Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, February 02, 1994, Image 1

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immunity through cultural diversity.”
V olum n XXIV, N um i
(¡J a T c t r h a Ï
"Miss
IRVINGTON SCHOOL 1994 HUMAN
RELATIONS ASSEMBLY
P'ebruary 02. 1994
-
jortland, City of Roses
W w i l l host the “Miss Black
Oregon 1994”, who will
represent the state in the upcom­
ing national competition in Wash­
ington, D.C. This will be Oregon’s
inaugural year for the pageant.
The state auditions and final
selection will be held on February
4,1994 at OAMECascade Plaza,
4134 N. V ancouver and
Skidmore. The winner of this
competition will receive free
sponsorship to compete for a
$5,000 scholarship and grand
prize of a trip to South Africa.
Friday. February 4 , 10am School Gym­
nasium, 1320 NE B razee
JL
OREGON'S PEDIATRIC HOT LINE
Noon to 5pm, Sunday, Feb 6.
Call 221-8550 or 1-800-493-7931 for
free advice.
TWO WINE/HEART EVENTS
February 18 noon to 1:30pm, SW 10th
& Alder, Call 1-800-775-4762. February
19 winerics/rctail stores donate 10% sales
to Good Samaritan Heart Institute.
KAISER PERMANETNTE OFFER
HEALTH CLASSES
How To Lower Your Cholesterol 9 to
11am, Feb. 17 & 24th, Town Hall, 3704 N.
Interstate. Call 286-6816. Diabetes Basic
Series, 9am to noon, Feb. 21,22,& 23,
Town Hall, 3704 N. Interstate Ave. Call
286-6816.
BUSINESS SUCCESS WORKSHOP
(For Educational Programs And
Exhibits)
WOMEN'S SELF DEFENSE CLASSES
7 to 8:30pm Feb. 12, Call: 231-1999.
Astronaut Convey: From Space With Love
by
Astronaut Richard O.
Convey, commander
of the NASA Hubble
Space Telescope
Servicing Mission,
talked to Legacy
Emanual Children's
Hospital patients and
Legacy employee
child care students
about what it was like
to eat, sleep, float
and work in space
during his visit to
Portland, Friday,
January 28.
Portland doctors were unanimous in
'condemning the narcotic lollipop ad
ministered tochildrenbcforesurgcry.
The Portland Observer had sought the reac­
tions of Portland-based pe­
diatricians on this drug
made by Abbott laborato­
ries under the trade name
Oralet. Most doctors inter­
viewed had sought anonym­
ity with this reporter on the
grounds that, facts and spe­
cifics about the drug were
new.
Dr. Cindy Hills, Man­
ager of the Em m anuel
Hospital's Pediatric Ward,
told the Portland Observer,
that “kids shouldn't be de­
ceived to believe that drugs
are candy”. She however
did not emphasize the side Dr. Cindy Hills
effects the lollipop leaves.
“We don't use it, and we have never used it. In
fact it’s very new to me. I only read it in the
newspaper,” she revealed.
Doctors at Kaiser Pcrmancntc kept a
sealed lip on use of the drug. When this
reporter made inquires through the hospital's
public relations office.
Efforts to find a painless way of putting
children to sleep before surgery had led a
group of pediatricians from Utah to develop
the idea of a lollipop stuffed with fentanyl, a
very potent opiate. The Food and Drug Ad­
ministration had given the drug a thumbs-up
approval in October 1993.
A group of doctors
had protested to the gov­
ernment to block the final
approval of the narcotic
drug. The doctors spear­
headed by Dr. Sidney
Wolfe of the public Citi­
zen H ealth R esearch
Group according to wire
reports had sent a petition
to the Food and Drug Ad­
ministration seeking a
blockage of the final ap­
proval o f the lollipop.
They contended fentanyl
was too dangerous, and
could further complicate
children's health.
The wire service re­
ported that the Drug Enforcement Adminis­
tration had already protested the approval.
“We have taken steps aimed at preventing
problems,” said James O'Hara, deputy FDA
Administrator for Public Affairs, had told the
New-York Times News Service. The agency
had scheduled a meeting of experts in March
1994 to Consider all problems relating to
children's anesthesia before surgery.
stronaut Richard O. Convey descended from
space w ith lots of love for kids at Pediatric Ward,
-£.
Emmanuel Hospital, bringing with him pictures
of the outer heavens.
He gestured, smiled and rollicked with these sick
babies. Everywhere he went they came with him. The
humility and comfort of a successful pilot, shaking hands
and telling talcs of his experience in space.
“The kind of questions, they asked is that they want
to know why people float in space and if crew members
go to bathrooms.” Convey said amidst intermit smiles.
The Arkansas born Astronaut started his career as an
operational fighter pilot flying the F-100, A-37, and A-
TD. He has flown over 5,000 hours in more than 30
different types of aircraft.
A
regonians with income below the fed health-care needs.”
An estimated 120,000 poor Oregonians
eral poverty line who believe they
are
expected
to qualify for the Medicaid ex­
may qualify for expanded Medicaid
pansion,
with
most of the balance of uninsured
coverage under the Oregon Health Plan may now
Oregonians
to
be covered by employer-paid
call a toll-free phone number: 1-800-359-9517.
“By calling the 800 number, people can insurance starting in 1997-98.
Thome said applications that are com­
get an application, find out about community
meetings in their area, and have basic ques- pleted at community meetings will be for­
tionsanswered,” Jean Thome, state Medicaid warded to Salem, where workers will deter­
mine eligibility any then notify applicants.
director in Salem, said.
