campus at the September 14 virtual PURA Kickoff meeting.
While there are no formal restrictions around retirees visiting campus, keep in mind that one of the overall objectives of Protect Purdue is to de-densify the number of people present on campus.
Given that many retirees are considered a “vulnerable” population due to age or pre-existing medical conditions, if you don’t have pressing business, it’s advisable to avoid campus.
For up-to-the-minute information about specific programs or services visit: https://protect.purdue.edu (particularly the Campus Visitors link).
PURA August Meeting Exposes “Senior Scams”
On Monday, August 2, plan to attend PURA’s monthly meeting virtual broadcast to learn about scams targeted to seniors. Dr. Marian Liu, from the Purdue School of Nursing and Center on Aging and the Life Course, will join PURA to discuss this important topic. The program will be held from 12:45 p.m.—1:30 p.m. EST
Dr. Liu has focused her research on elder care, including topics on elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. During this talk, she will first discuss common scams via mail, telephone, and internet that have affected older adults. Additionally, she will present results from a recent study conducted in collaboration with researchers in California on financial exploitation and scams. Adults across the lifespan, ages 18 to 89, participated in the study to help identity risk factors.
Dr. Marian Liu is an assistant professor at the School of Nursing. She is also a faculty
associate at Purdue’s Center on Aging and the Life Course. She works with Adult Protective Services at the national, state, and county levels to measure effective services and
outcomes, improve statewide data collection, and advocate for the Adult Protective Services workforce. Her ultimate goal in conducting this research is to empower older adults to live in a world with social justice.
Join the PURA Campus and Community Activities Committee by Coming Out to the Ballpark!
Mark your calendar for September 23, 2021, from 1: 15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST, when the Campus and Community Activities Committee has arranged a discussion, Q&A, and tour that features the new Loeb Stadium at Columbian Park in Lafayette.
Jon Miner, Director of Operations, Lafayette Parks and Recreation will lead the activity for Purdue Retirees who choose to attend. Jon will be using the park’s five-year strategic plan as his guide in explaining the steps that went into the planning, funding, and management of the changes that have taken place in the park. His presentation will not only focus on the removal, rebuilding, and planned future use of the state-of-the-art stadium but will also include key improvements like the return of the park carousel, and the restoration of the park lagoon and island. Participants are asked to bring their questions to ensure a lively discussion.
Assembly
1:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. EST. Plan on arriving early. Participants will assemble at the main entrance on Wallace St., Lafayette. This entrance is covered and is directly across the street from the blue awning of the Original Frozen Custard.
Discussion/Q&A
Promptly at 1:30 p.m. EST participants will enter the stadium and be guided to a designated seating area. Jon’s discussion will be approximately 30 minutes with ample time for questions and answers. Retirees are asked to come prepared to ask questions.
Tour
At approximately 2:15 p.m. EST, Jon will lead the group on a behind the scenes comprehensive tour of Loeb Stadium. In addition, weather permitting, lucky participants may be invited to walk the bases or throw out an imaginary pitch! Or, sit in the mayor’s box!
Treats
To relax and unwind at the conclusion of the stadium tour at 3:00 p.m. EST, all are invited across the street to the Original Frozen Custard for a treat. (Participants are responsible for paying for purchases.) Participants may also choose to continue exploring Columbian Park on their own if they so choose.
Parking
Ample parking is available at the newly paved lot at the corner of Main St. and Kossuth St. This parking lot is a one block walk from the main stadium entrance.
Walking
There will be extensive walking with multiple flights of stairs to ascend and descend on the tour. Please plan accordingly. (Those with mobility issues may choose to attend the discussion and Q&A and skip the tour.)
Registration
You must be registered to attend. Contact Hannah Austerman pura@purdue.edu to register. Important
Notes: This activity will be limited to 25-30 individuals. The deadline to register is September 17, 2021.
PURA Kickoff Meeting Set for September 9: SAVE THE DATE!
The annual fall PURA Kickoff meeting is slated for Thursday, September 9, 2021 at 12:30 p.m. EST. Though PURA hopes to resume in-person meetings later this fall, this event will again be virtual this year.
We are excited to announce that Dr. Jay Akridge, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Diversity, will speak on “The Next Moves for Purdue University”.
Check the September PURA News for further details.
United Way Campaigns Underway Soon!
