, \ X > > \ \ w w Page 6 • r Portland January 5, 1989 I ayo u w i HUHU Observer vw. • w w > w w j w, ■ ~~~ H ealth W atch : ~ ... . . by Steven Bailey . .„ Hospital & City Plead ... Legislative Alert ....... appointment of Rep. Katulski as chair of the Human resources Committee, last session Rep. Katulski distin guished himself for his favoritism to the medical and insurance lobby, yet he was re-appointed chair of this all- important committee. This is the committee that oversees most legis lation related to health care. The chair of any legislative com mittee has the power to singularly choose not to schedule a bill for a hearing or even to table it for the entire session. Thus, one person’s personal opinion can dictate the entire year’s agenda for a committee As we welcome 1989, many of us do so with hopes and dream s for the future. We look forward to a year that provides growth and healing for our troubled neighborhoods. Our com munity has witnessed disproportion ately high levels of drug use, increas ing teen pregnancies, worsening racism, substandard pre-natal care and qualitatively poorer health care in general. W e need and deserve a brighter future. Positive change will not be served graciously on a platter, but will be earned through hard work and the power of a united effort. 1988 was a year of growth in many ways for our community. The devel opment of the Black Health Coalition stands out as one of the most im por tant groups to be formed, and with other groups, like 100 Black Men, may help define and achieve our future goals. The task will not be easy, for as I read our State Legisla ture, there is little reason to believe that the upcoming session will choose to prioritize our needs without our persistent encouragement. There are many reasons why I feel this legislative body is already signalling hardships for progressive change. The primary reason is the v r r r 'w* W , X * M < * A < * * * XMX«’ X < > X X ' Fortunately most chairs do not abuse their power, but I feel that Rep. Katulski has. Last session he signed a support sheet for an insurance bill in my presence, later denying his support and actually arguing against the bill on the House floor. He chose to table another uni bill »ho» that nnocari passed tha the Senate 24-3, stating that it was "too controversial’ to even give a hearing in his committee. He infuriated members of the Senate Human Resources Committee with his power play. It appears that Rep. Katulski is highly motivated to carry the torch for the major medical lobbies. Why should this concern us? It appears obvious that if the legislative agenda favors the high profit direc tions of these monied lobbies, we will never realize low-cost health care, affordable drug detox programs for the inner-city, or other important medical and preventive services now absent in our community. What should we do? As the ses sion begins, we should keep a w atch ful eye on health care and other agendas. We should read between the lines, and look toward the whole nintnre picture, versus versus the the Dromises promises appar ent on the surlace. We should op pose the re-institution of the single parent welfare bill (which requires one parent to move out of the house for family assistance to be granted). W e should be wary of programs that cater to P.P.O.s (preferred provider organization) and H.M.O.s (health maintenance organization) as these dramatically narrow choice. (This is why Mariah Taylor’s clinic lost 3rd party payment from the state, be cause as a Nurse Practioner she could not practice in a P.P.O.) And finally, we should keep com m unica tion with ou r elected representatives, and hope that they can collectively promote legislation to solve some of our long standing needs. Participation in dem ocracy does not end at the ballot box, it is an ongoing process. Concerned Parents ... • Continued From Page 3 Continued From Page 1 what they would do about that de funct project if elected. Challenger Ron Still asserted that it was a sub ject that certainly needed study. Mayor Bud Clark, the incumbent, trivialized that subject as “ something that oc curred in the past and we need to move forward.” involvement is imperative to the constructive development of our children. W e want to preserve the ASK Center as a stalwart against the counter productive influences of drugs, crime, Crips, and Bloods. We note that the ASK Center is the only re source available to our community that provides our children with the necessary exposure to math, sci ence, com puter and technical skills. W EM USTPRESERVETHEASK CENTER, MR. W HITE AND