HealthWatch
Page 4, Portland Observer. March 23, 1988
1988 Breast Cancer Detection
Awareness Project Underway
For the second year in a row,
women in Oregon have the op
portunity to receive a low-cost
breast cancer screening test.
During the month of April, the
American Cancer Society, Ore
gon Division, is sponsoring the
Breast Cancer Detection Aware
ness Project at some 90 hospi
tals and X-ray diagnostic clinics
throughout the state.
Low-dose breast X-rays, called
mammograms, are the most ef
fective method of locating early
cancer. Mammograms can de
tect malignancies long before
they can be felt. Women over the
age of 35 who have never had a
mammogram are eligible for the
screening program. A special
emphasis this year w ill be to offer
the testing to low-income and
m inority women, who studies
have shown do not choose or
cannot afford X-ray screening
tests.
Typically, a mammogram ran
ges in price from $65 to over $100
and may not be covered by health
insurance. During the detection
program, participating centers
w ill offer the mammogram and in
fo rm a tio n about breast self-
e xa m in a tio n fo r $45. If the
woman qualifies as being low-
income, she w ill not be charged
for the testing.
•'We re estim ating somewhere
between 10,000 and 12,500 wo
men w ill take advantage of the
scre e n in g ," said Dr. Eklund,
American Cancer Society volun
teer and chairman of the project.
‘ Based on last year's results,
that w ill mean about 15 lives will
be saved."
Mammograms are not offered
to women who have had breast
surgery or an open biopsy in the
last year. Pregnant or nursing
women are also exempt. Women
who have a lump in their breast
should not wait for the screening.
They should see their physician
right away.
One in ten women w ill develop
breast cancer sometime during
her life. But, detected early
enough, breast cancer can be
successfully treated in nine out
of ten cases. If the cancer is
allowed to spread, the survival
rate drops significantly, and the
treatments are more complex
and expensive.
“ V irtu a lly a ll the wom en
screened for breast cancer will
be found completely healthy,"
Dr. Eklund said. "What they are
really coming for is peace of
mind. They are learning they
don't have to worry about breast
cancer for at least another year.
Income Tax Help NABA Offer
The Portland Chapter of the
National Association of Black
Accountants (NABA) w ill offer
V o lu n te e r Incom e Tax A s s i
stance, sponsored by NABA and
the Internal Revenue Service, at
the King Facility in NE Portland,
located at 4815 NE 7th Avenue.
OHSU Offers
Apprenticeship
Grants
Assistance w ill be available by
appointm ent each Wednesday
evening from 6:30-9:00, begin
ning February 3rd until April 13th,
1988. For appointments please
call 280-6155. Individuals may
drop in also during the above
tim e period without an appoint
ment.
Emanuel
Celebrates
Children and
Hospitals Week
How Colleges Select Students
Test scores, those on national
standardized tests like the Scho
lastic AptitudeTest(SAT) and the
American College Test (ACT), are
given much more emphasis by
During the month of April, stu
students than they should. A lot
dents w ill be receiving admis
has been said about how tests
sions decisions from colleges
areused. Sim ply,they are anindi-
nationwide. Some w ill be over
cation of academic horsepower
joyed; others, disappointed, w ill
(aptitude). Grade average is a
have to accept the offer of adm is
measure of performance. When
sion from their second choice
test scores and grades don't
college. Not many w ill be terribly
match, admission officers want
disappointed. Ninety-three per
to know why.
cent of the freshman who enter
The pattern of a student's
ed college in 1985 enrolled at
course
load throughout high
their firs t or second choice
school
isa
lso a n im p o rta n tfa cto r
school; and seventy-two percent
in
the
decision
making process.
received an admission offer from
Four
years
of
English
courses
their first choice college.
that
stress
analysis
and
writing,
How do admission officers go
three
years
of
math
courses
that
about making these decisions?
