Births

Echo Hammer

RONAN — Echo Marie Longtree Hammer was born on Dec. 1, 2021, at the St. Luke New Beginnings Echo Hammer Birth Center. She weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces. Parents are Pascal Hammer III and Motieka Longtree of Ronan. Paternal grandparents are Shy Fawn Bird and Pascal Hammer of Ronan. Maternal grandparent is Victoria Azure of Ronan.

Ruby Dexter

POLSON — Titus, Pearl, and Nolan Dexter announce the birth of their sister, Ruby Dawn Dexter. She was born on Oct. 19, 2021, at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center’s Nesting Place. Ruby was 20 inches long and weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces. Her parents are Jessica and Evan Dexter of Polson. Maternal grandparents are Renee and Timothy LaFleur. Paternal grandparents are Nancee and Gordon Dexter.

Ruby Dexter

Avalynn Close

POLSON — Camdyn Close announces the birth of sister, Avalynn Jean Close, who was born on Oct. 3, 2021, at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center’s Nesting Place. Avalynn was 19 inches long and weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces. Her parents are Mateel Muth and Christian Close of Polson. Maternal grandparent is Leslie Muth. Maternal great-grandparents are Janet and LeRoy Lafrinire. Paternal grandparent is Shawna Close. Paternal great-grandparent is Duane Close.

Avalynn Close

Kash Stevens

POLSON — Kash Reign Stevens was born Sept. 29, 2021, at the Nesting Place in Providence St. Joseph Medical Center. He was 21 inch-

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es long and weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces. Kash’s parents are Chantel Jenkins and Joe Stevens of Pablo. He joins sisters, Mataya and Kobe and brothers, Kyson and Quinn in the Stevens home. Maternal grandparents are Teresa Roland and Sherman Jenkins. Paternal grandparents are Patty and Willie Stevens. Aspen Razo

POLSON — Aspen Luxe Razo was born on Nov. 9, 2021, at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center’s Nesting Place. She was 20 inches long and weighed 7 pounds, 7.8 ounces. Her parents are Dominga Ground and Dontaye Razo. Aspen joins siblings, Alex, Aleigha, Thomas and Baby Dontaye in the Razo home. Maternal grandparents are Dawn Ground and John Ground III. Maternal great-grandparents are Evelyn Ground and John Ground II. Paternal grandparents are Melissa Matte and Terry and Anastasia Razo. Paternal

Kash great-grandparent is LynStevens da Beaudry.

Aspen Razo

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406-883-3904

P.O. Box 343, Polson 406-883-3904

St. Ignatius

By Irene Pritsak for the Valley Journal

ST. IGNATIUS — As we all get ready to celebrate the holiday season with our family and friends, we want to express how grateful we are to all our members and volunteers. This is truly a great community with a big heart. We would like to thank those who have donated to help keep our meal programs going and to the volunteers who are the heart of our center. And many thanks goes to the anonymous sidewalk angel who shoveled for us and did not stick around to be identified or thanked.

We are helping with the St. Ignatius Schools coat and hat drive. If you have any new or gently used donations, you can drop them off at the center or at the school. They would especially welcome items of clothing for smaller children. Thank you.

Our menu for the week: — Friday, Dec. 24: no meal — Tuesday, Dec. 28: scalloped potatoes with ham, rolls, veggies, fruit, dessert — Friday, Dec. 31:soup, sandwiches, green salad, fruit, dessert

Merry Christmas and Happy Everything to us all.

Dixon

By Heather Rush for the Valley Journal

DIXON — Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all of us at the Dixon Senior Center.

The Dixon Senior Center continues to serve our community and hopes everyone is staying happy and healthy. All are invited to come enjoy dinner. Meals will be served Monday and Thursday evenings at 5 p.m. Meals are $4 per serving and are deliverable to Dixon residents upon request. We are also accepting take-out meal requests for $5 per serving.

The menu is: — Thursday, Dec. 23: dinner- tuna casserole, vegetables, rolls, dessert — Monday, Dec. 27: dinner- potato soup, salad, rolls, dessert — Thursday, Dec. 30: dinner- lasagna, salad, rolls, dessert

Pinochle will be back in the spring. We will be taking a break during the winter for the safety of our seniors.

Feel welcome to place an order in advance by calling 406246-3310. All ages are welcome.

Polson

By Pete Mangels for the Valley Journal

POLSON — Happy New Year from the officers, directors and staff at the Polson Senior Center.

We are located at 504 Third Ave. E., and open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. Lunch is available from 11:45 a.m.12:30 p.m. weekdays for $5. Dine-in, take-out, and delivery to a shut- in are available. Individuals and small groups are always welcome to lounge, work puzzles, read, play card or board games, billiards, etc. Our activities are a great way to meet old friends and create new friendships. Call us with your questions at 406-883-4735, or email us at: polsonseniorcenter@ gmail.com.

