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“The Eyes and Ears of the Community^ Mr».
U n iv e r s it y o f ur -
Volumn XXII, Number 7
E la u y g e n e ,
C.
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February 12, 1992
O re g ~ o n
IS Ia e k H i s t o r y m o n t h
^ n rtla n h (©bseriier
Prophet Approves Access To
Condoms In Portland High Schools
dents and 300 adult residents between Jan. 27-31.
C urrently, six Portland high schools have teen health
centers that prescribe condoms. Students can redeem the
prescriptions at off-cam pus pharmacies. But Multnomah
County and health officials, who operate the centers had
asked Prophet to let them give condom s to students
directly because many prescriptions go unfilled. The
survey found that the community at large, parents and
students, w idely supported the existence o f student health
centers in the high schools and provide condom s to
students at the clinics.
The Portland school D istrict began taking steps to
reach a decision on dispensing condoms after basketball
star Magic Johnson announced in November that he had
contracted the virus that causes acquired immune defi
ciency syndrome.
The following are excerpts from Prophet’s state
ment:
“ M ultnomah County has recom m ended that the lan
guage in our current agreement be changed from perm it
ting only die prescribing o f condoms and contraceptives
in our health clinics, to one which would also perm it the
actual dispensing of condoms and contraceptives in our
health clinics to students under appropriate medical super
vision.
“ In our school based health centers, M ultnomah
County Currently provides comprehensive prim ary care
services including:
1) Com prehensive abstinence counseling,
2) Diagnosis and treatm ent o f sexually transmitted
diseases,
School Superintendent Matthew Prophet
School Superintendent Matthew Prophet has announced
February 10 that health professionals will provide condom s
at six of Portland’s High Schools.
“ There is an urgent need to protect our children from
AIDS and other sexually transm itted diseases,” Prophet
said in announcing his decision.
Teen health centers at Roosevelt, Cleveland, M arshall,
M adison, Jefferson, and G rant high schools soon will begin
dispensing condom s to students following abstinence coun
seling, Prophet said.
Prophet also released the results o f a public opinion
poll which showed parents, by a 2-1 margin, favored
dispensing condom s in Portland high schools. The inde
pendent survey was com m issioned by Prophet to advise
him on whether parents wanted health workers to be able to
give their children condom s at school. The poll results
show residents and students also favor by wide margins
dispensing condom s in high schools.
“ Portland parents and the com m unity have spoken,”
said Prophet. “ W e now are responding to their w ishes.”
A scientifically random telephone survey, conducted
by M oore information, Inc. polled 750 parents, 750 stu-
3) Treatm ent for menstrual disorders; and,
4) On site counseling for and prescribing o f other con
traceptives.
“ M ultnomah County has brought our attention to
some very disturbing facts. They have for exam ple in
formed us that:
Nationally the number of Aids cases in teenagers has
increased 40% since 1987; and,
That in Oregon in 1989 14% o f new syphilis cases
were among 15-19 year olds,
28% o f new gonorrhea cases were among 15 to 19
year olds.
42% o f new chlam ydia cases were among 15 to 19
year olds; and finally,
19% of Multnomah County Aids cases occurred among
individuals 20 to 29 years old and that due to the 7 to 10
year delay between exposure and diagnosis, aids researches
believe a high percentages of that group contracted the
disease as teenagers.
“ Therefore, because o f these very surprising and
alarm ing statistics, and due to the county’s request to
modify the agreem ent in a way which county medical
continued on page 4
Students Must Be Fully Immunized
by February 12th
An estim ated 16,500 o f O regon’s
500,000 children will be kept from
school or day-care after February 12 if
their parents cannot show that they
have been immunized against seven
com m unicable diseases, according to
Jam es Becraft o f the Oregon Health
Division.
Exclusion notices were m ailed on
January 29 by county health depart
ments to parents o f children with in
com plete or missing immunization
records. Parents who receive an exclu
sion notice for incomplete im m uniza
tions or insufficient information can
simply com plete the form listing the
missing data, and return the form to
their child’s school. Parents who re
ceive an exclusion notice because the
child does not have an immunization
record m ust contact the local county
health departm ent, said Bccraft.
If the exclusion notice shows the
child needs further shots, parents should
contact their personal physician or local
county health department.
Oregon law requires that till school-
age children be immunized against
diphthcria/tctanus, polio, measles,
mumps and rubella to prevent the spread
of communicable disease, added Becraft.
Children up to five years o f age en
rolled in a certified day-care center
also must be immunized against Haemo
philus influenza type b disease (Hib).
The law affects all children attending
public and private schools and certified
day-care centers in Oregon. Exem p
tions arc allow ed for medical and reli
gious reasons.
ment Program Targets
Recipients
Page 2
NEWS
2
KID TALK
“ The immunization requirement
has been effective in ensuring that almost
all school-age children are fully immu
nized,” said Dr. Kathy Gaffney, state
health officer. “ However, about half of
the infants under two years o f age are at
risk for many communicable diseases
because they are not properly immu
nized.”
The Oregon Benchmarks, a series
of m easurable goals adopted by the
1991 Oregon Legislature, call for in
creasing the percentage of two-year-
olds in the stale who arc fully immu
nized to 78 percent by 1995,90 percent
by 2000 and 98 percent by 2010. In
1990, Health Division officials esti
mated only 63 percent o f two-year-olds
were up-to-date on their immuniza
tions.