emphasize
theory
as
well
as
prac
Admission officers work at co l
tice, two years of social science
leges that can be divided into
that typically includes a U.S. and
three groups based on the per
a world history course, two years
centage of applicants who are ad
of a laboratory science course
mitted. Highly selective colleges
and two years of a single foreign
admit between 15 and 50 percent
language are the standard col
of those who apply. Selective col
lege preparatory fare. Few stu
leges admit between 50 and 90
dents hit this program on the
percent, and open admission col
mark. Many exceed it, others
leges admit all who apply. Typi
may be enrolled at schools which
cally, a high school diploma is all
do not offer areas such as foreign
that is required for enrollment at
languages and are, therefore, un
an open admission college.
able to meet this recommenda
For the remainder of colleges,
tion. In a case such as this, col
both the selective and highly se
leges would be looking for the
lective, m ultiple criteria are used
student who has taken the most
to determine who w ill and who
rigorous courseload possible.
w ill not be admitted. While per
sonal contacts such as the child
Personal qualities such as
of an alumnus or the daughter of
m otivation and unusual skills are
an influential board member may
considered. Here, athletic and
haveasmall impact on the admis
artistic abilities as well as leader
sion decision, the primary cri
ship skills are evaluated. Motiva
teria employed by admission o ffi
tion is measured in several ways.
cers are: 1) academic perfor
For instance, a student who opts
mance, 2) test scores, 3) pattern
for a rigorous course schedule is
of high school courses and, 4)
considered more highly motiva
personal qualities.
ted than the student who takes a
Academic performance simply
light schedule. The balance bet
is another way to say grade point
ween extracurricular activities
average. In the case-by-case pro
and course work is a tough one to
cess of deciding who w ill and
establish. Students who accept
v^ho w ill not be admitted, aca
this challenge and excel in both
demic performance is qualified
areas are considered outstand-
by a student's rank in his
ms or her
ner
jng candidates
class. With this information, a
3.0 or 83% average at one high
* Finally, admission officers at
school can be evaluated against
tempt
to be fair and logical in
the same average at another.
their
decisions.
Foremost in
Some schools are tough, others
their
mind
is
the
"
f
it
” between a
are less so. Rank-in-class allows
student
and
their
institution.
the admissions officer to deter
mine how tough a school is.
by George H. Mills, Jr.
Dean of Admission
University of Puget Sound
A c tiv itie s c e le b ra tin g the
Twelve grants of $1500 each
ninth
annual Children and Hos
are available this summer for
pitals
Week began March 20 at
m inority high school students
Emanuel
Hospital & Health Cen
who want to participate in the
ter.
M inority High School Student
National attention is focused
Research Apprenticeship Pro
on
hospitalized children during
gram at the Oregon Health Sci
the
event, which is sponsored by
ences University.
the
Association for the Care of
Funding for the summer pro
Children's
Health. The week,
gram in the OHSU's schools of
which
h
o
ld
s
th e th e m e “ Com m it
Dentistry, Medicine and Nursing
ment
to
Caring,”
is planned as a
is provided by tne National In
public
education
campaign to
stitute of Health, Bethesda, Md..
help
make
health
professionals,
and the School of Medicine.
parents, and the community
“ The aim of the students re
more aware of the psychological
search positions is to provide op
and social needs of hospitalized
portunities for m inority students
children.
to participate in various aspects
Activities for Emanuel's hospi
of biomedical research and thus
talized
children and their families
widen theircareerchoices," says
continue
throughout the
wil
Dr. J. Peter Bentley, professor of
week
and
w
ill
include
visits from
biochemistry.
Disney
characters,
a
clown
doing
The program, in its seventh
balloon
sculpture,
and
a
“ one-
year, is designed so that stu
man-circus."
dents develop an understanding
A pet therapy session w ill be
of both the research in which
held
when small animals from
they participate and the tech
the
Oregon
Humane Society are
nical skills required to conduct
brought
in,
and Domino's Pizza
scie ntific studies. Students w ill
w
ill
sponsor
a pizza party for pa
be assigned to the research labo
tients
and
their
families.
ratories of various OHSU faculty
On
Wednesday,
Dr. David W il
sponsors.