We encourage everyone to support your community’s annual United Way campaign. Check your local United Way website to learn about this year’s campaign and find out how to participate in this important community-building
program.
For Purdue retirees in the Greater Lafayette area, watch your U.S. mail this fall for your pledge information, and mark on your payment coupon that your gift is to be credited to the PURA goal (in the “Gift and Payment information” section). Alternatively, you may send a personal note to the United Way Campaign office with a check, 1114 East State Street, Lafayette, IN 47905-1219. This is especially important if you are contributing from an IRA or other third-party source.
Tour of West Lafayette Wellness Center Coming October 1
The Campus and Community Activities Committee invites PURA members to tour the new West Lafayette Wellness Center on Friday, October 1, at 1:00 p.m. EST
The 73,000 square foot facility is located at 1101 Kalberer Road, in Cumberland Park in West Lafayette. They opened their doors to the public in January 2021.
The facility features community meeting rooms, three basketball courts, a walking track, fitness studios, workout areas, an indoor playground, and a zero-depth entrance pool.
Organized by Director Kevin Noe and his staff, the tour will showcase the amenities of the new center and include a Q&A session.
The group will be divided into smaller groups for the tour, so attendees should plan to arrive a few minutes before the start time to get organized. The tour will last about an hour. There is plenty of parking on-site. The tour is limited to a total of 40 participants. If you are interested in attending, please contact Hannah Austermann (pura@purdue.edu) no
later than Friday, September 24, 2021.
Bill's Bulletin
I want to thank Norm Long, our outgoing president, for ushering us through this past pandemic year. He has left some big boots to fill and the coming year will present a number of challenges.
We are again working with Custom Plus Pharmacy in West Lafayette to provide flu shots this year, since Purdue will not be sponsoring the PURA flu shot program. We will provide you with details as soon as we have them finalized.
We will continue our association with the VFW to provide our luncheon menu and meeting space. We plan to meet in person again on October 4, so mark your calendars.
Zoom has allowed us to reach out to people that we had not been able to serve before. We intend to continue to utilize this opportunity. There will be some bumps along the way as there is with any transition, but we look forward to an exciting and fulfilling year.
William Bennett, President
PURA
PURA Hospitality Committee Needs Volunteers
As PURA returns to in-person meetings and other activities this fall, the Hospitality committee is looking for volunteers to help host.
The Hospitality committee supports PURA's ongoing activities such as the fall Kick-Off Luncheon, the monthly luncheons at the VFW, and other special events, and may serve in a liaison capacity for special events such as flu shot administration, health fairs, retirement receptions, etc. The committee also strives to improve our communications to retirees and pre-retirees and gather ideas that might result in interesting new programming for PURA.
If you’re interested in participating, please contact chair Linda Hawkins via PURA’s email, pura@purdue.edu.
PURA Program Committee is Seeking New Members
By Dan Collins
As you are aware, every monthly PURA meeting includes a program. Every program presenter (except for the annual kickoff luncheon) has a host or hostess facilitator responsible for contacting, guiding, and introducing the applicable speaker. Each program generally has a different facilitator, so 11 retirees are needed for each PURA year.
Those 11 make up the PURA Program committee which holds its primary planning session as part of PURA’s annual Transition meeting in June. During this meeting, the committee brainstorms potential speakers for the coming year, chooses 11 programs, and at the appropriate time, communicates the results to members via the PURA News newsletter.
The Program committee currently has only 5 active members for FY 21-22. Programs and applicable facilitators have been identified for October thru February. (September is the kickoff luncheon.)
Soooooo, this committee needs 6 additional members to help facilitate programs for March through August of 2022. Serving on this committee is a great starting place to become actively involved in PURA.
If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, please contact Dan Collins, Program Committee Chair, at decollins.retired@yahoo.com or call 765-583-3132.
#6 in the World—175 utility patents on Purdue inventions issued in 2020
The whitest of white paints that could significantly reduce the cost of air-conditioning. A technology that could rescue parents from their worst nightmare, losing a baby on a ventilator because the child wriggled and moved the breathing tube. Clothing powered by Wi-Fi that could monitor health, and promising economically beneficial and environmentally friendly ways to turn plastics into fuels.
These are but a few of the recent patented innovations from Purdue University researchers striving to solve real-world problems and improve people’s lives. The list goes on and on. In fact, during the 2020 calendar year, only five universities in the world did it better than Purdue.
