P age A5
T he P ortland O bserver • J uly 13, 1994
First African American To
Lead Medical Group
A s o s te o p a th ic p h y s ic ia n s
c o n v e n e in A tla n ta , G a ., fo r th e
A m e ric a n O s te o p a th ic A s s o c ia t­
io n ’s a n n u a l b u s in e s s m e e tin g ,
th e y a ls o w ill be c e le b ra tin g an
h is to r ic e v e n t: th e in a u g u ra tio n
o f the a s s o c ia tio n ’s f irs t A fric a n
A m e ric a n p re s id e n t.
W illia m G . A n d e rso n , D .O .,
w ill b e in a u g u ra te d as A O A p re s i­
d e n t o n Ju ly 17. A t a lu n c h e o n
c e r e m o n y , he w ill p r e s e n t h is
in a u g u ra l sp e e c h o u tlin in g
h is p r e s id e n tia l in itia tiv e s fo r
t h e u p c o m i n g y e a r . D u r in g
th e a d d r e s s , A n d e r s o n w i l l
a ls o u n v e il h is th e m e fo r th e
y e a r w h ic h is “ O s t e o p a t h i c
M e d ic in e : A n Id e a W h o se T im e
H as C o m e .”
“ A s a ll o f h e a lth c a re e n te rs
th is n e x t y e a r o f re f o r m a n d
p a th ic p ro fe ssio n has b e e n c o m ­
m itte d to p rim a ry c a re fo r m ore
th an a c e n tu ry an d th e a g e -o ld
id e a ls o f o s te o p a th ic m e d ic in e
now re p re se n t the b a c k b o n e o f
the c u rre n t re fo rm d e b a te .”
A n d e rso n b e g an h is p ro fe s ­
sio n a l m e d ic a l c a re e r in A lb a n y ,
G a ., w h e re h e p ra c tic e d fo r six
y e a rs. D u rin g th is tim e , h e w as a
fo u n d e r an d fir s t p r e s id e n t o f the
A lbany M o v em en t. A s a frie n d o f
D r. M a r tin L u th e r K in g J r .,
A n d erso n w orked e x te n s iv e ly to
sp e a r the C iv il R ig h ts m o v e m e n t
in so u th w e st G e o rg ia th ro u g h o u t
the 1960s.
A t th is a n n u a l p o lic y -s e ttin g
m e e tin g , m em b ers o f th e A O A
c h a n g e , o s te o p a th ic m e d ic in e H ouse o f D e le g a te s w ill a ls o d e ­
c o n tin u e s to be a n a tu ra l s o lu ­ b a te v a rio u s h e a lth c a re refo rm
tio n ,” sa id A n d e rso n . “ T h e o ste o - to p ic s.
Car Phones May Be
Dangerous To Health
Can you talk and drive at the
same time?
M aybe not, if you’re talking on a
telephone. Car telephones can divert
the d riv er’s attention from the road
so, if the car in front o f you stops
suddenly and y ou’re talking on the
phone, you may react slow er than
norm al - and that could be the differ­
ence between an accident and a “close
call.”
“ W ith millions o f cellular car
telephones now in use, m otorists
should think about how to use them
safely,” says Marianne M acina, a re­
gional m anager for the W estern In­
surance Inform ation Service of B ea­
verton.
M acina said certain sensitive
calls should be m ade or taken only in
a car safely parked at the side o f the
road or in a parking lot.
“D on’t stop on a highway shoul­
der unless you face an emergency
because that can also be hazardous,”
M acina warns. “Operating a vehicle
at 55 or 65 mph is no time to learn that
your company lost a m ulti-m illion
spouses and children.
“If the car breaks dow n or is
involved in an accident, help can be
sum m oned quickly. A nd car phones
are used to report accidents involving
other m otorists and disabled vehicles
to the police,” M acina said.
O ther tips for safe driving and
telephoning:
*D on’t attem pt to take notes
w hile driving and telephoning.
♦Avoid giving com pany secrets
or credit card num bers on a car phone.
Radio transm issions could be picked
said M acina.
“ C a r te le p h o n e s to d a y a re no up by others.
♦Remove the external telephone
lo n g e r the sta tu s sy m b o l they w ere
antenna
w hen parking the car. T he
w h en c e llu la r se rv ic e first sta rte d .
antennajnakes
it easier for thieves to
A s p ric e s h a v e p lu m m e te d ,
th e y ’ve b e c o m e p o p u la r w ith re a l spot cars w ith phones.
♦D on’texpect the police to be too
e s ta te a g e n ts, s a le s p e o p le , e x ­
sympathetic
to an accident caused by
e c u tiv e s , tru c k d riv e rs a n d re p a ir
a
phone
conversation.
Y ou could even
p e rso n n e l, to n am e a few , b e c a u se
th ey sav e tim e an d im p ro v e s e r ­ get a ticket.
♦Be aw are that many car insur­
v ice. M any say th e y w o n d e r how
ance
policies exclude coverage if the
th e y g o t a lo n g w ith o u t th e m .”