lis
presented
a
seminar
to hos
Former OHSU grant winners
pital
staff
on
“
Fostering
Child
have participated in such re
ren's
Adaptation
to
Hospitaliza
search as in vitro fertilization,
tion." Dr. W illis is a pediatric spe
psychology, the mechanisms of
cialist on the Emanuel medical
cataract formation, genetics and
staff.
com puter programming in dental
The Children’s Museum will
health.
also
participate with a special
According to federal guide
doctor’
play area, where children
lines for these grants, m inority
who
are
afraid of hospitals will
students are those who identify
have
an
opportunity
to play out
themselves as Black American,
their
fears
in
the
safe
and non
Hispanic, American Indian, Alas
threatening
environment
of the
kan Native, Asian or Pacific Is
museum. The Children s Muse
lander.
um is located at 3037 SW Second.
To apply, students need to
subm it a letter describing their
career goals and their reasons for
wanting to participate in the pro
gram, an up-to-date high school
The Jefferson class of 1958
transcript and at least one letter
w ill hold its 30-year reunion at the
of recommendation from a sci
Red Lion Inn at Jantzen Beach on
ence teacher.
August 5 and 6,1988 A gathering
All applications should be re
forclass members w ill be held on
ceived at the OHSU by April 27
Friday evening, and a buffet din
Applications should be mailed to
ner and dance for class members
Dr. J. Peter Bentley, Professor of
and their guests w ill be held on
B iochem istry, Oregon Health
Saturday evening. A golf tourna
Sciences University, 3181 S W
ment w ill be held starting at noon
Sam Jackson Park Road, Port
on August 5. 1988. at the Col-
land, OR 97201.
wood National Golf Course For
For more inform ation about
additional inform ation contact
the OHSU's summer m inority
Linda
(Berscheid)
Chesney,
high school student research ap
6366047
or
Sheila
Smith,
prentice program, contact Bent
285
5054
ley's office at 279-8414
Jeff 30-Year
Reunion
Measure
you r rent
against
tins chart:
No matter how you stack it, renting
simply can't measure up to the advantages
of buying a HUD home.
Because HUD offers homes w ith a low
3% down payment. FHA Mortgage Insur
ance. And the investment opportunity of
buying property that's priced to be an o ut
standing value.
Plus, consider this: Over 12 year’s
time, $350 in monthly rent adds up to
more than $50,000. Many HUD homes
cost less.
To find out more, check our ad in the
real estate classified section of your Friday
or Sunday Oregonian. Or call your real
estate agent.
You'll discover that owning your own
home isn’t such a tall order after all.
HUD
D P M m W T o r MOUBHO
« IQHH. H U ) Portland OBk-c
by Dr Steven Bailey N P
While no one has claimed to
have the cure ' for AIDS, we are
not without direction. WE know
the benefits of safer-sex prac
tices and avoiding the sharing of
needles in drug use The previ
ous article in this series dealt with
social hygiene in greater detail.
To conclude this series, I hope to
provide a base of informatin on
how to optimize your immune
health.
Nutrition:
Diet and nutrition have unques
tioned influence on the immune
system. There is both the general
dietary influence on our health as
well as specific associations bet
ween nutrients and the immune
system. When discussing nutri
tion it is necessary to consider the
fact that we are all individuals.
Our rates of absorption and indi
vidual needs for specific nutrients
may vary widely from one person
to the next. The following informa
tion is meant to represent the av
erage needs, your individual
levels may vary.
General Diet:
One of the interesting aspects
about nutrition is that what is
good for one system is generally
good for another. For example an
immune strengthening diet
should also be beneficial to the
heart, the muscular-skeletal sys
tem etc.
From a simplified nutritional
standpoint, we need five sub
stances (not counting oxygen) to
maintain life. These are: fat, pro
tein, carbohydrates (sugars),
fiber and water. How we choose
to fulfill these basic requirements
greatly effects our overall health.
Many of the things that worsen
our health from a cardio-vascular
and degenerative disease
standpoint are equally bad for out
immune strength. These things
include but are not limited to: ex
cess protein, excess fat. too
much processed foods, not
enough fiber and fluid intake.