The V.A. representative will be available here on Tuesday, Dec. 21, between 10 a.m. and noon.

Activities: — Exercise for mobility: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, 10:30–11:30 a.m. — Bridge: Tuesdays and Fridays: Postponed. Call or come in to place your name on the players list — Mahjong: Wednesdays, 12:30 p.m. (multiple tables) — Pinochle: Thursdays, 12:30 p.m. We play 3, 4, or 5 hands per table. Coaching available. — Bingo: Fridays, 7 p.m. — Pool: Thursdays? We are considering recreational pool tournaments (Round-Robin format), with a two-hour time limit, or longer, if agreed upon - for anyone 50+ years or older. Play would be at 3 p.m. on Thursdays, or any other time or day preferred by players. No long-term league play. Pool is free of charge, and no entry fee for participants will be required. The winner each week gets “braggin’ rights” for a week. The rules are to play nice and have fun on a cold winter day. Come on down and practice with a friend. Organized weekly pool games would start Jan. 6, 2022. Practice from 8 to 11:30 a.m. and noon to 3 p.m. on most weekdays.

Menu: — Wednesday, Dec. 22: enchiladas with beef, refried beans, Frito salad, angel food cake with sauce — Thursday, Dec. 23: corn dogs, tots, mixed veggies, 3-bean salad, no-bake cookies — Friday, Dec. 24: hot turkey sandwich, raw carrots and celery, chips, green salad, fruit bar — Monday, Dec. 27: Navy bean soup, peanut butter sandwich, green salad, cookies — Tuesday, Dec. 28: pot pie, biscuit, cheesy broccoli, cole slaw, dump cake — Wednesday, Dec. 29: Swiss steak, garlic potatoes, green beans, copper penny salad, lemon pudding — Thursday, Dec. 30: blackeyed peas/rice (Hoppin’ Johns), peas ‘n carrots, tomato aspic salad, orange cake — Friday, Dec. 31: cook’s choice, pot-luck soup, green salad, banana bread, various desserts

Administration to lower drug costs for Montana seniors, protect rural pharmacies

News from the office of

Senator Tester

U.S. SENATE — Following an aggressive push, U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services agreed to help lower prescription drug costs for Medicare Part D beneficiaries by taking administrative action to address direct and indirect remuneration fees.

Tester pushed hard for CMS to take this action after introducing bipartisan legislation earlier this year to combat the high cost of prescription drug prices and the predatory practices of corporate middlemen known as Pharmacy Benefit Managers. Tester’s legislation, the Pharmacy DIR Reform to Reduce Senior Drug Costs Act, ensures that all pharmacy price concessions are made clear at the point of sale, eliminating the retroactive nature of DIR clawback fees. CMS estimates this change will save Medicare beneficiaries an estimated $7.1 to $9.2 billion in reduced cost sharing.

“Rural pharmacies are a cornerstone of Montana communities, and they’re critical to making sure folks in our frontier communities can access the medications they need to stay healthy,” said Tester. “But Montana’s small pharmacies are being hit with hidden fees charged by corporate middlemen, driving up drug costs for Montana seniors and families. I’m glad the Administration has agreed to work with me to lower costs, and I’m going to keep pushing to hold CMS accountable and make sure this forthcoming rule has real teeth that will protect Montana pharmacies and patients.”

Under Medicare Part D, Medicare makes payments to private Part D insurers for delivering prescription drug benefits to Medicare beneficiaries. Often, the Part D insurer or its PBM receives additional payments after the drug is sold to the patient that changes the final cost of the drug. These are called DIR fees.

In recent years, PBMs have increasingly returned to pharmacies days or even months after the final sale to demand more in DIR fees. From 2010 to 2019, CMS documented a 91,500 percent increase in DIR fees paid by pharmacies.

In October, Tester and a bipartisan group of his colleagues sent a letter urging CMS to work with Congress to address DI fees to help lower prescription drug prices for Medicare Part D beneficiaries.

“We write today to discuss our serious concerns about the impact direct and indirect remuneration fees are having on the cost of drugs for Medicare Part D beneficiaries and pharmacy bottom lines,” wrote the Senators. “We urge you to work with Congress to require pharmacy price concessions, payments, and fees be included at the point-of-sale under Part D of the Medicare program. It is time we stand up for seniors and address this broken system that sees people paying far too much for prescription drugs.”

They concluded: “We also note that Congress already provided the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services with sufficient authority to make the necessary changes administratively. With multiple avenues available to fix this problem, it is imperative that we work together to reform DIR fees, reduce drug costs, and protect pharmacies.”