M acina says a grow ing num ber phone isn ’t perm anently installed in
o f people are purchasing car tele­ an opening in the dashboard o f the
phones as a “ safety net” for their console.
dollar contract. People forget that
driving in today’s traffic dem ands
full attention.”
A c c o rd in g to s ta tis tic s from
th e In s u ra n c e In fo rm a tio n I n s ti­
tu te , th e re w e re 3 1 .8 m illio n m o ­
to r v e h ic le a c c id e n ts in th e U n ite d
S ta te s in 1 9 9 2 , c o s tin g m o re th a n
$98 b illio n .
“ A good rule o f thum b to rem em ­
ber is: If your car is m oving keep
phone conversations short, light and
simple - unless you have a chauffeur,”
Free Contact Lenses
Available Through Study
J
»
A free pair o f contact lenses will
ie given to persons who successfully
om plete a research study evaluating
arious types o f contact lenses and
ens care solutions at the Pacific U ni­
versity Portland and Forest Grove
Jamily Vision Centers.
Both current rigid and soft con-
act lens w earers, as well as non-
vearers may be eligible for studies,
rhose qualifying for the study will
¡valuate perform ance characteristics
j f both soft frequent replacement con-
a c t lenses and rigid gas permeable
RGP) lenses and solutions. Subjects
,vill be required to complete several
visits during the study at either the
Portland or Forest Grove Family Vi-
KXL Anchor
Wins Top
Award
For the second year in a row,
KXL new s radio 750 anchor and
reporter D iana Jordan has received
a first-place award from the N a­
tional Federation of Press W omen.
The aw ard, for Best Radio
News A nchor in the 1-50 top m ar­
ket category, was presented June
18 in Las Vegas.
“W e ’re e x tre m e ly p ro u d o f
D ia n a fo r w in n in g th is p r e s ti­
g io u s a w a rd ,” said K X L O p e ra ­
tio n s M a n a g e r/N e w s D ire c to r
D e n n is K e lly . “ T h e fa c t th a t
she h as re c e iv e d it tw o y ears
ru n n in g is a te s ta m e n t to h er
ta le n t, h a rd w ork and a b ility .
Thus far in 1994, m em bers of
the KXL news team have won over
20 national and regional radio news
I
awards.
sion C enter for the evaluation pro­
cess. Upon successful study com ple­
tion, participants will receive a free
pair o f either soft or rigid contact
lenses. Lens care solutions will also
be provided at not cost throughout the
study.
Those qualifying for the study
will be required to purchase a contact
lens care agreem ent w hich provides
one full year o f vision care protection.
C ost for this lens care agreem ent is
$80. However, this $80 fee may be
discounted for specific studies. For
study registration and m ore inform a­
tion, please call the Pacific University
Portland Fam ily Vision Center, 224-
2323, Ext. 402.
Medicine
Guide
Available
Modem medicines are powerful
tools in the fight against disease. They
prevent, cure and soothe many illnesses,
and have saved millions of lives. The
pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associa­
tion has prepared a booklet to help people
understand medicines and assist users in
the proper care and use of prescription
medicines.
For a free copy of the “Consumers
Guide To Prescription Medicines,” which
contains a form for listing the medicines
you take, write: Larry Lucas at the Phar­
maceutical Manufacturers Association,
110015 th Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
20005
MEDICAL
ASSISTANT/
LIMITED X-RAY
Classes Forming Now:
Phlebotomy
X-ray
EKG
Front Office
Medical Lab Procedures
Pharmacology
Medical Lab Skills
• National Certification
available
• Financial Aid for those
who qualify
• Job Placement Assistance
• Day & Evening Classes
Health Careers
for The Future
ConCorde
Career Institute
1827 NE 44th Ave.
Portland, OR 97213
(503) 281*4181
Vancouver: (206) 281-4181
JANA TORAN
A ttorney
at
L aw
PERSONAL INJURY, PRODUCTS liabltty , ano employment law
S uite 950, A merican B ank B ldg
621 SW M orrison S treet
P ortland , O regon 97205
(503) 225-0227
Mental Health And Mental
Illnesses In Black America
T h re e g ro u p s c o n v e rg e d on
C a p ito l H ill to d isc u ss th e im ­
p act o f m ental illn e s s e s on the
B lack A m erican c o m m u n ity . The
b rie fin g , c o -sp o n so re d by the
C o n g ressio n al B lack C a u c u s, the
N a tio n a l M ental H e a lth A sso ­
c ia tio n (N M H A ) a n d the N a ­
tio n a l In stitu te o f M en tal H ealth
(N IM H ), e x p lo re d the c u ltu ra lly
u n iq u e fa c to rs th a t a re p a rt o f
the re c o g n itio n an d tre a tm e n t o f
d e p re ssio n and m e n ta l illn e sse s
in B la c k A m e ric a n s . M e n ta l
h e a lth p ro fe ssio n a ls and civ ic
le a d e rs a lso d isc u sse d the need
to fo cus m ore a tte n tio n on the
full ra n g e o f fa c to rs a ffe c tin g
m en tal illn e sse s am ong B lack
A m e ric a n s. A m o n g th e g u e st
sp e a k e rs w ere M a rtin L u th e r
K ing III and N F L H all o f F am er
E arl C a m p b e ll.
