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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 1994)
T he P ortland O bserver • S eptember 21,1994 P age A5 State Project Targets Hepatitis B In Teens Oregon health officials this school year plan to vaccinate an ad ditional 5,000 teens against the highly contagious disease, hepatitis B. Dur ing the past two and one-half years, the state has provided shots in juve nile detention centers, school-based health centers, primary care clinics, county health departments and resi dential facilities for psychosocially dysfunctional children. Pharmaceu tical companies Merck & Company and SmithKline Beecham donated the vaccine. “Our record for immunizing teens against hepatitis B is better than for any state in the country,” said project director Jeri O ’Banion. “B ut as we prevent more cases among adolescents, we want to encourage all young people to talk to their health care providers about receiving vac cinations.” Hepatitis B is caused by a highly infectious virus that attacks the liver. It can lead to severe illness, liver damage, and in some cases, death. A person can get hepatitis B by sharing needles or having sex with someone who is infected with the hepatitis B virus. Infected mothers can pass the disease to their babies during child birth. As many as 30 percent of the people infected with the virus, how ever, have no known risk factors for the disease. Despite the 1982 introduction of a safe and effective vaccine, hepa titis B continues to be a public health problem in Oregon and the nation. The primary strategy for eliminating the disease includes routine shots for infants. Adolescents and adults, who have never received the shots, make up an estimated 91% of the hepatitis B infections nationwide. Toys Sought In Exchange For CPR Training The Portland Fire Bureau is of fering CPR training in return for the donation of a new unwrapped toy for its Toy and Joy program, a Christmas season charity. Two classes providing certifi cation i n the medical emergency tech- niques, with up to 50 people per class, will be held on Saturday, Sept. 24 at the Fire Bureau Training Cen ter, 4800 N.E. 122 Ave. Reservations will be made on a first come, first serve, basis. To reg ister call Lisa Jacobson at the train ing center at 823-3890. T hese Health Screening For Seniors Free health check-ups for adults age 55 and older are being offered during October by the Legacy Visit ing Nurse Association. The health screenings may in clude general physical assessment, nutrition, testing, blood pressure checks, foot care evaluation, medi cation review, pulmonary functions, cancer education, and vision, glau coma and hearing tests. Blood tests are optional at a $5 fee. Appointments are necessary and may be made by calling the follow ing screening sites: Oct. 7 - EASTCO Loaves and Fishes, St. Aidans Episcopal Church, 17405 N.E. Glisan, 255-9775,9 am . to noon. Oct. 14-Volunteersof America; 537 S.E. Alder, 232-2233, 9 a m. to noon. Oct. 21 - Lents Loaves and Fishes, St. Peters Catholic Church, S.E. 87 and Foster, 771-1610,9 a.m. to noon. Oct. 28 - Sandy Senior Center, 38348 Pioneer Blvd., 668-5569, 9 a.m. to noon. Legacy’s visiting nurses con duct 25 screenings a year at se n io r and c o m m u n ity c e n te rs throughout the Portland area. The screening team includes reg is tered nurses, respiratory th era pists, podiatrists, d en tists, p h ar m acists, medical laboratory tech nologists, ophthalm ologists and dietitians. For more inform ation call 225-6300. Shelter Offers Volunteer Training The Salvation Arm y’s West Women’s and Children’s Shelter in Portland is offering a volunteer train ing program beginning Oct. 1. The program includes four Saturday ses sions, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the shelter at 2010 N.W. Kearney. Topics include domestic vio lence, drug and alcohol abuse, rape, sexual abuse, incest, mental health, post traumatic stress disorder, op pression, HIV, and crisis and suicide intervention. More than 350 volunteers have participated in the training program since it began in December 1988. These volunteers provide essential services to the nearly 60 women and children who call the West shelter “home,” officials said. Free Medical Career Information Sessions Mt. Hood Community College month at noon in Room 2771. For m ore inform ation call is offering free one-hour information sessions this fall term for persons MHCC’s Allied Health division at interested in entering career training 667-7113. programs in one of five medical oc cupations. Sessions will be held pen ate throughout the term in the areas of mental health/human services, nurs cupuncture ing, occupational therapy assistant, physical therapy assistant and respi linic ratory care. Mental health/human services sessions will be held the third Thurs day of each month at noon in the Allied Health Conference Room. Nursing sessions will be held the first Tuesday ofeach month at 11 a m. in the Allied Health Conference Room. Occupational therapy assistant sessions will be held the first Thurs Allergies • Asthma day of each month at noon in the Pain • G.I. Disorders Stop Smoking • Stress Allied Health Conference Room. Physical therapist assistant pro Menstrual Disorders grams will be held the second Tues Diet • Nutrition day of each month at 3:30 p.m. in the 1011 E ast B vrnside Allied health Conference Room. 232-3857 Respiratory care sessions will be held the first Tuesday of each O A G C "I M ade I t !" days, t h e r e ’s n o t e l l i n g how m u ch y o u r c o u ld w in d "How I lost more than 20 pounds with Weight Watchers and reached my personal goal/ k id s up c o s t in g you By Kathleen Sullivan "Life looks beautiful from here. I'm at the weight I want to be, and I feel the way I want to feel. And you know what got me off to such a great start? Weight Watchers Superstart program. "That's because Superstart is like a jump start' for people who want to lose weight. During this two-week program, you'll eat real food you make yourself-including your favorites from really simple recipes. You'll feel great and you will see those pounds drop away. "I lost eight pounds in just two weeks on Superstart. Can you imagine? Eight pounds!" NORTHEAST PORTLAND B u t now , at le a s t t h e ir h e a lth c a r e c o s t s c a n he c o n t r o lle d Sound the trumpets, heat the drums. Someone has finally come up with afford able healthcare coverage fo r your children Like a rate of just $29.50 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 w e’ve done is base premiums strictly on the aver age medical expenses and needs o f kids, unlike most programs We've also form ed an alliance with the 80 affiliated physicians o f Legacy Emanuel Children's Hospital For details, contact your local independent insurance agent or call 1-800-762-4831 or 225- 4910 But don 't put it o ff The only thing predictable about kids is their unpredictability. NORTH PORTLAND Maranatha Church 4222 N.E. 12th (Enter on Skidmore) Sat. 9:30 am . Northminster Presbyterian 2833 N. Portland Blvd. Fellowship Hall Tues. 7:00 p.m Nationwide Insurance 919 N.E. 19th Ave. Wed. 11:45 a.m. University of Portland 5000 N. Willamette Blvd. Columbia Hall (Enter from Portsmouth) Wed. 4:45 p.m Tillamook Park Bldg. 2108 N.E. 41st Ave. Mon. 7:00 p.m. Tues. 7:00 p.m. Wed. 9:30 a.m. & 5:00 p.m. Thurs. 7:00 p.m. Fri. 9:30 a.m. Temple Baptist Church 1319 N.E. 7th, Fireside Room Tues. 12:00 Noon H JOIN ANY MEETING ANYTIME Legacy Emanuel Children's Hospital For Information Call Collect Weekdays 8:30a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (503) 297-1021 I This is Kathleen s experience As people vary, do does individual weight loss, maintenance and results ei< »4 WFIGHT WATCHFRSINTFRNATIONA1 INC , Owner ot the registered trademark All nghts reserved.
