Street roots., September 18, 2009, Page 6, Image 6

c e u e b m t w íc m p ^ e a M S
6
10
street roots;
Education ^Dialogue * Independence
H1I\I1, from page 1
Oxman says that he doesn’t think it’s
possible to predict the peak of the outbreak,
if it happens.
“Basically, it’s a race between the vaccine
and the flu virus,” he says.
In the meantime, he says, shelters and
providers will need to resolve the basic
questions: “How do you deal with situations
where people become ill in the shelters?
How do you identify ill people? How do you
separate them from the rest of the
population and make sure they have access
Virgo (Aug. 24-Sept. 23) OK, this month
to health care and medications?
the stars are shining in your favor. Go out
“Those are the issues we need to work
out,” Oxman says.. Meetings among a
and seize the day, find that special place
workgroup of health providers and the
where happy meets comfortable and revel
homeless continuum are planned for the
coming weeks.
in it.
Portland Rescue Mission is one of
Portland’s primary shelters for people who
Libra (Sept. 24-Oct. 23) Right now
;; are homeless. There, the planning is in
someone somewhere is_ thinking about
motion to decide how to contain an
outbreak in a shelter environment
you. They wanted the stars to let you
‘It’s something we’re taking very
know that it’s not who you are, it is what
seriously,” says Brian Merrell, the
you do that defines you.
community relations specialists with
Portland Rescue Mission. “It’s at tfre
Scorpio (Oct 24-Nov. 22) Instead of
forefront, which is why we’re putting
together policies and practices.”
advice the stars have this to say: humor
That could include policies of declining
makes the world go round, laugh and the
services to people exhibiting symptoms and
referring people for medical treatment to
world will laugh with you.
other agencies to avoid a spread of the virus
throughout the shelter, Merrell says.
Sagittarius (Nov. 23-Dec. 22) "Enter the
“It’s best for everyone to get the medical
Dragon” was a great kung fu film. Don’t
treatment,” Merrell says.
trust anyone who says differently.
The Old Town Clinic, operated by Central
City Concern, is a primary caregiver of
health care for the homeless, treating
Capricorn (Dec. 23-Jan. 19) New books
between 2,500 and 3,000 patients each |
look pretty and smell good, but nothing
year, according to Rachel Solotaroff,
compares to that well-worn tome, read a
medical director for Central City'Concern.
“At Old Town, where we see a primarily
hundred times, that continúes to thrill. Like '
....homeless population, we are doing an
.......
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Today is
available; if you have anything to say to
the stars today is the day,
Pisces (Feb. 20-March 20) Alone on top
of a hill a young man sat. He thought
about the world and saw that it needed
changing. He stood up, stretched and
went to work. Not that that has anything to
do with you, we just felt you might want to
know.
Aries (March 21-April 19) Trees are
starting to turn, and the weather is getting.
wetter. Remember that the sun is just
another star, and like all stars, it will fade.
Fear not, Portland is a rain town and
we’re just getting ready to hit our stride.
Taurus (April 20-May 21) Interestingly,
this month is one for the record books. It
will have highs and lows, but in'the end
hopefully we will have health care, keep
aggressive campaign to make sure everyone
gets their regular seasonal vaccination,”
Solotaroff says. “For those who are high
risk, and who meet the criteria the county
gives us, than they get the H1N1 vaccine.”
Solotaroff says that a lot of the folks they
see would fall under the high-risk category.
“The trick is to get people in.for the
immunization,” she says.
However, Solotaroff says the clinic is not­
in a position to accommodate a surge in
demand, nor have they received additional
resources to deal with a surge should a
major outbreak hit, she says.
. “That’s something that Multnomah
County is attentive toand is working on,
and then they would communicate that dut
to the providers,” she says.
Precaution remains the universally
understood objective.
, “It’s the same thing that it’s always been,
the same sorts of standard precautions, but
to have extra vigilance,” Solotaroff says. “I
think this can apply to people on the streets
as well as those who are housed: Keep
hands clean, cover your cough, find a place
to throw way your tissues;, get your
vaccination. Those are the very standard
kinds of prevention that actually make a
huge difference.” .
Beth Kaye, the public affairs manager for
the Portland Housing Bureau, says that in
the case of an outbreak, there are sufficient
resources within the current contracts to
respond to a surge situation. It could mean
redeploying resources toward
provisions to prevent the spread of
the virus, but also options on putting
people with the virus in a sheltered
environment That could mean
creating a segregated facility as an
infirmary for recovery, or issuing
motel vouchees to put people in
rooms while theyreeover. But in
term s of what is the best course of
action, those decisions will be made
as the situation develops. Kaye says.
“We are waiting on the health
department to advise us what to do,” ..
Kaye says, adding that the role of
the housing bureau will be to get the
information o u t
“In an emergency, we are
prepared to be flexible, to think
creative, and to respond with all of
our energy just as we did in the
snow emergency last winter. ...Any
discussion about discharging people
to the streets, that’s not in the
picture,” Kaye says.
Oxman says that given that the
H1N1 virus is new, more people are
likely to get sick, up to a third of the
population in a serious scenario. For
the Portland metropolitan area, that
could mean a 200,000 to 300,000
people becoming seriously ill. One
of the distinguishing traits of the
H1N1 virus is its attack on young
and middle-age adults, rather than
Crossword answers
for puzzle on page 16
by E coT ech
Gemini (M ay 22-June 22) Obama wants
save energy • save money • save th e planet
BM i
■■ M
Trade Ally o f
EnergyTrust
Cancer (June 23-July 23) Not all flowers
smell good, and some of them have.
thorns, but that’s no reason to not enjoy
them. Get out there and enjoy the last
blooms of the year.
Leo (July 24-Aug. 23) Send love to receive
love. Be always aware of the love around ¡ j
you. The more you look the more there is to
see.
Byjaythrem yer
have you forgotten
yet |
james chasse’s death?
have you wasted enough
time
on that man’s death;
by now?
have you discovered that better thing
to divert you?
have you rediscovered
your purpose
for forgetting?
the craving for your own
time? lost for little
time and time
again.
when and what must be
remembered
before it all matters
again? always met too soon,
timing for
indifference, timing
for remove; timing is
^everything or have you forgotten
the roses?
and who left them for james chasse?
characteristic of other influenza
viruses.
In the event of an outbreak, the practice
of putting people under quarantine is highly
unlikely, according to Oxman, and there’s
no talk of shutting down the shelters, he -
says.
“We’re not anticipating using quarantines
to any extent,” Oxman says. “It’s intrusive
on people’s rights, and it’s not a particularly
effective tool with influenza. Quarantine just
means restricting the activities of people
exposed to the illness but' not yet sick.
“What we’re going to need to do is keep
up with creativesolutions to keep sick
people and well people isolated,” Oxman
says. “We see any kind of congregate living
situation as a potentially dangerous
situation. Dorms, nursing homes — we’ll be
watching for outbreaks in those settings,
but prevention is a much better deal, and
that’s where we’re trying to put most of our
energy.”
your fingers crossed, Taurus.
you to call your senators and demand
health care for all Americans. Sure, we
live in a lefty state, but every call helps.
And then there’s
james chasse
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