Portland Observer, M arch 20, 1906, Paye 3
METROPOLITAN
Portlanders f ightSickle Cell Anemia
by Lamia Duke
Ten percent o f all Afro-Americans
inherit a genetic trail commonly re
ferred to as the Sickle Cell trait If two
trait carriers start a fam ily, there is a
25 percent chance that each child will
have Sickle (. ell
GRASSROOT NFW S, N.W — A
nxjlUK o f severe and trequou pain
affects an estimated To Portlanders
afflicted «uh Sickle ( ell Anemia
A hereditary h lixxl disease. Sickle
Cell gels us name from the sickle
shape ol red b lin d cells. This unusual
shape presents oxygen from circulat
ing throughout the bods When the
brain, lungs and kidneys do not gel
enough oxygen, pain and illness are
the results.
Dr. Robert Bigley, Professor o f
Medicine and Medical Genetics at
Oregon
Health
Sciences
University,
said the physical complicaiions from
infections, dehydration and other
deficiencies created by the lack ol
oxygen makes Sickle Cell a lile short
ening disease. "T e n years ago the
medium age for survival was 40 years
old Now, it's fit sears old
“ Next to cancer, Sickle ( ell is one
Of the most devastating diseases I ’ se
h e r treated.'’ said I> Gunner Waage
from kaiser Permanente. " A ll sse can
do is otter the patient hospitalization
and pain reduction.”
The Sickle Cell Foundation pro
sides supportive services to Portland
Sickle ( ell patients Marcia la v lo r.
Smith named to bank PR team
Floyd Smith has been named to the
newly created position o f sice presi
dent, public relations. First Interstate
Bank o f Oregon.
His office is in Portland where he
may be reached at (5031225-2180.
Smith recently joined the bank
following four years as director o f
news and publications with Northwest
Natural Gas Company, headquar
tered in Portland Prior to that, he
was a reporter for K O IN -T V , also
Portland.
A Board member o f the Portland
chapter o f the Public Relations Soci
ety o f America, Smith also belongs to
the City Club o f Portland, the Friends
o f Jeff M orris (building the fire mu
seum at Central Station), and the
Downtown Light Rail Public Infor-
Executive Director, said currently a
calendar o f events are being planned
to network and fund various resources
Our primary purpose is to educate
and increase awareness o f the dis
ease," said Taylor. “ We provide
counseling and support to those with
Sickle ( ell Also, we plan to develop
free Sickle ( ell screening for low
income fam ilies."
Jimmy king, 25, lives in constant
pain. He receives infections o f m or
phine four times a day. Bigley said
narcotics arc necessary to control
recurring pain. "M o st pain is man
ageable but there are crises which re
quire hospital admission. There is no
point in suffering when you have
something to control the p a in ."
" I go to sleep with pain and wake
up with p a in ," said king. "Some
times ii hurls so bad all I can do is lie
here. His mother said his education
was constantly interrupted with Sickle
Cell crises and that he was too ill
to work.
"B ut I did get married and we have
a 5 veai-old daughter. M y wife could
r»x
tiandlc
me
staying
sick
all
the
tim e," king added. " I ’ ve told my-
sell I'm not going anywhere until I
take iny kids to the zoo without get
ting sick," king said while praising
his family for giving him the strength
to survive.
"Whenever I start feeling sorry for
myself, my lather starts lecturing me
on the tact that there are people worse
o tt than I am. and it brings out the
light io me. And it's just enough to
light Sickle ( e ll," king noted.
Announcing
wide area paging coverage
without
the wide area price.
The paging people who have always brought you
selection and service now bring you one of the
widest coverage areas in Portland
Plus one big advantage: Our competitors t harge
you for "extended coverage." RAM includes it ,i~
standard bill of fare
Premium coverage without a premium price
Because at RAM we believe your pager Is only as
good as the area It reaches.
-1 5 0 7
RAM Broadcasting ol Oregon. Inc . 713 S W 12th Avenue
lavlor said her foundation wants
to lap and organize this fighting
strength. "W e want Sickle Cell pa
tients to know they are not alone."
Job information fair coming
F L O Y D S M IT H
mation Adsisory Committee.
He is a 1966 English literature
graduate o f Portland State.
Northeast Portland residents will
have a chance to learn about jobs
in State Government and how to ap
ply for them a, a job inform ation fair
being held in the cafeteria o f the M a r
tin Luther king Elementary School
from noon to 6:30 p m Tuesday,
March 26.
This is the second year for the fair,
"w hich provides a unique opportun
ity for the community to learn about
state
employment
opportunities,
including summer jobs, current open
ings and positions which are trequeiillv
advertised by Stale Government,"
Mid Vicki Nakashima, O D O I uvil
nghts manager "A pplications for
specific positions will not be accepted
at the fair However, inform ation on
the application process w ill be pro
vided, as well as an opportunity to
meet with representatives from vari
ous state agencies," noted Nakashima.