Purdue Research Foundation received 175 utility patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. That total ranks first in the state of Indiana, first in the Big Ten Conference and sixth internationally. Purdue is second among universities that do not have a school of medicine.
The No. 6 ranking is up from No. 13 the previous year. The only universities ahead of Purdue were the University of California system, MIT, Stanford University, the University of Texas system and Johns Hopkins University. The information was listed in a report from the Intellectual Property Owners Association and the National Academy of Inventors.
“This shows the world what we already know: Purdue has intellectually curious, creative and risk-taking faculty and students and continues to be a key economic driver in the state of Indiana and a game-changer in discovery,” said Brian Edelman, president of the Purdue Research Foundation. “Purdue and the Purdue Research Foundation have put the structure in place — the ever-expanding Discovery Park District, the Purdue Research Park, Office of Technology Commercialization — where researchers can thrive and companies such as Rolls-Royce and Saab want to take advantage of the intellectual strengths. It’s one of the many reasons Purdue is a destination for some of the top research minds.”
[Excerpted from University News Service story. Continue reading the article here.
And please join PURA for the February 2022 meeting to learn more about Purdue’s accomplishments in this area.]
Zoom Connection Information for PURA Meetings
The Zoom connection information for PURA monthly meetings is shown below. The link, Meeting ID, and password will be the SAME for all normal monthly meetings.
Members who wish to join via phone call audio only will need the separate Passcode shown below. (The password/passcode for that method is different from the normal “computer connection” to Zoom.)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/97285398989?pwd=MlB4U0FudEplMFRoWm1GTkZzNmYrZz09
Meeting ID: 972 8539 8989
Passcode: BoilerUp
One tap mobile
+13126266799,,97285398989#,,,,,,0#,,41051096# US (Chicago)
+19292056099,,97285398989#,,,,,,0#,,41051096# US (New York)
Dial by your location
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
Meeting ID: 972 8539 8989
Passcode: 41051096
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/acvQQKVcnE
Confessions of a Book Addict
By Jo Thomas
Who let the dogs out? There was a time when hero dogs acted on instinct. Those like Lassie, Buck and Old Yeller. Now dogs are the family psychologists. Actually, science is finding that dogs do figure us out fairly well. The Art of Racing in the Rain is rather charming and has lots of readers, a movie and a children’s book. Enzo is no Rin Tin Tin, but he is loveable and really interested in racing. The author is Garth Stein.
In another book, a novel, Ryder Creed is a Veteran. Like many, he was a little lost, a little bitter and a lot unhappy. He is busy taking on a few folks in a tavern when a woman acquaintance drags him out, takes him home and says he can stay as long as he sets a good example for her two young sons. This is not a love story. She is a whiz at figures and planning and he is a fantastic dog trainer. Together they build a superior facility for training dogs with specialized skills. They also train people such as trainers, police and dog owners.
Author Alex Kava introduces Creed in the novel, Stranded. Kava usually writes about a woman FBI agent and some nasty, bad people. After Stranded, Kava went on to feature Creed in his own mystery series, including such titles as Breaking Creed, Silent Creed, Reckless Creed and more, with different adventures in each. He also has a deep sorrow. Years ago, his 12 year old sister disappeared from a camper rest stop while he and his father were enjoying a baseball game on the truck radio. He looks for her still.
PURA Tech Bytes
By Scott Ksander
Road Trip! Purdue Northwest’s “Odyssey” Sculpture Series, part II
By Karen Lembcke
This month’s Road Trip continues the tour of sculptures located around Purdue Northwest’s wooded Westville, Indiana, campus.
Haints and History, by Preston Jackson. Stainless steel, bronze and found objects.
This piece presents a lesson about the hardships experienced by several immigrant groups. The freed souls of the dead (“haints”, a name that combines haunts and saints) accompany a ship of Africans, Irish and Jews. Depicts the years from the Civil War through the Industrial Revolution to Civil Rights.
Tres Bon Tricycle, by Tony Hendricks. Painted steel and aluminum.
A large scale tricycle from the carefree days of childhood.
Odalisque, by Mike Grucza. Galvanized steel.
The attached stairway invites viewer interaction.
Top of Page
True Tales of an Entomologist
By Tom Turpin
Editor’s Note: This is the fifth installment of Tom Turpin’s colorful experiences, which appear in his self-published Memoirs.