NW Front Avenue Urban Renewal
Project Completed
Commitee Appointed To Increase Contracts
With Minority And Female-Owned Business
Bogle Concerned With Decline In Contracts Since 1989
City Commissioner Dick Bogle has
appointed a working committee to devise
strategies for placing more city con
struction and vendor contracts with
minority and female-owned businesses.
Bogle said the Contracting Equity
Committee will “ focus on short-term
administrative changes which can be
put into effect quickly, and which can
show immediate results.” The first
meeting was held February 4 at City
Hall.
The committee is com prised of
Sam Brooks, president o f S. Brooks
and Associates and executive director
of the Oregon Association o f Minority
Entrepreneurs; Bill Supak, president of
Associated General Contractors; Shirley
Minor, president o f Minor Steele and
Associates; Audrey Castile, president
of S and L Landscaping, and founder
and immediate past president of the
Oregon Chapter of W omen Construc
tion Owners and Executives; Bob Walsh,
president o f W alsh Construction; and
Carlton Chayer, CPPO, the city ’s pur
chasing agent.
Bogle said he formed the com m it
tee to deal with the “ dram aticdecline”
in the awarding of construction con
tracts to minorities since 1989, when
the U.S. Supreme Court nullified the
use o f contracting quotas, and to re
verse “ unsatisfactory trends” in the
awarding of all types on contracts to
women.
Carlton Chayer, City Purchasing Agent; Dick Bogle, City Commissioner;
and Sam Brooks, Committee Chairman
In the 1988-1989 fiscal year, the
city awarded 10 percent o f its construc
tion contracts to minority-owned firms.
The figure dropped to 2.4 percent in
1989-1990.
Bogle said efforts to get construc
tion contractors to voluntarily include
minority and women sub-contractors
produced “ mixed results” in fiscal 1990-
1991. Contracts with minority-owned
businesses rose to 5.6 percent, while
contracts with female-owned businesses
dropped to 4.8 percent from the prior
year’s 5.8 percent.
Contracts for professional services
have remained “ well below the old
quotas” for female-owned businesses
over the past six years, he added.
“ The black community, especially,
needs small and medium-sized busi
nesses,” Bogle said. “ Business ow n
ership by African-Americans creates
jobs for African-Americans, and jobs
are basic to solving problems,both
economic and social ”
“ The bottom line is, the taxpay
ers’ dollars should be shared equitably
with a cross-section of the com m u
nity,” Bogle said. “ T hat’s what this
new committee will work to achieve.”
World Renowned Author
and Storyteller Dies
Alex Haley, the gifted author of
“ Roots” and “ The Autobiography of
Malcom X ,” died suddenly from an
apparent heart attack in Seattle, Sun
day morning. “ R oots” was the grip
ping and epic saga that traced the au
thor’s own ancestry back through salvery
and to the W est Coast of Africa. This
book together with a highly-rated tele
vision version, focused the minds of
tens of millions of Americans and oth
ers in the world upon their own ante-
cendents. As a result, scores of organi
zations have been formed to specifi
cally address this purpose.
“ The Autobiography o f Malcom
X ” also became a world classic, pro
viding the most thorough and indepth
profile o f the great black revolutionary.
To read it was to gain new insight into
the changes in race relations of the
period. Mr. Haley will be sorely missed
and we are grateful for his contribu
tions.
Fred Stewart Files Candidacy for
House of Representatives
On Friday, January 31, Fred Ste
w art officially filed as a Democratic
contender for House D istrict 18.
Stewart “ contends” for a seat in
the House of Representatives to bring
the private battles of his district into the
arena o f public debate. His back-to-
basics campaign will focus on the A, B,
C ’s~A dvance Academics, Build Busi
ness, and Curtail Crime. ‘’These issues
arc interrelated,” says Stewart, “ and
must be tackled simultaneously. For
example, a safe environment is required
to attract and keep business--and make
it possible for kids and teachers to stay
in our schools. To combat crime we
need local jobs and a skilled, literate
work force. Right now, too many kids
in this district sec that crime pays better
than honest work. That has to change.”
Fred Stewart comes to the race with
the business experience of a realtor, the
combat training of a Marine, and the
practical perspective o f one raised and
educated in D istrict 18. As an private
citizen, Fred has worked to increase
property values and business opportuni
ties in North and Northeast Portland. He
is currently chairman of the King Neigh
borhood Association where he deals
with the issues of crime prevention,
domestic violence, AIDS awareness,
education, business and employment
development, and has encouraged co
operation between the district’s cultur
ally and racially polarized residents.
“ It is time for us to work together
to solve our problems, ’ ’ Stewart asserts.
Students from Faubion
Elementary School
“ All segments o f our society and all
special interest groups must unite to
face the challenges wc share. I believe
District 18 is full of opportunity and
can make great contributions to Port
land to Oregon. Wc need strong leader
ship and community cooperation. As a
State Representative, I will listen to
and maintain com m unication with my
district and fight hard for their inter
ests.”
Stewart hopes to introduce a lot of
Bills on a broad range of issues, but
“ First I want my neighbors to be safe,”
he says. “ N o more rapes. No more
dead kids. No more gangs. If elected, I
promise not to be a nice guy. Northeast
Portland has finished last for long
enough.”
Black History
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ENTERTAINMENT
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SPORTS
RELIGION
CLASSIFIED
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