T he P ortland O bserver • A pril 13, 1994
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OPB Starts Statewide
Immunization Campaign
Total Shape-Up Comes
To Portland, Oregon
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(Promoting A Good Sense Approach To Nutrition & Fitness For Seniors)
7140 S.W. Macadam Avenue, Portland, OR 97219-3099
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Thousands o f infants and tod­
dlers in the N orthw est lack adequate
protection against m easles, m um ps,
rubella, diphtheria and other serious
childhood diseases. To help solve this
problem, Oregon Public B roadcast­
ing is sponsoring a statew ide out­
reach project to imm unize preschool
children from April 14th to May 14th.
The statew ide cam paign - OPB
on Behalf o f Children Immunize Now!
- is sponsored in partnership with
Oregon Health Systems in C ollabora­
tion, Oregon Preschool Im m uniza­
tion Consortium and the Sum m erville
Fund o f the Oregon Community Foun­
dation. Members o f the Oregon Nurses
Association, Rotary, Kiwanis, Ameri­
can Legion Auxiliary and other ser­
vice organizations will provide vol­
unteer staffing. O ver seventy com ­
munity groups are involved through
volunteer service or financial sup­
port.
The Im m unize Now! cam paign
begins on A pril 14th. For one month,
Oregon Public Broadcasting will satu­
rate its statewide television and radio
broadcasts with information about the
importance o f preschool vaccinations.
Hundreds o f volunteers will distrib­
ute over 500,000 flyers. Informational
ads will appear in local new spapers
and on radio stations around the state.
And participating physicians will dis­
tribute OPB immunization m aterials
to their patients.
As part o f Immunize N ow !, OPB
will televise a prime time special re­
port on A pril 27th that will educate
viewers about the importance o f im­
m unizing preschool children. Dur­
ing the m onth-long cam paign, OPB
will also air station break im m uniza­
tion spots with celebrities such as
Cindy W illiam s and Harry A nder­
son.
The cam paign culm inates on
Saturday, M ay 14th w hen public
health clinics in all thirty-six Oregon
counties and southw est W ashington
will offer free vaccinations. Parents
interested in getting free im m uniza­
tion shots for their children ages 4
and under can call O P B ’s toll-free
number to obtain public clinic loca­
tions and hours: 1-800-709-KIDS
Parents are encouraged to con­
tact their children ’ s doctor during the
Immunize Now! cam paign to make
sure thatall im m unizations are up-to-
date. As a result o f an O regon M edi­
cal A ssociation project endorsem ent,
many doctors’ offices around the state
will also be open on Saturday, May
14th and offer vaccinations at their
normal fee schedule.
To help draw attention to the
preschool immunization crisis, OPB
is sponsoring a prize drawing. G ener­
ously donated prizes for participating
families include the use o f a 1995
Hyundai Sonata for one year from
Braley and G raham Hyundai, a four
day Salishan Lodge family vacation
and a $500 M rs. T iggy-W inkles
children’s wear gift certificate. Par­
ents who im m unize their preschool
children between April 14 and May
14, 1994 - or can certify that their
Group Protests Over
Prescription Of Prozac
A protest against the controver­
sial drug Prozac was held at Pioneer
Courthouse Square by a psychiatric
watchdog group who says the drug is
over-prescribed and can cause a wide
variety of serious side-effects.
Prozac, an antidepressant m anu­
factured by Eli Lilly, has been the
subject o f considerable controversy
recently and an increasing num ber o f
doctors and psychiatrists have raised
concerns that the drug is being over-
prescribed an abused by a society all too
ready to pop apill to sol ve their problems.
M em bers o f the Citizens C om ­
mission on Human Rights, an interna­
tional psychiatric watchdog organi­
zation founded by the C hurch o f
Scientology in 1969, handedout green
jellybeans as “Prozac” to passers-by
and encouraged them to spin the
“Prozac Wheel of Chance” which listed
side-effects such as suicide attempt,
nervousness, agitation, anxiety, co n ­
vulsions, hostility, depression, and
manic reactions. A ccording to the
group these side-effects arc among the
top 26 of over 800 Prozac side-effects
being reported to the FDA.
Scott Sulak, D irector o f the O r­
egon chapter o f the Com m ission said
some Prozac users may “get m ore than
they bargained for” when they take
the little green and beige pill.
“Some Prozac users experience
nightmare side effects. If we w ere just
talking about simple chills or a loss of
sex drive, we w ouldn’t be here pro­
testing today,” said Sulak.