Achy Breaky Heart Usurps Roach Racing Microphone
In 1991 we performed cockroach races for the first time at the Indiana State Fair as part of the Purdue University exhibit.
The next year we were presenting the cockroach races again and on one of the fair days a free stage was set up on the street west of the building where we were located. As it turned out, Billy Ray Cyrus – he of “Achy Breaky Heart” song fame – performed on that stage. That was just after “Achy Breaky Heart” had come out and the song was becoming a cult hit, so a huge crowd filled the street for the performance.
During the presentation of the cockroach races our microphone system was preempted by the microphone system being used by Billy Ray Cyrus on the free stage and our system was broadcasting the sound from the free stage show. We gave up using the microphone. Needless to say, even without the microphones the songs from the free stage reverberated in the building and we listened to Achy Breaky Heart whether we wanted to or not.
After the free stage show I went out and got in line to meet Billy Ray Cyrus. After standing in line for some time as Billy Ray signed t-shirts and other memorabilia for his adoring fans, I told Billy Ray that his microphone system had hijacked the system we were using for the cockroach races.
He said “What in the world are cockroach races?” I explained and he said “No s---! I’ve never heard of such a thing.” I invited him in to look at Roachhill Downs, and after he was finished signing autographs he dropped by. I don’t know if he was duly impressed or not – he didn’t say. But then, I didn’t tell him I really didn’t like his “Achy Breaky Heart” song. Goodness knows I had heard it enough times before I met Billy Ray Cyrus to have made up my mind.
Notable Historic August Events
1896—Gold was discovered in Rabbit Creek, a tributary of the Klondike River in Alaska, resulting in the Great Klondike Gold Rush
1897—Thomas Edison secured a patent for his kinetograph, a camera that could record film footage.
1911—The first telegram is sent around the world in just 16.5 minutes. The message was sent from the New York Times office and travelled more than 28,000 miles. It read: “This message sent around the world”.
1920—The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, granting women the right to vote.
1935—President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act establishing the system which guarantees pensions to those who retire at age 65. The Social Security system also aids states in providing financial aid to dependent children, the blind and others, as well as administering a system of unemployment insurance.
1955—The Guinness Book of World Records is published. 50,000 copies were printed in its first year; by Christmas that year, the book had become a bestseller in the United Kingdom.
1959—President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a proclamation admitting Hawaii to the Union as the 50th state.
1969—Woodstock began in a field near Yasgur's Farm at Bethel, New York. The three-day concert featured 24 rock bands and drew a crowd of more than 300,000 young people. The event came to symbolize the counter-culture movement of the 1960's.
August Birthdays
Wild West performer Annie Oakley (1860-1926) was born in Darke County, Ohio. Famous for her shooting ability, she joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in 1885 and was one of the star attractions for 17 years.
Penicillin discoverer Alexander Fleming (1881-1955) was born in Lochfield, Scotland. By accident, he found that mold from soil killed deadly bacteria without injuring human tissue. He received the Nobel Prize in 1954.
War correspondent Ernie Pyle (1900-1945) was born in Dana, Indiana. His syndicated column offered sympathetic insights into the experiences of common soldiers during World War II. He received a Pulitzer Prize for his reports of the bombing of London in 1940 and later war reports from Africa, Sicily, Italy and France. He was killed by machine-gun fire near Okinawa in the South Pacific on April 18, 1945.
American astronaut and aeronautical engineer Neil Armstrong (1930-2012) was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio. Armstrong was the first person to walk on the Moon, famously saying “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind” as he stepped down onto the surface of the Moon. He was an Eagle Scout and had his pilot’s license before he had a driver’s license. He earned a Navy scholarship to Purdue, but his studies were interrupted when he was called to active duty just before the beginning of the Korean War. As a military and civilian pilot, he flew over 200 different models of aircraft, including jets, rockets, helicopters and gliders, including the X-1B and the X-15 rocket planes.
Gray Panthers founder Maggie Kuhn (1905-1995) was born in Buffalo, New York. After she was forced into mandatory retirement at age 65, she founded the Gray Panthers organization to fight age discrimination and succeeded in the banning of mandatory retirement in most professions.
