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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 14, 1994)
S eptember 14, 1994 • T he P o r u and O bserver P age A4 Sickle Cell Focus On September Alberta Park Festival, Free Health Checks Scheduled The Portland Sickle Cell Ane mia foundation is gearing up for Saturday, September 17th which is Awareness Day. There will be free hot dogs, free beverages and bal loons given to the kids at Alberta Park. Festivities will go on from 11:00 A M. until 4:00 P.M. free Blood Pressure checks and free Sickle Cell Testing will take place. Pastor Marcia Taylor, Execu tiv e Director for the foundation says she looks forward to the Police Bu reau and The American Red Cross being a part o f this event. The month of September is National Sickle Cell Awareness Month and we have cho sen Saturday, September 17th as Awareness Day to bring this disease to the mind again in the community and to hopefully bring the commu nity together in a united effort against this Life-Threatening Disease. Vol unteers are needed, a hot dog cart and prizes are still needed says, Tay lor. Sickle Cell Anemia is an inher ited blood disease which is not con tagious and is the result o f a person receiving a Sickle Cell Gene from each parent. This disease affects about one in 400-600 blacks, and some Caucasians. Sickle Cell Ane mia and its variant forms occur among hispanics o f Caribbean An cestry, (one in every 1000 or 1500 hispanics), and also affects people of Arabian, Greek Maltese Turkish, Sicilian, Sardinian and Southern Asian Ancestry . Symptoms usually announce themselves between infancy or 6 months and include shortage of red blood cells, shortness ofbreath, palor, frequent infections, jaundiced eyes, fever and severe pain. These symp toms can be in any combination or all at the same time. The foundation will hold its 3rd annual Sickle Cell Telethon Satur day, September 24th hosted by Mult nomah Community Television. The event will take place in the TV studio from 4:00 P.M. - 9:00 P.M. on chan nel 21 with Rev. J.W. Friday as the host. R ecording a rtis t A rvis Strickling-Jones will be featured live, along with the Golden Eagles, New Hope Baptist Church Choir and Little Goldie. "We encourage the public to join us for a wonderful time o f enter tainment. "Sickle Cell has been histori cally known as a “Black M an’s Dis ease” . Using the telethon as a ve hicle, we hope to inform the public that this disease frequents many other races and because we don’t all know everything about our heritage, it is imperative to find out if one carries sickle trait or another abnormal he moglobin which may be passed on their children. If so, this could result inathird generation child being bom with Sickle Cell Disease.” says Tay lor. For more information, to volun teer or to be tested, call (503) 249- 1366. National Sickle Cell Month Caring And Sharing Can Make a Better Life Together we can make a difference For more information contact : Portland Sickle Cell Anémia Foundation (503) 249-1366 Portland, Oregon SICKLE CELL DISEASE IS A GLOBAL PROBLEM Cickle Cell Awareness Day at Alberta Park Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Failed Drug Test Brings Jobless Benefits Loss Workers fired for failing a drug test can no longer collect unemploy ment benefits under rule changes announced by the Oregon Employ ment Department. Until now, State unemployment insurance rules have disallowed claims in only three kinds of drug- related dismissal cases: if an em ployer could prove, without a test, that drug use caused impairment on the job; if a drug test showed such impairment occurred in certain oc cupations which could threaten someone’s health or safety ; or if a worker agreed to and failed a drug test under a last chance agreement. However, hundreds o f other workers fired for failing drug tests didn’t fit into one o f these three categories. In a typical month, about 60 such workers eventually received benefits from the state Amendments to the Employ ment Department’s administrative rules make workers discharged for Sacred Heart Urologists Offer Tests To encourage early detection oÇ prostate cancer and educate men about the disease, Eugene-area urolo gists are volunteering to provide free prostate cancer screen in gs. The pros tate specific antigen blood tests and digital rectal examinations will be offered to all participants. Men over 50 (African American men over 40) who have no history of prostate can cer and who have not had a prostate check in the last 12 months are eli gible. The screenings will be avail able at S acred H eart G eneral Hospital’sCancerCareCenter, 1255 Hilyard St. Eugene., weekdays from Sept. 19 though Sept 23. Call 686- 7257 to schedule an appointment. ) • • r * * failing a properly administered drug test ineligible for unemployment in surance benefits. According to the Portland-based Regional Drug Ini tiative, 73% o f Oregon employees work at companies with drug poli cies. The Employment Department tightened its regulations on drug use in the workplace as a result ofa series o f public meetings in 1991 and 1992 which considered reforms to the un employment insurance program. Formal hearings on the drug rule revisions were held in March 1993 and May 1994. Labor, business, and community leaders from across the state participated in both series of meetings. “ We heard from a broad spec trum o f opinion and we value the attention people paid to this pro cess,” said Pamela A. Mattson, di rector of the Oregon Employment Department. “Today's changes are the result o f that public input .” h o w m u c h k id s c o u l d O pen G ate A cupuncture C linic B ut now , at le a s t th e ir h e a lth Allergies • Asthma Pain • G.I. Disorders Stop Smoking • Stress Menstrual Disorders Diet • Nutrition 1011 E ast B i rnsidf . 232-3857 c a re c o s ts c a n be c o n tr o lle d . Sound the trum pets, heat the drums: Someone has finalli/ come up icith afford able healthcare coverage fo r your children. Like a rate o f just S29 50 per kid. per month Best o f all, that someone is Blue Cross and Blue Shield o f Oregon, the largest, most respected name in the business. What we’ve done is base premiums strictly on the aver age medical expenses and needs o f kids, unlike most programs \\ e ve also formed an alliance with the 80 affiliated physicians o f Legacy Emanuel Children \ Hospital For details, contact your local independent insurance agent or call 1-800-762-4831 or 223- 4910. But don 't put it off. The only thing predictable about kids is their unpredictability — (C V) OH n>* ' BlucShicId o f < >n*<on I egacy Emanuel Children's Hospital