“ T h is b rie fin g co m es a t a
c ritic a l tim e ,” Rep. L o u is S tokes
(D - O h io ) to ld m e m b e rs an d
g u e sts. “ Issu e s re la tin g to m e n ­
tal and b e h a v io ra l h e a lth play
an im p o rta n t ro le in a w id e ran g e
o f le g isla tio n , e n c o m p a ssin g e v ­
e ry th in g fro m th e c rim e b ill and
h e a lth c a re to the co m in g deb ate
on w e lfa re refo rm . B ro a d e n in g
the u n d e rsta n d in g o f d e p re ssio n
an d m e n ta l illn e s s e s a n d th e ir
im p a c t on so c ie ty is a very im ­
p o rta n t first ste p to w ard c h a n g e .”
D r. F re d a L e w is-H a ll, special
a d v ise r, N IM H O ffic e o f S pecial
P o p u la tio n s, c a lle d a tte n tio n to
th e fa c t th a t a lth o u g h m ental ill­
nesses do n o t d isc rim in a te -- strik ­
ing B la c k s, W h ite s, A sians and
H isp a n ic s a lik e -- som e o f the
fa c to rs th a t c o n trib u te to d e p re s­
sion a n d o th e r m e n ta l illn e sse s in
B la c k A m e ric a n s m ay be unique.
“ C la rify in g the im p a c t o f cu ltu re
on d ia g n o sis a n d tre a tm e n t w ill
e n h a n c e the a b ility to effectiv ely
tre a t m e n ta l illn e s s e s and lesson
th e ir to ll on th e B lack co m m u ­
n ity ,” she sa id .
A c c o rd in g to e x p e rts, stig m a
and lack o f u n d e rsta n d in g about
m e n ta l illn e s s e s and th e ir root
c a u se s have c o n trib u te d to a low
ra te o f re c o g n itio n and tre a tm e n t
a m o n g th o se w ith th ese c o n d i­
tio n s. F o r in sta n c e , w h ile clin ic a l
d e p re ssio n s trik e s m ore 17.5 m il­
lion a d u lts e a c h y e a r, e n c o m p a ss­
ing 3.5 p e rc e n t o f B lack a d u lts,
less than tw o -th ird s o f th o se w ith
d e p re ssio n seek tre a tm e n t. Few
p e o p le re a liz e th a t d e p re ssio n is a
se rio u s m e n ta l illn e ss th at can
ru in c a re e rs , fa m ilie s and m a r­
ria g e s. It is o fte n acco m p a n ied by
a lc o h o l an d d ru g ab u se. F ifte e n
p e rc e n t o f th o se w ith se v e r c lin i­
cal d e p re ssio n die o f su ic id e . E f­
fe c tiv e tre a tm e n ts (th e ra p y and
m e d ic a tio n ) a re a v a ila b le and
hig h ly e ffe c tiv e , y e t fe a r, stig m a
and lack o f k n o w le d g e p re v e n t
the m a jo rity o f th o se w ith c lin i­
c a l d e p r e s s io n fro m s e e k in g
tre a tm e n t. A n d , in th e B la c k
A m erican c o m m u n ity , th e p e r­
c e n ta g e o f p eo p le w hose sy m p ­
to m s go u n re c o g n iz e d or m is d i­
a g n o se d is e v en h ig h e r.
H a v in g p e rso n a lly e x p e r i­
e n c e d p a n ic d is o r d e r , fo rm e r
H o u s to n o ile r E a rl C a m p b e ll
s tre sse d the im p o rta n c e o f p u b ­
lic e d u c a tio n in d e -stig m a tiz in g
m en tal illn e sse s. “ M any p e o p le
c a n ’t a c c e p t the fa c t th a t th ey
s u ffe r from a m en tal illn e ss b e ­
c a u se th e y th in k so m ehow i t ’s
th e ir fa u lt, th a t th ey have fa ile d
o r th a t th e y can h a n d le it on
th e ir o w n . W e ll, w h e th e r i t ’s
d e p r e s s io n , p a n ic d is o rd e r o r
som e o th e r c o n d itio n , the fa c t is
i t ’s a d ise a se th a t n eed s p ro fe s ­
sio n a l, m e d ic a l tre a tm e n t.”
“ O n c e I w as w illin g to c h a l­
le n g e th e stig m a I w as lucky
e n o u g h to g e t tre a tm e n t. N ot
e v ery o n e is as fo rtu n ate. W e need
to m ak e su re th a t h e lp is a v a il­
a b le to all p e o p le - ric k and
p o o r, B la c k and W h ite — and
th a t they know w here to tu rn to
h e lp f o r .”