Health

With temperatures expected to stay well below zero for several days, humans are not the only ones suffering.  Animals kept outside may also be having a hard time. 

Dr. Ron Reupert at Animal Health Care Center North in Rhinelander says most pet owners know how to take care of their animals.  But he says many dog breeds like hounds aren’t built for weather this cold. 

“Short haired dogs I have seen not do well.  If they are kept outdoors, they need to have a supplemental heat source, and a lot of people do do that.” 

The Oneida and Vilas Public Health and Emergency Management Departments have released a list of facilities open 24 hours that people could go to if they need to warm up in the extreme cold.

In Oneida county, Trig's Riverwalk Centre and Wal-Mart...both in Rhinelander... are facilities that are open 24 hours. In Minocqua, Trig's and WalMart along Highway 70 are open 24 hours, as is Howard Young Medical Center in Woodruff..

The cold snap can cause problems for not only humans but pets and a Division of Emergency Management spokesperson says just because they have fur doesn't mean they're cold-proof.

Tod Pritchard says there are a few things to remember....

"....dogs and cats can get frostbitten ears, and nose and of course their paws are especially vulnerable to not only the cold but to other things like salt we put down on our sidewalk, and to anti-freeze which people know is very deadly to pets and that sometimes can leak out...."

A bill in the Wisconsin Senate would update the language in Wisconsin's statewide smoking ban to make electronic cigarettes legal in public places. An e-cigarette is a device operated by a battery where the user inhales a water vapor. The user also inhales nicotine in the draw. The devices don't have the restrictions of tobacco cigarettes, which are banned in public places.

Oneida County Public Health Tobacco Coordinator Niki Kostrova says the feds have not yet approved them as a smoking cessation device....

The Vilas County Sheriff says drug abuse continue to be a growing problem in the area.  Sheriff Joe Fath says the department works closely with Lac du Flambeau tribal police in its investigations. 

“Prescription medication, synthetic THC, heroin, those are the three big ones that we see affecting our communities.” 

Lac du Flambeau tribal leaders declared a state of emergency last spring to address a growing drug problem on the reservation. 

A consultant has been hired to help the three-county Human Service Center develop outcome-based contracts for local counseling providers.

Board President Bill Korrer said Center staff contacted the three partner counties about getting a pay hike for providers, something Korrer says hadn't been done for a long time...

"....we've had the rates frozen for a number of years now, and a lot of the smaller providers haven't had the luxury of a rate increase...."

Wisconsin could be offering a health care option that is outside the realm of the Affordable Care Act also known as Obamacare.

During a stop in Rhinelander last week, Governor Scott Walker said he's been talking to the federal government to have Wisconsin residents get another option outside of the Affordable Care Act protocols.....

Monday is the deadline to pick a plan on the federal health exchange, if you want your coverage to start January 1st.  Most insurance companies are extending the deadline to pay for that coverage…until January 10th. 

Meanwhile healthcare groups in the Northwoods are seeing an uptick in the number of people asking for help signing up via the exchange.

Myra Kubesh is a certified application assistant at Langlade Hospital.  She says many people have questions about whether they qualify for a subsidy...and what kinds of coverage different plans offer. 

Grocery stores and shopping centers aren’t the only places seeing heavy traffic this time of year. 

Rhinelander Food Pantry Executive Director Guy Hansen says demand goes up during the holidays.

“Our business increases – we have a lot of people that come in, when they wouldn’t come in other times of the year, because they’re preparing for holidays, company and so on.  And money’s always a little short at this time of the year.” 

Rhinelander health care premiums are falling somewhere in the middle as compared to the rest of the state.  That’s according to a new report from progressive group Citizen Action of Wisconsin.  It compares health insurance rates in different regions statewide.

It finds Madison tends to rank lowest, while the highest premiums are found in the Milwaukee area and in far Northwestern Wisconsin.