That we consume too much
protein and fat is nothing new, but
it is worth noting its negative im
pact on the immune system as
well Obtaining adequate protein
is virtually guaranteed in a whoie
foods diet Fish, beans (soy,
tofu), lower fat cottage cheese
and yogurt are generally prefera
ble to red meat, high fat dairy and
poultry. Nuts and seeds (ie. raw
sunflower) can be a good source
providing our diet isn t already too
high in fat.
There exists a great confusion
as to which fats are best. Cutting
down in total fat is a very impor
tant change. Which fats we con
sume, how much fiber we eat and
how much exercise we get all ef
fects our fat utilization. We need
two specific fats known as linoleic
acid and linolenic acid. I agree
with many sources who feel that
natural fats in the form of raw
sunflower seeds, fish oils, olive
oil, nut oils and dairy are prefera
ble to margarines and polyun
saturated fats (See Fats and Oils
by Udo Erasmus, or catch upcom
ing article on fats).
Carbohydrates are divided into
two groups: simple and complex.
Simple carbohydrates include
sugars such as cane, fruit, honey
etc. Complex carbohydrates rep
resent most whole foods such as
breads, vegetables, grains and
beans. There is nothing bad
about moderate intake of simple
sugars, the key is to increase
your overall intake of complex
carbohydrates. Dark green and
orange vegetables are particu
larly important. Trying to get one
mixed green salad (no ice-berg)
or a mixed steamed or sauteed
vegetable dish every two days is
a good starting change for many.
If we eat primarily whole foods
we are probably getting all the
fiber we need. Brain, psyllium
seeds, oat bran are all excellent
fiber supplements.
Adequate intake of fluids is es
sential to good health. We get a
lot of fluid in our foods, but an
additional 4-6 glasses per day is
considered important. Coffee, al
cohol, soda pop, black tea, and
dairy products are not considered
part of this total
Continued next week
Morehouse & Spelman to Sponsor
Early College Summer Program
1988 high school graduates
and rising seniors w ill have the
opportunity to get a headstart on
their college English and Mathe
matics studies in a five-week Ear
ly College Summer Program,
June 17 to July 22, 1988, at Spel
man and Morehouse Colleges in
nit
t'f9
♦ n
Atlanta, Georgia. The applica
tion deadline is April 15, 1988.
The Early CollegeSumm er Pro
gram, now in its third year, offers
courses in Basic English, En
glish Composition, Basic Mathe
matics, General Mathematics,
Precalculus and Study Skills.
Non-credit enrichment courses
are offered in Afro-Am erican
History and Culture and College
Orientation, which includes time
management, career planning,
and making the transition from
high school to college.
The Program features coedu
cational academic, social and
athletic programs on the neigh
boring Spelman and Morehouse
campuses. The Program also
provides weekly tours to points
of interest in the Atlanta area,
such as the Martin Luther King,
Jr. Center, Stone Mountain, Six
Flags Over Georgia, and the Cy-
clorama.
The Early College Summer Pro
gram is open to 1988 high school
graduates or rising seniors (stu
dents who w ill be seniors in the
Fall of 1988) who have completed
at least three years of English
and Mathematics through Alge
bra, earned at least a 2.0 grade
point average, and have taken the
appropriate college entrance ex
ams (SAT, PSAT, ACT). Students
wanting to enter Spelman or.
Morehouse during the regular
school year must satisfy admis
sion requirements for regular
full-tim e students.
The cost of the five-week pro«;
gram is $425 for students living
off campus, and $950 for stin
dents living on the Spelman o f
Morehouse campuses. The fee
includes registration, tuitionj.
fees and room and board, but
does not include textbooks and
activity fees.
Interested students must app!
ly by April 15, 1988. Female
students should request applies;
tion forms by writing to: Dd
Pauline Drake, Spelman Collegej
Box 622, 350 Spelman Lane SW*,
Atianta, GA 30314.
Male students should request
application forms by w riting tcU
Mr Patrick Royster, Morehouse
College. Box 7, 830 Westview
P
■ SW Atlanta. GA 30314
. .