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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 23, 1989)
, •'» ♦ »» k ♦vV*'*'** » * ♦ X v x r v t »**’ Portland Observer NOVEMBER 22,1989 Page 7 Providence Medical Center Hosts Visitor From Kenya Carolina Asukuya from Kenya, Africa, visited Providence M edical Center Oct. 29 through Nov. 11, as part o f a one-m onth visit to the United States to study personnel sys tem s and procedures. A sukuya will take the knowledge she gains back with her to Kenyatla National H ospital, where she is responsible for setting up a personnel program for the facility's 3,500 employees. Carolina Asukuy A 1,008-bed facility, Kenyatla Hospital recently m ade the transition from being governm ent-owned and operated to being a sem i-private institution. The personnel pro gram that A sukuya will establish will be the first one the hospital’s ever had. M any of the personnel issues that face C aroline and the staff at Kenyatla are well know n to health care professionals in the U nited States. A shortage o f nurses, for exam ple, is a grow ing problem in Kenya. A burgeoning population, the lure of higher-paying jobs at other institutions, and cuts in the numbers of new nursing students the colleges will accept are all factors contributing to a shortage of nursing personnel at K enyatla Hospital, Asukuya explains. One way Kenyatla Hospital is address ing the shortage is the addition o f a new cadre, or position, equivalent to the nurses' aides we have in the United States. A nother fam iliar issue pressing on the African governm ent and health care provid ers is that of treating patients who cannot pay for the m edical care. In Africa, everyone w ho works pays into and is covered by a national health insurance fund, much as we pay into Social Security in this country. The problem for health care providers arises, o f course, with those who cannot or do not work who are unable to pay for their care. “ W e d o n ’t know yet how the governm ent will choose to deal with this issue,” A sukuya says. A personnel concept applied at Provi dence that was new to Asukuya was the Equal Opportunity Employer program (EOE). While there are labor laws affecting em ploy ees, there is no program like EOE im ple m ented in Africa, she explains. Asukuya was pleasantly surprised by the people she m et during her first visit to the United States. “ I had heard that Americans are very friendly when they visit other coun tries, but not so friendly when you visit theirs,” she said. " S o I was surprised by how friendly and helpful everyone has been!” After leaving Providence, Asukuya headed for W ashington, D.C. Bernard Crowley Named Vice President Of CaliforniaCare For Blue Cross Of California W OODLAND HILLS, CA Bernard Crow ley has been appointed vice president ot Blue Cross of C alifornia's health mainte nance organization (H M O ), Califom iaCare, according to an announcement by Ronald W illiam s, senior vice president of M arket ing and Related Products for Blue Cross of California. B e rn a rd C row ley Vice P resid en t, C a lifo m ia C a re “ Bernard Crowley joins Blue Cross o f California with extensive experience in the m anagem ent o f insurance organizations, particularly H M O s,” W illiams said. “ His outstanding leadership will be essential in providing CalifomiaCare members with better service and health care coverage.” As vice president, Crowley is respon sible for the overall adm inistration o f C ali fom iaC are, which has reached m ore than 220,000 members since its inception in 1986. Prior to joining Blue Cross, Crowley was senior vice president of IPA and Group Operations in Los Angeles for Cigna Health Plans, and vice president of the Central Division O perations in Dallas, Texas from 1984 to 1989. He has served in leadership roles at several other insurance com panies, focusing prim arily on the developm ent and im plem entation of health m aintenance organiza tions and preferred provider organizations. From 1980 to 1981, Crowley was on the board of directors for the Group Health Association o f America. Crowley received a bachelor's degree in secondary education from Southern Illinois University in 1971, and a m aster’s degree in health organization and administration from the University of Cincinnati in 1972. A native o f Illinois, he has lived in C alifornia since 1986. Crowley currently lives with his wife and tw o children in W oodland Hills. Founded in 1937, B lu eC rossofC alifor- nia is a nonprofit organization providing health insurance coverage and Medicare benefits to 5 million Californians. Total health care benefits paid in 1988 exceeded 46 b il lion. PORTLAND OBSERVER 'The Eyes and Ears of the CommumtY’ Office: (503)288-0033 Fax#: (503)288-0015 1 I I ★ Best Cash Prices ★ Speedy Service DAD’S OIL SERVICE Heating Oils 104 N.E. Russell St. Portland, OR 97212 (503)282-5111 ‘Unity Of Love- j T he U nity O f L o ve O n T he M ake !!!! F U N D IN G -T h e first Installm ent o f a $150,000 A T& T F oundation g ra n t w as presented recently to (rig h t) D r. M . L ucius W alk e r, J r ., Dean of H ow ard U n iv ersity ’s School of E ng in eerin g , by A T & T ’s R o b ert L. E n g ram . The A T& T F oundation g ra n t will be used by the School o f E ng in eerin g for stu d en t sc h o la rsh ip s im pro v em en ts to lab o rato ry facilities and faculty atten d an ce a t technical sem inars. In ad d itio n to this g ra n t, A T& T also an n o u n ced co m p u ter eq u ip m en t an d softw are d o n atio n s to the Schools of E ngi n eering an d B usiness. E ng in eerin g will receive 4186,790 w o rth o f eq u ip m en t while B usiness will get e q u ip m en t valued a t $164,567. Support Our Advertisers! Say You Saw It In The Portland Observer! Rom our family to yours... Is Making you ‘B eautiful Is Our Business ‘VVe Offer (Hairweeving, Manicure dr Any Hype O f (Hairstyle ‘you Desire Located at: 6720 N.E. 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