The toll-free line will be answered on However, persons who become eligible will
be entitled to coverage from the date of the
weekdays from noon to 9pm (Pacific time).
At least 200community meclingsa month application, she said.
The health plan will cover the first 565
will be held across the state during February,
March and April at times convenient to work­ medical condition/trcatment pairs from a list
ing people, Thome said. Starting in May, the of 696, although initial medical diagnostic
number of meetings will drop to 100 a month. services will be covered even if the resultant
At the meetings, Oregonians can learn treatment isn’t covered.
Generally, people are eligible for the
more about the health plan, complete applica­
tions, ask questions about managed health - health plan if their monthly income is below
care plans and obtain related information. the federal poverty line and they arc U.S,.
Persons who wish to complete an application citizens or legal residents, Oregon residents,
at a community meeting should take Social and are not eligible tor Medicare, Thome
security cards and proof of income for the said. The federal povertyline is $991 for a
month for a family of 3 and $1,196 a month
current month, Thome said.
“This is the first major step to providing for a family of 4, for example. However,
health-care coverage to the 479,000 Orego­ pregnant women and children under age 6
nians who don’t have it now,” said Gov. may qualify if their income is up to 138
Barbara Roberts. “It’s a critical milestone in percent of the federal poverty level.
About 180,000 of the current 250,000
state government’s effort to meet our citizens ’
O
Along The Color Line
"Jim Crow Revisited” By Dr. Manning
Marable. A half century’ ago the most
glaring examples o f inequality in the
public schools were the sharply different
Material.
Page A2
EDITORIAL
RELIGION
A2
B3
m edicaid clients w ill begin receiving
benefits under the health plan on Feb. 1.
They will also be enrolled in m anaged
care plans over the next six to seven
m onths. The rem aining 70,000 clients
(people who are aged, disabled and c h il­
dren in foster care) will keep their c u r­
rent M edicaid coverage for now, although
the state is seeking federal perm ission to
bring them under the health plan b eg in ­
ning J a n .l, 1995. T horne said.
Under the health plan, more than 80
percent of clients will receive their care from
prepaid health plans that are paid a set amount
per month for all persons who have chosen
that plan, Thorne said. The plans are then
responsible for managing and paying for their
enrollees’ care.
“W e’ve been very pleased with the re­
sponse we’ve received from the medical pro­
vider community,” Thome said. “More than
20 plans have signed contracts to serve Med­
icaid clients under the health plan, and these
plans will be available in almost all areas of
the state.” Elsewhere, she said, clients will
choose a primary-care provider to manage
their care, and the state will then pay for
actual services rendered.
▼
Continued to page 2
Entertainment
Sports
Black History
Editorial
P romise K ing
Health Plan Application Available,
Meetings Scheduled
Portland Doctors Say No
To Lollipop Drug
P romise K ing
he Oregon Museum of Science and
Industry (OMSI) has been awarded
Jii, grants totaling over $1 million from
the National Science Foundation, the Intel
Foundation, SAIF Corporation and others.
The awards will fund OMSI’s coordination
of programs for National Science and Tech­
nology Week, the creation of an original
exhibit on the nature and function of com­
puters, and an exhibit demonstrating current
assistive technology for the disabled.
The National Science Foundation
awarded $283,331 to extend for two years an
existing program which focuses on teacher
training and activities related to National
Science and Technology Week, a nation­
wide program that serves to educate and
inform students and the general public about
current science and technology issues. OMSI
will be an aggregate server of the Internet
computer network to provide educational
materials, and will hold seminars and work­
shops for 50 educators and comm unity orga­
nizers from throughout the United States. In
this award letter, the National Science Foun­
dation recognized OMSI’s special creativity
based on outstanding scientific and techni­
cal progress achieved to date under this
grant.
The Intel Foundation awarded $710,000
toward the development, creation and pro­
duction of four copies of an exhibit on com­
puter technology. The exhibit will explore
how computers acquire, store, process and
output data. Once completed by OMSI, the
exhibit will be on display there, and copies of
the exhibit will be created for use at the
following science museums: The Tech Mu­
seum of Innovation, San Jose, CA; Exp,ora
Science Center, Albuquerque, NM; The Sac­
ramento Science Center, Sacramento, CA;
and the Arizona Museum of Science and
Technology, Phoenix, AZ. OMSI was cho­
sen to create the displays due to the success
of its nationally -recognized interactive ex­
hibits.
fl
Ebony
Warren
Feb. 9,8:45 to 4 :15pm, Harmony Cen­
ter, 7616 SE Harmony Rd, Milwaukie. Call
656-4447.
by
OMSI Awarded
Over
$1 Million In
Grants
Oregon 1994” % Portland
February Emerge Features The
Quest For Justice
Blazers Fans Raise
$10,500For L.A. Disaster
Michael Jackson: Off the
Hook?
Bates reports that de la Beckwith is being
tried a third time - the first two trials
ended in deadlocked juries in 1964.
Page B4
"Thanks to the Blazer fans the
Blazers and Oregon Arena
Corporation, this donation drive
nearly doubled.
By Promise King. It is pathetic that
Michael has to grapple with this
horrendous accusation o f child
molestation.
Page B2
BLACK HISTORY
B4
FOOD
A5
SPORTS
A6
Page A 6
ENTERTAINMENT
B2
CLASSIFIEDS
B7