Page 4 Portland Observer AlKiUST 24, 19X9
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News Around Town
Health care for the indigent
Several alternatives to traditional health care services
exist here in Portland. Patients need not go untreated
by Stephen E McPherson,
Special Correspondent
11 istory has demonstrated quite con­
O f particular interest to the A f r i­
vincin gly that i f you arc unemployed can-American com m unity is the
and reside in the lower northeast sec­ Northeast health Center located at
tor o f Portland, the consequences can 5239 N .E.M artin Luther King Blvd.
be devastating if you become ill
(form erly Union). Appointments are
w ithout adequate medical coverage. required. Telephone 248-5183.
Many persons caught in such a situ­
In addition to these services an­
ation have presented themselves to other unique type o f health care pro­
emergency rooms o f local hospitals gram functions on a sliding scale
only to find that they could not avail payment schedule for the indigent.
themselves o f medical care because They are staffed by personnel who
o f their impecunious state.
volunteer their services. They include
Such a condition alone probably physicians, dentists and support serv­
accounts for the fact that as a part o f
ices. Special arrangements have Deen
a subculture here in the United States,
made w ith local pharmacies to serv­
African-Americans have received the
ice the poor.The interesting thing
least amount o f medical care and
about this concept is that their serv­
attention when compared w ith the
ices arc available at night. O f inter­
general population. It is probably for
est to African-Americans is the Neigh­
this reason that we are at greater risk
borhood Health Clinic located at 4842
to heart attacks, stroke, diabetes,
N. E. 8th. They also u tilize the
obesity, low birth rales, the conse­ county health facilities at night.
quences ofchemical abuse, liver dis­
Appointments are required. T ele­
eases and certain treatable sexually
phone 288-5995. One other such
transmitted diseases. It is a given fact service is the Mariah T aylor Pediat­
that people who lack financial re­ ric C lin ic located at 5311 N. Van­
sources defer medical advice until couver. Telephone 284-5239.
after having satisfied certain other
It is very apparent, therefore that
urgent necessities.
the indigent need not despair just
The commissioners o f Multonomah because they have been refused serv­
County have responded to this prob­ ice at one o f the larger hospitals.
lem. N ot only have they established There are alternatives available, and
a number o f convenient health cen­ i f need be they can get you through
ters throughout the city but also have the back door o f the very institution
made certain kinds o f health in fo r­ where service was refused in the first
mation o f peculiar interest to teen­ place. In any case, medical help is
agers available in a ll o f the high just a telephone call away.
schools.
Thriftway’s Gift to Mayor applauds
Area Kids
Northeast commu­
Offering free admission
nity Development
togather with carnival
Corporation
rides to young people on
Application for
opening day at the
Oregon State Fair
Nehemiah Grant
Ih r iftw a y stores, co-sponsors o f
Opening Day at the Oregon State
Fair, Aug. 25, arc the exclusive dis­
tributor o f 100,000 free admission
coupons for children aged 6-12 years.
A d d itio n a lly , from 10 a.m. to noon
on Opening Day, T h riftw a y is o ffe r­
ing free carnival rides to “ k id s ” o f
a ll ages.
Each child entering the fa ir w ith a
free admission coupon, must be ac­
companied by an adult, aged 13 or
older, who holds a paid admission
ticket. N o coupon necessary to gain
admission to the free rides during the
specified time.
T hriftw a y w ill also be sponsoring
a feature horse race on the evening o f
Aug. 25. A T hriftw a y corporate rep­
resentative w ill place the blanket on
the w inning horse.
“ T h riftw a y stores are part o f the
com m unity,” said Jim Robinson,
Thriftw ay president. “ We are always
looking for ways to extend our sup­
port to the com m unity and the State
Fair is a great way to reach people
from a ll over Oregon.”
K G W -A M is also a sponsor o f
Opening Day at the fair. T h riftw a y is
one o f the largest group o f independ­
ent grocers in the Pacific Northwest.
There are currently 59 independently
owned and operated Ih riftw a y super­
markets in Oregon and Southwest
Washington
A Better Future.
It's Just
A Matter Of Time.
Maybe there was a time when people assumed the future would take care o f itself.
But now, we understand that it takes time. In classrooms. Study halls. At home.
If we communicate the excitement o f education to our children, we gain a better
chance for a better future.
After all, if we keep the classrooms full today, chances are we'll keep small
businesses, offices, and boardrooms full in years to come.
It's just a matter o f time. And U S WEST believes com m itm ent to education is
time well spent indeed.
umEsr
COMMUNICATIONS ©
Making the most of your time.'
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
OREGON TRIAL LAWYERS
ASSOCIATION ELECTS
OREGON’S FIRST WOMAN BAR
ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT
A t the annual convention o f the Oregon T ria l Lawyers Association held
at Sun River, Oregon. Portland attorney Judy Danelle Snyder assumed the
office o f President o f the T rial lawyer group for the coming year. Ms.