Sulak also pointed to two recent
high profile Prozac related killings,
Stephen Leith, the school teacher in
Chelesea, M ichigan, w ho killed his
superintendent in D ecem ber w hile on
Prozac, and Ricardo Punsalan, brother
o f O lym pic ice dancer, E lizabeth
Punsalan, w ho killed his father last
month w hile on Prozac.
“W e are protesting today because
on one reason, and that is this, under
all o f the hype and controversy over
whether Prozac is over-prescribed, lies
enough evidence to take Prozac off the
market due to some very real, very
dangerous side effects. It is tim e we
confront the real issue and begin de­
m anding the drug be rem oved from
the m arket,” said Sulak.
rate com ptroller for Ron Tonkin
Dealerships.
Under a 24-hour plan, workers
are able to use their family physician
at all times, w hether the treatm ent is
for a w ork-related condition or not.
Physicians benefit from better conti­
nuity o f care, reduced paper work,
and faster, more predictable payment
from a single plan. The benefits to
em ployers include earlier return to
work by sick or injured w orkers, re­
duced litigation, and low er costs cre­
ated by com bining the adm inistration
o f two separate health care plans.
“This project helps us m eet our
challenge o f protecting consum ers
and workers w hile m inim izing the
burden placed on business,’’said Kerry
Barnett, director of the Departm ent of
Consumer and Business Services. “It
is anothcrO rcgon experim ent that we
video demonstrates how to use the
Food Guide by Pyramid, developed
by the federal government to help you
analyze your own eating habits and to
make modifications in our diet. It also
discusses the importance o f exercise
for m aintaining good health and well
being.
Total Shape-up participants will
be treated to a free breakfast and in
addition to hearing Law, have the
privilege o f listening to Sonja Connor,
M .S., R.D., L .D ., a research associate
professor in the area of Clinical N u­
trition, departm ent o f Medicine, O r­
egon Heath Services University, who
will discuss the importance o f cal­
cium , sodium, fat, fiber, and the an ­
tioxidant vitamins.
C onnor is also the co-author o f
The New American Diet com bines
sound research on fat and cholesterol
with simple, healthy recipes that e n ­
courage readers to modify their eat­
ing habits.
To complete the day’s activities,
athletes from the O regon S enior
G am es will lead the Total Shape-up
participants in a series o f exercises
preschooler’s shots are current dur­
ing that time period - may be eligible
to enter the prize drawing.
The Im m unize Now! project was
initiated by Steve Amen, O P B ’s D i­
rector o f Local Productions, and put
together by Judy Peek, Executive Pro­
ducer o f OPB ’ s com mun ity Outreach.
Peek said that she has been “ very
im pressed with the amount o f support
for this project and the extent o f coop­
eration from diverse organizations
around the state. W e understand this
is the largest im m unization cam paign
in O regon since the 1970’s”
One o f the m ost im pressive parts
o f the Im m unize Now! outreach cam ­
paign is the types of groups involved.
O regon Health Care System s in C ol­
laboration is m ade up o f num erous
health care organizations: Blue Cross/
B lu e S h ie ld o f O re g o n , K a ise r
Permanente, Legacy Health System,
Spinal Care Education Class
O regon H ealth D ivision, O regon
Health Sciences University and Sis­
W estern States Chiropractic Col- 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm on W ednesday,
ters of Providence Health System.
lege is offering a free spinal care A pril 20th a n d T u esd ay , M ay 3 rd .
Oregon Preschool Immunization Con­
class, “D iscover Natural Health, Dis-
W estern State Chiropractic Col-
sortium is a public-private partner­
cover Chiropractic”.
lege is located at 2900 NE 132 Av-
ship involving fifty separate organi­
These classes will be held from enue in Portland; (503) 255-6771.
zations including physicians, health
care professionals, child advocates,
insurance com panies, service clubs
and public health agencies.
Oregon Public Broadcasting is a
statew ide radio and television public
broadcasting organization. It provides
daily educational, cultural, new s and
public affairs program m ing for all
Central City Concern released
ages. OPB is principally supported
in
fo
rm
a tio n to d a y d o c u m e n tin g
through voluntary contributions.
O regon’s soaring drug use during the
past two years. Leading the increase
w as a 145 percent increase in the
num ber o f heroin clients receiving
detoxification services in the past two
years.