Other Americans born in August: “Star Spangled Banner” author Francis Scott Key; frontiersman Davy Crockett; explorer Meriwether Lewis; U.S. presidents Bill Clinton, Benjamin Harrison, Herbert Hoover, Lyndon Johnson, Barack Obama; jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong; composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein; and aviation pioneer, Orville Wright.
Benefits/Health
Healthy Summer Living
By Chris Rearick, MSN, RN
Purdue Nursing Center for Family Health
Summer is here. We have the sun and warmth so let’s take advantage of it. In nursing, we talk about evidenced-based practice. What does evidence-based practice mean? It means utilizing the best choices in care that are based on the evidence of scientific research. It is not someone’s opinion, but rather what answers research has given us. Let’s use what we know for some summer nutritional and physical health benefits. Let’s live life to its best!
Drinking water can increase our metabolism and can burn calories. Keep a glass of water close to you. If you are not a big water drinker then become a water sipper throughout the day. Ideally, you should try to drink about 8 cups of water, unless your healthcare provider has you on a fluid restricted diet. Put a fresh slice of lemon or lime in that glass of water to make it more refreshing and fun. Water helps you avoid those sugary drinks. Drinking before you get thirsty can prevent hypotension (low blood pressure), urinary tract infections and even hospitalization. Studies show that drinking water 30 minutes before you eat can increase weight loss. I am in for weight loss!
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2908954/
Do some aerobic exercise. Walking everyday even at a slow pace will get your heartrate higher than sitting. Walking will improve your metabolic health. Briskly walking 10 minutes can get your heartrate up to 120 beats a minute. Walking is a great stress reliever. If you are unable to walk regularly then doing leg lifts while you sit can be beneficial. Move it or lose it!
https://www.verywellfit.com/walking-for-your-mind-and-spirit-3432871
Our sunshine is the best source of Vitamin D. Include a Vitamin D3 supplement in your diet if you do not get sun exposure. To avoid a sunburn, limit exposure to 20 minutes. You should also wear a zinc-based sunscreen for added protection. Almost half of our population does not get enough Vitamin D. Recent research shows Vitamin D may lessen severity of COVID-19. That’s a new one!
https://covid.us.org/2020/09/03/new-study-vitamin-d-reduces-risk-of-icu-admission-97/
Vegetables and fruits are at their best in the summer. They are loaded with vitamins, antioxidants, fiber, minerals and nutrients. Those brightly colored vegetables and fruits are great for our eyes! Sweet potatoes, carrots, mangos, peppers, zucchini and green leafy vegetables are loaded with Beta Carotene and Vitamin A that our eyes so desperately need. Research shows that folks that eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables may even live longer!
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-fruit-good-or-bad-for-your-health
Socializing on a nice sunny day can not only provide us with enough Vitamin D but it can also improve our mental health. Research shows that people who socialize with family and friends live longer, healthier lives. Socializing improves cognitive function and decreases depression. I always feel better after visiting with friends and family. Socializing also makes me forget COVID!
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2728098/
The proof is in the science. Let us use what research has given us and enjoy these warm days while we have them. We need to remind ourselves to live life to the fullest. The brightness and warmth of the warm sun is a reminder to us all to live our best. Enjoy!
If you would like to schedule a Wellness Screening please call Chris at 765-496-0308 or email at crearick@purdue.edu to pick a day and time best for you. Feel free to contact Chris with any questions or concerns you may have.
Campus Services News:
Contact Email for PURA
To streamline ongoing communications and service from Purdue Human Resources, a new email account has been set up. All PURA-related communications from HR will now come from pura@purdue.edu – which will show up as “PURA Admin” in your email inboxes.
If you have questions or comments going forward, please send them to this email address instead of jacksonh@purdue.edu.
How to Subscribe to Purdue Today
Retirees may signup online to receive Purdue Today emails. Visit this web site: https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/purduetoday/subscribe-to-purdue-today.html.
The form asks for first and last name, University affiliation and email address. Once the form is submitted, you will receive an email from Purdue Today (purduetoday@purdue.edu) asking you to confirm the subscription.
Some mail servers may identify Purdue Today as spam and filter the confirmation email — and subsequent Purdue Today emails — into a "junk" or "promotions" folder. To avoid this, add purduetoday@purdue.edu to your email application's contacts list.
Questions about Purdue Today should be directed to Valerie O'Brien at purduetoday@purdue.edu or 765-494-9573.