HIS HIGHLY QUALIFIED AND COMMIT TED STAFF AT ALL COST!!!! Bob Nelson, a long time resident and realtor, asserted that the demise of that area was intentional in order to make it available to developers who would com e in with the advent of the convention center. He detailed how real estate speculation had multiplied in the recent interval. The fact that someone in authority is listening who has the capacity to address this problem is significant. It is the squeaky wheel that attracts the attention of the person who holds the reins. Births Down, Deaths Up Every 14 minutes during 1987, a new Oregonian entered the world, while every 22 minutes an Oregon resident died. During the year there were 38,674 births and 24,181 deaths. The Health Division released its 1987 basic health report on Oregoni ans today. It shows Oregon’s death rate (898.9 per 100,000 population) increased slightly (2.5 percent) from 1986 to 1987, and remained higher than the nation’s (873.9) for the fourth year in a row. The three leading causes of death for both males and females were diseases of the heart, cancer, and cerebrovascular disease. For the first tim e since 1975 there was a change in the rank order of the five leading causes of death. During 1987, more Oregonians died from chronic ob structive pulmonary disease than from unintentional injuries (accidents), displacing the latter from the fourth to the fifth leading cause of death. SIDS (sudden infant death syn drome) was the leading cause of death among infants, claim ing 115 children under one-year-old. Unin tentional injuries were the foremost cause of loss of life for ages one to 44 years. (Suicide was the third leading cause of death for those 15 through 44 years of age). For Oregonians 45- 64 years old, cancer was the leading cause, while heart disease claimed more persons 65 and older than any other cause. Although the total number of births declined in 1987, the number of births to unwed mothers (8,659) reached a new high, accounting for 22.4 per cent of all births. Over one-half (58.5 percent) of all Black infants were bom to unmarried mothers. Unmar ried mothers are more apt to have received inadequate prenatal care and to give birth to low weight infants. Low birthweight is the single most important determinant of the chances of a newborn to survive and experi ence healthy growth and develop *•< < * • V- < A V '. ’*'■4- r m ’ ’ •J •- .7 ’7 w ■ à ; ! * »’.* ««s - «S.AJ SAFEW AY Growing To Serve You Better! NEWLY REMODELED UNION & AINSWORTH We want you to come see your New Safeway In-Store Bake Shop and fill your senses with the fresh baked aromas of delicious pastries, tasty assorted cookies, fresh baked pies and custom decorated cakes for any special occasion. Our in-store Bake Shop employs the use of new, steam injected ovens of European design. These ovens allow us to offer you genuine french breads, baguettes, croissants and other European breads and rolls. And don’t forget, we have fresh assorted donuts daily at 6:30 a.m. to start your day out right and fresh baked french bread daily at 4:00, just in-time for your dinner feast. Hurtis Hadley Jr. Bakery Manager ment. Oregon’s rate of inadequate care (86.2 per 1,000 births) is higher than it has been anytime during the past decade. The trend was downward from 1975 to 1980, but in 1981 re versed direction. Since 1980, the inadequate care rate has soared 48 6 percent in Oregon. Mothers of Indian and Black in fants were notable for their lack of prenatal care. Their inadequate care rates were 191.0 and 165.8 respec tively. Japanese mothers, with a rate of 16.6, were most apt to have re ceived adequate care. Infants of mothers with inadequate prenatal care are about four times more likely to die before their first birthday. Adequate care is defined as care starting be fore the last trim ester and consisting of more than four visits. These data, along with many other basic statistics on the health of O re gonians in 1987, are detailed in Oregon Vital Statistics 1987. The 205 page report is available from the Center for Health Statistics, P O . Box 116, Portland, OR 97207 COME, CHECK OUT THESE SPECIALTY DEPTS. TODAY! New Bakery with French Ovens Full Service Seafood Market Open Service Produce Area New Frozen Yogurt Machine New Frozen Vitari Machine New Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice Machine • New Full Service Deli • New Soup & Salad Bar • New Full Service Floral • New Pharmacy • New Decor SAFEW AY 4 A < 4. a / , s . t, e Come See What’s New At Your Neighborhood Safeway Store! • • < * # <' * * ■ * * 4 » » m a ' ' - w&y * ' . ■