‘Wellness’ workshop cruises Caribbean
Health care prompts program
By PATRICK SULLIVAN
Of the Emerald
Health is not just the absence of
disease and discomfort, it’s a life
style with proper exercise, nutri
tional awareness and stress man
agement, according to the found
ers of Organizational Health Care
Systems, Inc. (OHCS) in Eugene.
Mitchell Melson and Donald
Fitch believe “forces are trans
forming our disease-oriented
medical care system into a
health-oriented care system.”
They call the new concept “well
ness.’’
The two “health promoters”
have organized a “Wellness
Workshop.” The workshop will be
aboard the 800-passenger M/S
Angelina while it cruises through
the Caribbean Islands during
spring break, March 17 to 25. :
“The Wellness Workshop will I
help explore the following keys to I
vibrant well-being; cardiovascular I
fitness, nutritional awareness, r
stress management and respon
sibility for health,” says an adver- <
tisement for the cruise in Oregon I
Education Magazine, Jan. 1978. i
The trip is designed for Oregon '
teachers and administrators but I
Melson says “students could
learn about self-care procedures
and determine their health state
ment by participating in the pro- i
gram.” The workshop can ac
comodate 125 participants. “The
response to the ad has been very
good so far,” according to Melson.
“I’d like to see a Wellness net
work develop between the par
ticipants so that after the work
ihop Oregon school children can
earn the concepts of Wellness.”
3lue Cross of Oregon will provide
ollow-up materials to help the
letwork.
The faculty for the workshop in
cudes Melson, Fitch, William
3owerman. “a pioneer in the fit
less revolution currently under
vay in the U.S.” and Lawrence
7ish, executive director of North
vest Regional Education
.aboratory.
The trip will cost $874, which
ncludes a $100 discount on the
:ruise and a $175 charge for the
workshop.
Melson, a doctorate candidate
n Counseling Psychology at the
University, will recieve credit for
running the workshop through
Health Education 409, “Practicum
on Health Practices.”
Although the workshop is
OHCS’s first large scale business
venture, their “maiden voyage,”
the company has been working on
a variety of health projects since it
was incorporated in September
1977.
OHCS also runs a weekly
smokers' clinic at the YMCA in
Eugene. For $50 apiece, partici
pants, in groups of less them 12, use
the “Wellness” concept to quit
smoking. Melson and Fitch are
repulsed by the negative, “get sick
and give up approach" of some
smokers clinics.
With the help of Blue Cross of
Oregon, OHCS has made a
health book entitled “Take Care of
Yourself,” available for $1.25 in
stead of the regular $5 price.
The book provides self
diagnosis and home treatment in
formation for 68 common medical
problems and it is at the check out
Crime victims will
receive state aid
If you were the victim of a rob
bery or assault after January 1,
1978, you could be eligible for up
to $23,000 in benefits under the
state s newly formed Victim Assis
tance program. The program pro
vides for emergency services, res
titution and payment for eligible
persons.
Under the law (HB 2278, chap
ter 3376), you are eligible if:
•You are a victim, or the de
pendent of a deceased victim, of a
compensable crime that resulted
in a loss of more than $250.
•You notified the police of the
crime within 72 hours.
•You cooperated fully with law
enforcement officials in ap
prehending and prosecuting the
suspect.
•You were not related to, or
sharing a household with, your
assailant.
•Your injury was not “substan
tially attributable” to your wrongfu
act or substantial provocation o
your assailant.
•You apply for compensatior
within six months of your injury.
If you are related to a victim fo
whom you paid medical expenses
caused by his crime-related injury
you are eligible for reimburse
ment.
Losses you can recover, ac
cording to the act include: reason
able hospital and medical ex
penses up to a maximum amount
of $10,000; loss of earnings up to a
maximum of $10,000; rehabilita
tion, up to a maximum of $3,000;
in the case of death, burial ex
penses, to a maximum of $1,000;
reasonable hospital and medical
expenses, to a maximum of
$10,000; loss of support to the de
pendents of a deceased victim up
to a maximum amount of $10,000,
less any amounts paid for loss of
earnings.
The act also provides for
emergency payments in cases of
undue hardship. The adminis
trators of the program in Lane
County says day care services
and transportation to and from
court for the old and infirm will also
be provided.
Persons with questions about
the Victim Asistance program
should contact Geoffrey Alpert,
i the program’s director, at the Dis
trict Attorney's office. Alpert is an
experienced criminologist and
former professor at the University
' of Texas at Dallas.
r
————- 'i
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fridaij. februarq 3rd - ffTTU Ballroom
2 Shows*. 7:00 pm and 10:00 pm
U of O Students S4.50 advance.
S5.00 daq of show
Tickets
available at
£(1UJ ITiain Desk. Sun Shop,
and £verqbodq’s in fiugene
counter of the Student Health
Center.
Although OHCS doesn’t profit
from it, Melson has been studying
“the effect of replacing the im
pulse bin (filled with candy) with a
fruit stand at the check-out coun
ters at McKays market in
Eugene.” The grocer's “philo
sophic commitment to health con
flicts with the profit motive of mov
ing candy," says Melson
OHCS is also working with a
group of health agencies to de
velop a "Wellness Center’’ for
Eugene. The center would coor
dinate efforts for better health in
the community and is still in the
planning stages.
I 3355
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l
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TAP BEER: Pitchers small 950, large $1.75
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