Snyder, a form er deputy district attorney, is a partner in the firm o f Hocvet,
Snyder, Ncubcrgcr and specializes in personal injury and fa m ily law.
The O T L A convention was attended by the largest number o f trial
lawyers in the history o f the organization. Former CBS law correspondent,
Fred Graham, spoke to the attorneys on recent changes and trends in the
United States Supreme Court rulings involving abortion.civil rights. Hag
burning, and numerous other issues. Graham opined that the long-expected
conservative Reagan court has nearly arrived, a development generally
feared by most trial lawyers.
Also addressing the T rial Lawyers was Harvey Rosenfield, architect o f
C a lifo rn ia ’s historic insurance reform movement “ voter re v o lt.” Rosen-
fic ld succeeded in passing Proposition 103 rollin g back insurance business
practices in C alifornia. Rosenfield’s group spent substantially less than h alf
a m illio n dollars on Proposition 103 w hile the insurance industry spent
nearly $80 m illio n to defeat it. Rosenfield urged Oregon T ria l lawyers to
take on sim ilar battles in Oregon and not to become split from consumer
causes as C alifornia T rial Lawyers had done.
M a y o r Bud C la rk announced to­
day that Northeast C om m unity De­
velopment Corporation has subm it­
ted a major grant application to the
U.S. Department o f Housing Urban
Development that could become “ the
keystone to neighborhood revitaliza­
tion in Northeast Portland.”
The application to the Nehemiah
Housing Opportunity Grant Program
would bring $3.75 m illio n in federal
dollars into the com m unity. A s part
o f the grant application, the NECDC
gained the cooperation and com m it­
ment o f the c ity, state, country, and
many public and private organiza­
tions including the banking com m u­
nity. These partners have agreed to
financial contributions that would
make the total amount o f money avail­
able to reclaim targeted Northeast
Neighborhoods over $15.6 m illio n .
The M ayor applauded the efforts
o f the Northeast C om m unity Devel­
The board o f directors o f Portland Com m unity College has approved the
opment Corporation in preparing the appointment o f Shirley M eckley as associate vice president fo r human
grant application that w ill assist low
resource management, effective on or before October 16.
income fam ilies in becoming firs t­
M eckley form erly was personnel director at Washington Stale U niver­
tim e homeowners.
sity, Pullman. She also worked previously as a lecturer in the School o f
“ This application does more than
Business and Public Adm inistration at M itchell College o f Advanced
ju s t say w e’re interested in getting
Education in Australia.
money. It is an unprecedented com ­
M eckley earned a bachelor’s degree in government and master’ s degree
m itm ent by public agencies and busi­
in organizational communications, both from Florida Slate U niversity.
nesses in Portland, “ said C lark. The
She w ill replace Barbara Ellison, who retired from PCC in June.
commitments -ra n g in g from finan­
cial contributions to grants o f vacant
property, according to C lark, “ w ill
help this com m unity to address the
vacant housing problems in N orth­
east Portland.”
-
Ronnie Herndon, Chairman o f the
N EC D C Board, said a very strong
M ultnom ah County gave a big boost to a plan to provide 250 new or
com m unity spirit was apparent in the
rehabilitated
houses to home owners in Northeast Portland at the Board o f
application. “ The entire com m unity
County
Commissioners
meeting Thursday (August 10)
recognizes the value o f providing
The
board
approved
a
resolution com m itting to the transfer o f county tax-
good homes fo r Northeast Portland’ s
foreclosed
properties
to
the Portland Development Commission, to be
current residents,” Herndon said.
passed
on
to
a
local
non-profit
comm unity group applying to the federal
The grant application submitted
government
fo
r
$3.75
m
illion
to
improve and sell the properties.
by N EC D C shows commitments for
The
county
may
transfer
up
to
130 vacant lots and empty houses to the
over $4.75 m illio n in contributions
Northeast
Com
m
unity
Development
Corporation i f it is successful in its
and construction and homeowner
application
to
the
federal
Department
o
f Housing and Urban Development.
mortgage financing. A ll o f the loan
The
development
corporation
is
applying
for a grant under the Nehemiah
funds are offered by banks and the
Housing
Opportunity
Program
which
was
designed to im prove large resi­
State Housing Agency at below market
dential
areas.
rates.
Commissioner Gretchen Kafoury, who proposed the resolution, noted:
Up to 130 tax foreclosed proper­
This
is the first step toward what I hope w ill be a cooperative effort
ties from M ultnom ah County were
between
the various public and private interests to reclaim these houses and
provided to the project. The C ity o f
make
them
available to fam ilies who want to own their own homes and live
Portland w ill waive the cost o f b uild ­
in
safe,
stable
neighborhoods.”
ing perm it fees. Mortgage financing
The director o f the Northeast Com m unity Development Corporation
w ill be provided by the State Hous­
testified at the board s meeting that the county’s transfer o f properties w ill
ing Agency and interim financing
significantly strengthen the application fo r the $3.75 m illion .
from 6 local lending institutions.
