P age A5
T he P ortland O bserver • O ctober 19, 1994
New Physicians Join Bess
Kaiser Medical Center
Jean Marie Lien, MD, and Vicki
Sands, MD, have joined the Kaiser
Permanente medical group Both will
practice at Bess Kaiser Medical C en
ter, 5055 N. Greeley Blvd.
Dr. Lien practices perinatology
in the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive
Care Unit. She completed her medi
cal education at Jefferson Medical
College in Philadelphia and an in
ternship and residency at the M edi
cal Center of Delaware. She went on
to serve a fellowship in M aternal-
fetal m edicine at the University of
California, Irvine. A native of Taipei,
Taiwan, Dr. Lien is board certified
in obstetrics and gynecology.
Born and raised in Oregon, Dr.
Sands practices at emergency medi
cine. She is a graduate o f Oregon
Health Sciences Uni versity and went
on to com plete an internship and
residency at Stanford University and
K aiser P erm an en te S anta C lara
Medical Center, both in California.
Bess Kaiser Medical Center is
one of tw o Kaiser Permanente non
profit community hospitals serving
more than 380,000 people in North
west Oregon and Southwest W ash
ington.
Of CPC-111 In Sickle Cell Crisis
Cypros Pharmaceutical Corp.,
a development-stage company, re
ported that it has com pleted its
preclinical analysis o f CPC-1 I l ’s
effects on sickle cell disease and has
concluded that a Phase II trial of
CPC-111 in patients in sickle cell
crisis is warranted.
Paul J. M arangos, chairm an and
chief executive officer, commented:
“This analysis is part of our ongoing
efforts to investigate all of our pat
ented indications o f C P C -1 1 1. We
believe that this drug can ameliorate
the horrible effects o f sickle cell
disease. If this is borne out in our
Dr. Jean Marie Lien is one of the new physicians at Bess Kaiser
Medical Center.
discovered that infertile smoking
women have a “significantly in
creased risk of diminished ovarian
reserve” — an indirect measurement
of the number of eggs remaining in
the ovaries. They ascertained the
number of ovarian eggs by testing
the women with the clomiphene cit
rate (or CC) challenge test, which
causes the body to produce follicle
stim ulating horm one (com m only
know as FSH), and is used to gauge
the ability o f a woman to become
pregnant.
The evidence that smoking im
pairs fertility corresponds with other
known risks o f smoking to women,
including irregular menstrual cycles,
and an earlier-than-average onset of
m en o p au se. C o n ta c t: D r. Fady
S h arara, (3 1 2 ) 9 9 6 -7 4 3 0 ; Judy
Folkenberg, (301) 496-1766. (Fer
tility and Sterility, Vol. 62, NO. 2,
August 1994, pp. 257-62)
Volunteer Opportunities Available
Portland Multnomah Com m is
sion on Aging is looking for volun
teers to serve as S.A.F.E. Om buds
man (Special Advocates For Elders).
These volunteers assist seniors liv
ing in housing projects resolve con
cerns over housing issues. There are
15 public housing projects in M ult
nomah County. A one year com m it
ment is required, with a need to visit
clients once a week. Professional
training will be given in areas such as
elder abuse, conflict and problem
resolution, effective communication,
etc. This is a first in the nation - will
provide nationwide model.
P ortland A dventist M edical
C enter’s “Health For Life" Depart
ment needs assistants in their Health
Van which goes to various locations
in Portland. Volunteers help by greet
ing and registering people, talking to
them about health issues, if possible,
and making them feel comfortable.
Any medical knowledge or experi
ence will help but is not a require
ment. Choose your own hours and
days.
Oregon Health Division - Pri
mary Care Program is looking for
Phone Surveyors to call physicians’
offices to get answers to a two-page
survey which is designed to measure
the availability of physicians through
out the state to serve special popula
tions. These special populations in
clude low income, M edicaid clients,
seasonal m igrants and hom eless
people. This phoning can be done at
the volunteers’ homes and/or at the
State Building, 800 NE Oregon St.
any morning or afternoon shift, M on
day through Friday.
If interested or seeking more
information, please contact Helen
W ahl, RSVP, at 229-7787. RSVP is
a part of the Corporation for National
and Community Service and is spon
sored locally by Legacy Health Sys
tem at Good Samaritan Hospital &
Medical Center.
Health Tips For October, 1994
Kids are back in school. For
m any children, this means being
home alone after school while their
parents are at work. For many par
ents. it means concerns about how
safe their children are when they're
home on their own.
“The American Academy of Pe
diatrics recom m ends that children
under 13 should not be left alone,”
says Virginia Feldman, MD, chief of
pediatrics for Bess Kaiser Medical
Center in North Portland. “Even
teens are at greater risk for poorer
health when they're unsupervised.
Studies show that such teens are
more likely to be involved in sexual
activities and drug use. W ell-orga
nized after-school activities, such as
sports, can reduce these risks.”
W hat's a parent to do when such
programs aren't available .’ "How you
talk with your kids when you're there
has a lasting effect when you're not
there,” says Dr. Feldman. "The same
studies show that teens have lower
rates of drug use and pregnancy when
their parents discuss their values with
them, and know where they are and
what they're doing."