Representatives from the Transpor-
tatxxi Department's Highway, Parks,
and Motor Vehicles divisions. Executive
Department's Personnel Division, State
Police, and t f r (¡ovemor's Affirmative
Actual Office will be present. Also, the
Department of Human Resources will
provide rewHirce people Irian several
divisions Adult and Family Servfc.es.
Children's Services, (orrectKm. Em-
pkwmenl. Health, Mental Health, Sen
ior Services and Vncational Rchabili
tadon
For more information, call the Urban
1 eague ( Iflice at 2HO-26(M>
brought to vou
every week
bv
A M E R IC A N STA TE B A N K
M U S I A I I M A A l OCAOSIT W S U A A N t l C O A A O A A tlO N
Maine is the only state in the union that borders on
only one other state: New Hampshire.
A letter is coming, it’s believed, if your nose itches.
W hat some considered to have been the first English-
language newspaper in America, P ublic Occurrences,
was published in Boston in 1690.
W e do n o t d o business w ith S o u th Africa
Clinic caters to Blacks
by Robert l.olhian
CASCADE
NATUROPATHIC CLINIC
"O u r Goal Is Healthy Families "
Safe, Effective Natural Therapies • Individualized
Health Appraisals • family Medicine • Herbal
and Homeopathic Medicines • Athletic and
On-The-Job Injuries • Women’ s Health Cate
Complete Laboratory and Diagnostic Testing
Phone 289-9914
Dr. S teven Bailey
Dr. A d a m Ladd
Licensed Naturopathic Physicians
819 N. KILLINGSWORTH
PLAN
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AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
AGENCY
AN
Stephanie
Taylor,
community
support team leader at the N orth/
Northeast Community Mental Health
( enter, recalls a client who was poor,
unemployed and who ended up in a
hospital under psychiatric care.
Through the help he received at the
center, she said, he is now living in the
community and benefit!ing from |ob
training. "There are a lot o f healthy
persons there that in a lot o f cases you
can deal w ith ," said Taylor.
Persons in crisis can walk into the
center at 310 N.E. Oregon St., be
tween 8:30 a m. - 5 p.m ., Monday
through Friday. In addition, the
chronically mentally ill can avail
themselves ol counseling, medication
advice, help with housing, medical
care and advocacy in dealings with
utilities and other agencies.
About 40 percent o f the center's
300-400 clients are Black, and the
center staff, many o f whom arc Blacks
or other minorities, are attuned to
the mental health care needs o f minor
ity clients, said Taylor.
Richard C. lo u d d and Ann C.
Smith, for instance, co-coordinate
recreation programs for clients who
often can't a fford recreational op
portunities important to maintaining
mental health.
Recently, they invited a Portland
artist who had visited kenya to make
a presentation with slides, traditional
ly designed robes, and hand-carved
dolls
"U sually, what I get with this is a
lot o f heckling, but (the clients) seemed
fascinated,” said Loudd Minorities
and whites alike enjoyed the pro
gram, he said,
Loudd and Smith also organized a
Wednesday film program, with movies
like " la d y Sings the Blues," about
Billie H olliday, and "Trading Places"
with Fddie Murphy. ( lients have a t
tended Blazer and hockey games
with donated tickets, and they visited
an exhibit o f the work o f Black artists
at the Interstate Firehouse Cultural
(enter.
Such activities are important for
building a better self-image, but clients
would probably not do them on their
own, said l oudd "Once they pay
the rent, there's just not enough left
over to do recreational kinds o f things,"
he said.
"M oney, money and more m oney"
would go a long way toward solving
many dienLs’ problems,” said Taylor.
Mental health care agencies also need
funds to continue serving the com
munity. but impending budget cuts
may affect their ability to deliver
services, she added.
That could be a particularly tragic
situation at the North/Northeast
center, she said, because it is provid
mg statewide leadership in m inority
mental health care. "W e probably
serve the largest number o f Black
clients o f any agency in the state,
other than the penal system, and dial’s
not what I ’d call a mental health sys
tem ," she said.
Each year the center sponsors an
Ethnic M inority Conference, focus
ing on agencies and topics, education
and training for cross-cultural social
services.
Taylor and Loudd feel that the
North/Northeast center has been able
to correct some problems faced by
other agencies in providing mental
health care for minorities. “ Nowhere
in my professional training were m i
nority health issues discussed,” said
Taylor, who did graduate work in
clinical psychology at Western ken-
tucky University. "B lack people have
traditionally been underserved by the
mental health system. . and poor
Black people in particular,” she said.
Originally from The Dalles, Loudd
worked at mental institutions through
out the state helore finding his home at
the center. "F o r me, personally, it
helps my identity as a Black person
working with Black people in need,"
he said. " I feel really good about
what I ’ m doing, I leel like I'm making
an impact in the com m unity."
Donated tickets and other services
are always appreciated, he said " These
people arc part o f the community.
They have special needs, and we hope
the community w ill offer support by
being g ixxl to these fo lks."
American State
lia n h
AN INDEPENDENT BANK
Head Ottica
2737 N. C. U iih jii
Portland, Oregon 97212
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