O nly owner occupied, first time homebuyers or fam ilies who have not
The Nehemiah Program w ill pro­
owned a home for the past three years arc eligible. I l is expected that the
vide funding fo r 250 homes in the
program w ould target fam ilies w ith income close to $15,000 annually. The
Boise, K ing, H um bolt and Vernon
dow npayment w ill be approximately $1,000, w ith a total m onthly pavmcnt
neighborhoods. Homes w ill be af­
at about $300. Nehemiah funds w ill be a m ixture o f H U D dollars, state bond
fordable to fam ilies w ith incomes o f
funds, and private financing and w ill permit construction and/or substantial
$14,500 and w ill have m onthly pay­
ments o f which could be as low as
rehabilitation o f homes.
$305. Don Neurcther, Executive D i­
rector o f N EC D C, said that homes in
the Nehemiah Program “ w ould cost
more i f they were financed conven­
tio n a lly .” The application illustrates
that i f Nehemiah funds arc not pro­
vided by H U D , the cost per month o f
P o rtla n d e r D orothy McGee, 46, and her teenage daughter rode in
a home would be as high as $545.00.
taxicab to the Salem Lottery o ffice today to claim the August 12 $ 1.5 m illioi
The same house, under the Nehemiah
Mcgabucks jackpot prize. “ M y car needs some repair w ork, and I d id n ’
program, would cost $366.00 per
trust
driving it down here, said Dorothy. But she needn’ t w orry about th
month.
repair
co sts-sh c’ ll receive an annual check for $60,000 after federa
Portland’s Nehemiah program w ill
w
ithholding
taxes under the 20-ycar annuitized payment plan.
provide a combination o f rehabili­
D
orothy,
a
regular Oregon Lottery player, bought her $3 quick picl
tated vacant houses and new homes
w
inning
ticket
tw
o Saturdays ago in the afternoon at the Plaid Pantry #22 oi
to f ill in vacant lots.
N
orth
K
illingsw
orth
in Portland. She learned she was the big w inner tha
Portland was cited as a c ity w hich
evening
after
watching
the drawing at her sister’s house. “ I wrote thi
could benefit from Nehemiah grant
w inning numbers down, and checked my ticket when I arrive home. Whci
finds. Congressional representatives
I realized I held the w inning ticket, I got so excited I couldn’t sleep tha
and City officials have worked closely
whole
n ig h t!” But it took a week before Dorothy arrived at the L o ite r
to gain commitments from public
o
lfic
e
to
claim her prize. “ I needed time to think about it,” said Dorothy
and private organizations which would
“ That’ s a lot o f m oney!”
support NECDC efforts to w in the
Dorothy, a divorcee, said she’ ll continue to w oik but plans to “ Take i
grant. The M ayor noted that Port­
whole lot o f vacation trip s !” She’ ll use some o f her winnings for he
land’ s application w ill have to com ­
daughter’ s education and some to help her mother. “ I want to take m j
pete w ith about th irty other cities.
mother back to her native Alabama to v is it,” said Dorothy.
“ W e are very lucky to have had the
strong support o f the entire Oregon
Congressional delegation.” Clark said
that a ll o f the members have been
very supportive, and that the applica­
tion contains a letter o f support signed iionL k Z ? ,n5 ? fa n 0 rC g 0 n Rcsources E n o l o g y Development Corpora­
by a ll 7 members o f the state’ s con­ tion loan fund to assist growing businesses in Northeast Portland which arc
gressional delegation. Grant awards associated w ith the Cascade Business Center Corporation.
arc expected before the end o f Sep­ finnnT^ i hIn n R T n r 13\ N ' Vancouvcr Avcnuc- The loan fund has been
u
y R DC w ith an initia l principal investment o f $40,000 In
tember.
addition, the Northwest Capital Network, a non-profit busincss/invcstc
&S C o " P o rX n d C Cfcrrî lB,‘scholarsh^ ” sponsored by Pacific Powe
& L ig h t Co., Portland General Electric and Tektronix, Inc. The scholarship
PCC Appoints New Associate Vice
President
COUNTY TO PROVIDE
PROPERTIES FOR NORTHEAST
HOUSING PLAN
PORTLAND WOMAN CLAIMS
$1.5 MILLION IN MEGABUCKS!
CBCC LAUNCHES LOAN FUND
BAN
APARTHEID!
I
Conract,nCUbal° r mCmbCr businCSSCS SCck,ng caPitol infusions.
John Beaulieu. O R TD C president, 282-4462
Tom Hampson, Cascade Business Center
Corporation executive director, 284-3830
Leslie Brown, C om m unity Relations,
Portland C om m unity College, 244-6111, ext. 4378