To help your children be safe
when you aren't there:
• Stay in touch - call them fre
quently from work.
• Have them call you if they go to a
friend's house or make some other
change of plans.
• If there are guns in the house, keep
them locked up and store the am
munition in a separate place.
• Have them take a “home alone”
safety class - many school offer
them.
“It's also important to have an
exit plan in case o f fire,” says Dr.
Feldman, “and to make sure they
know how to reach 911, relatives or
neighbors, and how to give their
com plete address. Practice with your
youngster. Many kids, even older
ones, do n ’t know how to give essen
tial information, yet it’s as impor
tant for help to reach them as it is for
them to call for help.”
Oregon Receives Cancer Prevention Grant
Lives o f women in Oregon will
be saved, thanks to a $7.5 million
federal grant that recen tly was
awarded to Oregon Health Division
The Centers for Disease Control
grant will provide breast and cervical
cancer screening to thousands ol
women who have low incomes and
have no public or private insurance
coverage Health Division will dis
tribute the funds in conjunction with
the Oregon Breast and Cervical Can
cer Coalition at a rate of $1.5 million
per year for five years
Lolly Champion. Co-Chair ot the
Oregon Breast & Cervical Cancer Coa
clinical trials, then it will be possible
for the company to market C P C -111
sooner than expected.”
Sickle cell disease is a genetic
disorder. A patient needs two genes
to have the disease in its full-blown
form. Patients with one sickle cell
gene are carriers for the disease and
can pass the disease on to their chil
dren. but do not have the crisis them
selves.
Sickle cell disease is principally
restricted to African Americans and
some Americans of M editerranean
origin. It is estimated that up to 8
percent o f African Americans are
carriers o f the disease.
The disease is caused by defec
tive red blood cells, which not only
carry oxygen inadequately around
the body, but also form an abnormal
sickle shape. Sickled red cells then
plug up small blood vessels, causing
various degrees of ischemia (lack of
oxygen) in the organs that those
vessels supply.
A recent paper in the New En
gland Journal of M edicine reported
on an independent epidemiological
study that showed the median life
span is shortened in patients with
two sickle cell disease genes.
Rising Gun Ownership May Lead
To More Teen Suicides
Smoking Reduces The Chances
Of Becoming Pregnant
Women who Smoke are three
times more likely than nonsmokers
to have high levels of a hormone that
indicates that they have fewer eggs
available for pregnancy. In the study,
supported by the National Institute
o f Child Health and Human D evel
opment (NICHD), Dr. Eady Sharara
and his colleagues studied 210 infer
tile women between the ages of 35-
39; 65 o f the women smoked and 145
had never smoked. The investigators
Plans Announced For
Phase II Clinical Trial
lition emphasized the importance of this
grant. “This isoneof the I argest grants for
women's health the state ol Oregon has
ever received. Our hope is that it will
make breast and cervical cancer screen
ing a reality lor all women in Oregon.”
Screenings will begin early next
year in Mai ion. Multnomah and Union
Counties and will expand to other
counties over the next five years. In
addition, the Health Div ision will col
laborate with the Northwest Portland
Area Indian Health Board to make
screening sei vices available to Native
American women The grant funds
w ill also be used to expand public and
professional awareness of the value of
early detection & screening.
At least 17% o f Oregon women
age 50 and older have never had a
mammogram. Approximately 17%
of women age 18 and older have not
had a Pap test in the past three years
During 1994. an estimated 2.100
women will be diagnosed with breast
cancer and an estimated 170 women
will be diagnosed with cervical can
cer However, regular screening in
creases the possibility of early detec
tion and saves lives. If these diseases
are found in time, the cure rate ap
proaches 100%.
M ore and more O regonians are
buying guns to protect their families
against crime. The tragedy is that
bringing a gun into the home may
increase the possibility of a teenage
family m em ber succeeding in kill
ing themselves.
In 1992, close to 7(X) O rego
nians under age 20 tried to kill them
selves. M ost took sleeping pills or
poison or tied slashing their wrists.
Teenagers who tried those methods
usually survived. However, when
young people picked up guns, the
chances they would die increased
greatly. O f 34 teenagers who shot
themselves, 28 died.
That frightens Kaiser Peimanente
pediatrician Virginia Feldman, MD.
who practices in North Portland. “Fire
arms were used in only 5 percent of all
- reported suicide attempts in Oregon,
but they account for 70 percent of all
suicide deaths,” says Dr. Feldman.
"The reason is sad but simple. Bullets
are effective.”
Youth suicide rates in Oregon
have risen dramatically over the past
two generations. From the late 1950s
to the 1990s. the suicide death rate
among high-school-age teenagers
bal looned from 2.8 death per 100,000
teens to 17.8. For boys 15 to 19, the
rate has climbed even higher, to 28.7
completed suicides per 100.000 teen
agers.
Having more guns around can
only worsen the situation, cautions
Dr. Feldman. “Teens are impulsive.