Central C ity Concern operates
The Arc O f M ultnomah County, the Hooper D etoxification C enter
In cooperation with the M ultomnah u n der c o n tra c t w ith M ultnom ah
County Developmental Disabilities County. The Subacute Detox Pro­
Fam ily Support and Training Pro­ gram at Hooper is where alcoholics
gram s, will present a fam ily forum on and addicts go through the physical
Respite Care. The forum is scheduled w ithdraw al from alcohol and other
for W ednesday evening, A pril 20, drugs. The H ooper Center com pared
from 7 to 9pm at the Providence its utilization o f the Subacute D etoxi­
Hospital Social Room at 4905 NE fication Program for the first six The Hooper Detoxification Center
G lisan.
months o f fiscal 1993-94 with the using drugs other than alcohol. To­
According to Vicki Sm ead, Pro­ first six months o f fiscal 1991-92 to
day, 44 percent are using drugs other
gram M anager o f The A rc’s Respite determ ine trends during the past two
than alcohol.
Care, discussion will center around years.
The increase in the number o f
w h at’s new and w hat’s on the horizon
Significant changes in the c li­ drug cases treated at the Hooper C en­
for families o f individuals with devel­ ents during the first six months of
ter is m irrored in the num ber of drug-
opm ental disabilities. “Respite Care fiscal 1991-92(July-D ecem berl991)
related deaths docum ented by the
is consistently the m ost requested ser­ and the first six m onths of 1993-94
Oregon State M edical Exam iner’s
vice,” according to Sm ead,” and it (July-D ecem ber 1993) include the
Office. During 1993, there were a
frequently represents the only break following:
record 138 drug-related deaths; 102
from a constant care-giving routine a
A 99 percent increase in the num ­ of those involved heroin. This com ­
family is able to m anage.”
ber o f drug clients. In the first six pares to 39 drug-related deaths in
Smead will be joined by Kathryn months of 1991-92, Hooper treated
1991; 18 of those deaths involved
W eit o f Com m unity Partnerships, a 310 drug addicts. This year, 616 were
heroin.
statewide ad vocacy agency. W hile on­ treated in the first six months. O f
The average client age is dra­
site respite care will not be offered for particular note, the num ber o f heroin
m atically lower. In 1991-92,33 per­
the forum, respite stipends will be addicts treated increased from 130 to
cent o f the clients adm itted were un­
available by calling 248-3658 exL 319; a 145 percent increase.
der age 30. Today, 43 percent are
6487.
“O neof the reasons we went back under age 30.
to com pare figures during the past
C lients treated during the first
tw o years was the large number of six m onths o f the year reported to be
and stretches.
Total Shape-up is the kick -off
event for the “Spice Up Y our Life!-
M eet the N utritionC hallenge-” a free,
day-long event for seniors and their
families featuring hourly presenta­
tio n s, c e le b rity sp e a k e rs, h e a lth
screening, and food exhibits that in­
clude recipes and taste test.
N ancy E rckenbrak, w ith the
Providence Medical Center, has taken
the lead in bringing the Total Shape-
up to Portland as part o f an area wide
health prom otion program for seniors
to encourage and stim ulate participa­
tion in the Oregon Senior G am es.
A rea health, fitness and aging profes­
sionals w ill participate int his kick­
off event and then continue the Total
Shape-up nutrition and fitness educa­
tion with in their ow n senior pro­
grams.
Seniors interested in attending
the Total Shape-up may call (503)
230-6002 to register. For m ore infor­
mation “Spice Up Y our life! -M eet the
Nutrition C hallenge-” and the free
day o f activities, please call (503)
823-5269.
Say You
Saw It In...
(© b sc ru c r
Forum On
Respite
Care
hope will contribute to the state’s
ground-breaking efforts in health care
and w orkers’ com pensation reform .”
Several other partnerships were
approved by the departm ent April 1 :
Sister’s o f Providence Health Plans
and EBI Com panies (a w orkers’ com ­
pensation insurer), Pacific Hospital
A ssociation and EBI Com panies, and
K aiser P erm anente and Safew ay
Stores.
Additional employees from Blue
C ross and the State of O regon arc
covered under the SA1F/HMO plan
as o f April 1. Project Director Edward
Nicubuurtisprojccting 10.000-20,000
em ployees will eventually bcenrollcd
in the program , which is authorized
to operate until July 1998.
The pilot project is being funded
through a $336,000 grant from the
Robert W ood Johnson Foundation.
heroin addicts we are seeing,” W ood
reported. “Staff at the Hooper Center
has interviewed m any of these clients
to leam more about the reasons be­
hind the increased demand for ser­
vices. Clients report that there is more
heroin available than ever, and that it
is cheaper than other drugs. We are
seeing heroin addicts from all walks
o f life. Some are street addicts, but
many are white collar people with
jobs and fam ilies.”