If there’s a gun in the home, a sui
cidal teenager will be tempted to use
it instead of a less lethal method.
Instead of seeing their child wake up
in the hospital with bandaged wrists
or their stomach pumped, parents
will be mourning the senseless death
of their child,” says Dr. Feldman.
She advises parents o f teenag
ers to:
• Remember that not all teenag
ers who attempt suicide show recog
nizable signs beforehand. Parents
may be wrong if they think they can
predict when a gun might pose a
danger to their teenager.
• Keep guns out of the home, at
least until teenagers have moved
out. If you don’t want to part perma
nently with a gun, store it with a
friends or relatives who don’t have
children or teenagers.
• Be aware that gun safety rules
for children - keeping your gun in a
locked place with bullets stored sepa
rately — may not deter an older youth.
Teenagers are more resourceful.
(Eltc IJ o r tla n i» (© b se v u c r
welcomes health articles from the community.
If possible, please include photos.
H ealth F
James L. Phillips, M.D.
ocus
Baylor College of Medicine in Houston
Make organ donation a life-saving responsibility
When it comes to organ dona
tion, many African-Americans have
serious misgivings.
Because of a hesitancy to do
nate organs, the African-American
community is suffering from a lack
of compatible organs. For example,
in 1993 here in the Houston area. 26
percent of people on w aiting lists for
organs were Blacks, while only 10
percent o f organ donations cam e
from African-Americans.
T his is im portant since graft
survival (how successful the organ
“takes” to the recipient) is higher
when organs are transplanted within
the same ethnic group.
The best "m atch" for African-
Americans are organs from African-
A m erican s. U n fo rtu n a te ly , this
more desirable match does not occur
often enough.
W hy are w e so re lu c ta n t to
donate organs?
Perhaps it's a misunderstanding
of the organ remov al process itself.
M any people b elie v e that organ
removal will disfigure the body or
th at the d e c e a se d has " s u ffe re d
enough"
In truth, organs are only re
m o v ed upon c o n se n t o f fam ily
m e m b e rs o r w ith p re -a rra n g e d
consent o f the donor through the
signing o f an organ donor card or
some other document that conveys
consent. That's why it's important
for you to discuss your wishes with
your family. You can explain that
removal of organs does not disfigure
and open casket funeral services can
still be held.
Family members of people who
have suffered long illnesses may see
organ donation as "continuing the
pain." While this seems illogical, I
certainly understand the fa m ily 's
concern in not w anting additional
complications. But in truth, organ
donation can vastly improve quality
of life, and often saves lives of the
recipients.
Given the facts, it’s easy to see
why organ donation is necessary.
Nationally, A frican-A m ericans are
the la rg e st m in o rity g ro u p on
w aitin g lists fo r d o n o r k id n ey s.
Even though we make up only 12
percent of the U.S. population, we
account for 34 percent of all kidney
failure patients.
A ccording to the U nited N et
w ork fo r O rg an S h a rin g , b lack
p atien ts w ho su ffe r from kidney
failure wait twice as long as their
w hite c o u n te rp a rts fo r a kidney
transplant. In most cases, African-
American organ recipients depend
on kidneys from cadavers instead of
living donors.
T hat’s why know ing the facts
about organ d o n a tio n is cru c ia l.
Here are a few com m on questions
about organ donation:
W/n- should I donate my organs?
M any d ise a se s that hit A frican -
Americans especially hard can lead
to a need for transplantation. For
instance, high blood pressure can
eventually cause kidney failure. In
fact, blacks with high blixxl pressure
arc seven tim e s m ore p ro n e to
k id n ey fa ilu re th an th e ir w hite
counterparts. It’s possible you may
be the one to benefit from a donated
organ.
W hat w ill it c o st?
charge for donation
T h e re is no
Will signing a don or ca rd affect
medical treatm ent I receive while
alive? No. It would be extremely
unethical and illegal to offer you
anything but the best o f care ju st
because you have dem onstrated a
willingness to donate organs upon
your death.
Which organs can I donate? You
can d o n a te o rg a n s an d tis s u e s
including the heart, lungs, liver,
kidneys and pancreas, as well as the
corneas, bones and skin.
/Joes organ donation really make a
difference? You have an opportu
nity to bring happiness out of a time
o f grief. By donating your organs,
you can make it possible for others
to live healthy, productive lives.
Will it conflict with m y religion?
M ost m ainstream P ro testan t and
Catholic churches support it. D o
nating your organs is an individual
decision. H ow ever, if you have
some concerns, talk to your clergy
man.
What do I have to do to become a
donor? Discuss it with your family
and sign an organ donor card in the
presence of two witnesses. You can
in d ic a te y o u r w ish e s w hen you
renew your driver's license. Talk to
your local m otor v eh icle license
bureau, or an organ donation group
in your area.
The reasons for not donating
organs are many and usually result
from fears, m isunderstandings and
lack of information. April 17-23 is
National Organ Transplantation and
Donation Awareness W eek. Take
the time »o find out more about this
precious gift. Organ donation is one
of the most generous acts o f kind
ness that you can do for another. •
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