W ood added, “The heroin that is
on the street today is mixed with
extremely dangerous toxic substances.
Many people seek medical attention
and detoxification because of liver
dam age and other health problem s
caused by the substances used to cut
the heroin.”
During the two year comparison
period, there was also a 46 percent
increase in cocaine clients.
Put another way, in 1991-92,only
28 percent of the clients detoxed were
parents o f 1,582 children. “Many
people are rightfully concerned about
the w elfare o f O regon’s children,”
stated W ood. “As we assist these par­
ents to becom e clean and sober, we
are giving their children areal chance.
If these parents do not become clean
and sober, both the parents and their
children will cost the social service
and law enforcem ent budgets huge
sums o f m oney for decades to com e.”
The Hooper Center began track­
ing the num ber of children of clients
in 1993-94, so no com parisons can be
made with previous years.
T here has been a 27 percent in­
crease in the num ber o f women using
the facility in the past year. Staff
attributes much o f the increase in
women clients to a renovation that
increased the privacy o f women cli­
ents.
A 24 percent increase in overall
adm issions. Central City Concern
Executive Director Debbie W ood ex-
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'Q I I jc ^ I o r t l a n i t
Drug Abus® In Oregon
Is Soaring
Oregon’s First In The Nation
“24-Hour” Health Coverage
O regon’s first-in-the-nation test
of a 24-hour health coverage program
is underway with the enrollm ent of
the stale’s first employers. The pilot
program, adm inistered by the D e­
partment o f Consum er and business
Services, com bines em ployer-spon­
sored health coverage with w orkers’
compensation benefits to enhance the
delivery and improve the cost effec­
tiveness of medical services for w ork­
ers and em p lo y ers. R on T onkin
D ealerships of Portland is the first
em ployer to participate in a pilot plan
developed by SAIF Corporation and
HMO Oregon (A subsidiary o f Blue
Cross/Bluc Shield of Oregon).
“We evaluated the benefits of the
program, and we quickly realized the
potential savings both in real dollars
and in fewer frustrations for our em ­
ployees,” said Kent Stratford, corpo­
O regon seniors will participate
in Total Shape-up, the kick-off event
for “Spice Up Y our Life!-M eet The
Nutrition C hallenge-”on May 14 at
Concordia C ollege, Hagen Campus
Center, 2 8 1 1 E. H olm an, from 8:30 to
10:00am. The Total Shape-up is a
free nutrition and fitness event for
adults age 55 and over. Hosting the
event w ill be Jim Law, “A m erica’s
fastest man age 65+.” Featured in
both Sports Illustrated and USA To­
day this past June, he exem plifies the
new, active m odel for aging.
Law will share his story about
turning his ow n life around and will
dem onstrate how easy it is to eat right
and exercise sensibly. At age 60, he
left behind a sedentary lifestyle and
poor eating habits to become a record
breaking sprinter. Having experienced
the many benefits that come with a
health lifestyle, Law now travels the
country on behalf o f Total Cereal,
helping other get started.
Also featured will be a new vid­
eotape, “Total Shape-up: A Good
Sense A pproach to Nutrition and Fit­
ness,” produced by Total cereal. The
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plains, “W e attribute a significant
portion o f the increase in admission
to the H ooper Center doing a better
job than ever in the availability o f our
program s. W e have reorganized how
we do adm issions to better meet our
client’s needs. Increasingly, our cli­
ents are telling other people to com e
and get help through us. This year, we
have detoxed 1,400 in the first six
m onths. A t the rate we are going, we
may detox 3,000 clients this year, far
more than w e ever have in the past.
We are proud we have greatly ex­
panded our capacity, and are dealing
with people with more difficult prob­
lems, and have done it at a m inim al
increase o f public c o s t”
Successful Programs. “The bad
news is that the drug problem in
Oregon appears to be worse than
ever,” said Wood. “The good news is
that there is a very high level o f
success for the people we tre a t The
success rates at the Hooper Center
and the high quality o f subsequent
treatm ent in Multnomah County is
the en v y o f o th e r c o m m u n itie s
throughout the nation.”
There are a variety of outpatient
and residential treatment program s
to w hich clients are referred for post­
detox care.
These include alcohol and drug
free housing programs, and acupunc­
ture, which have been pioneered in
Portland.
“The rates o f long term sobriety
are very high,” explains W ood. “If
adequate resources were available to
provide a full range o f treatm ent for
people w ho are asking for help, w e
could have an enormous im pact on
the drug problem in O regon, and its
concom itant social and crim inal ou t­
grow ths.”
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