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Doctor Assistants Are
Becoming Vital Link
Howard University and Africare have joined together in an effort to send a team of health workers and
a social worker to help the people of Rwanda. Standing (right to left) are; Dr. Jean Linzau, dean of the
College Howard University physician; Dr. Geraldine Brown, a member of the Howard College of
Nursing; and senior nursing students Dominique Pierre and Ann Rail (left). Dr. Dorothy Powell (second
from left) participated in the ceremony. Senior nursing students Marie-Paul Philogene will also go on
the mission.
Cancer Center Awarded $100,000
For Research On Breast Cancer
The “ 1994 National Race for
the Cure,” in cooperation with the
Susan G. Komen Foundation, has
aw arded the H ow ard U niversity
Cancer Center a $100,000 grant for
continuing a genetic study o f A fri­
can-American women and their fe­
male relatives aimed at identifying
high-risk relatives of breast cancer
patients.
Dr. Alfred L. Goldson, profes­
sor and chairm an of the Howard
U niversity departm ent o f rad io ­
therapy, is principal investigator of
the project.
Since 1990, more than 200 rela-
tives have been screened, offered
m am m ogram s where appropriate,
and they have been provided educa­
tional information as a result of the
program.
the grant will support G oldson’s
ongoing research on breast cancer,
with emphasis on testing for genetic
hypotheses and risk factors in A fri­
can-American women.
The 1994 National Race for the
Cure is the largest 5K race in the
world. This year over 20,000 people
ran, walked or wheeled in the effort
to raise public awareness about the
importance of early detection and
mammography in the fight against
breast cancer.
Since 1990 more than 70,000
people have supported the W ashing­
ton race and helped to raise more
than $3.1 m illion to fund research in
the local community and support the
national research programs of the
Susan G. Komen Breast Founda­
tion.
W ith the su p p o rt o f N atio n al
R ace fo r the C ure g ra n ts, local
h o sp ita l sc re e n in g , re se a rc h and
e d u c a tio n p ro g ra m s are h elp in g
to re a c h a la rg e u n d e rs e rv e d
p o p u la tio n .
Card Project To Benefit 25,000 Children
The Friends of Doernbecher vol­
unteer organization has launched its
fourth annual “C ards for K ids”
project to benefit more than 25,000
children who seek medical care at
D oernbecher C hildren’s Hospital
each year.
“Cards for Kids” are holiday
g re e tin g c a rd s d e sig n e d by
Doernbecher patients and their sib­
lings. A num berof professional Port­
land artists have also donated their
artwork for the cards. Hundreds of
Friends o f Doernbecher volunteers
have been working on the project all
year long.
All p ro c e e d s from the sale
w ill be used to help rep la c e the
a g in g
and
o v e rc ro w d e d
D o e rn b e c h e r fa c ility on the O r­
egon H ealth S cie n c e s U n iv e rsity
cam pus. U n d e rw ritin g to c o v e r
the c o sts o f the p ro je c t w as p ro ­
v id e d
by
P ayL ess,
D a in
B o sw orth, A m erican S how M a n ­
ag em en t, M a rk e tin g C o n c e p ts,
N o rd stro m , P ack o u z Je w e le rs,
C o lu m b ia M a c h in e a n d K ey
B ank.
Local retailers such as Payless,
Nordstrom, Emporium, Made in O r­
egon and Import Plaza will be sell­
ing “Cards for Kids.” A box of 25
cards will sell for $20. For more
information on how you can order
cards or for personal imprinting,
call the D oernbecher foundation at
203-7718. Outside Portland, call 1-
800-800-9583.
Whether in an inner city or a
rural health clinic, physician assis­
tants are becoming a critical link in
the delivery of primary health care.
“With increased competition be­
tween managed care plans, physician
assistants are proving to be a cost-
effective source of care for greater
numbers of patients,” said Carl Fasser,
director of the physician assistant pro­
gram at Bay lorCollege of Medicine in
Houston.
Adding a physician assistant to a
practice, Fasser says allows the physi­
cian to spend more time with prob­
lematic cases while shifting some of
the patient care to the assistant.
David Bartlett, a physician assis­
tant at an occupational/family prac­
tice office in Corpus Christi, Texas,
sees the diversity of his job as one of
the best benefits.
“At this practice, I see everything
clinics.
“Our PA graduates are well-pre­
pared to work in hospitals, specialty
clinics or general practices,” Fasser
said. “The current demand is defi­
nitely ambulatory and primary care.”
Bartlett had lOjob offers waiting
when he graduated. If he counts the
out-of-state offers, the number climbs
to 25.
Baylor’s 27-month program, one
o f three PA programs in Texas, en­
rolls 40 students each year. A m aster’s
level program, it requires entering
students to have a bachelor’s degree
and specified hours in the sciences
and humanities.
The occupation, Fasser says, of­
fers a professional medical career that
leaves room for a personal life.
“Right now we are being asked
for more physician assistants than we
can possibly train,” Fasser said.
from pediatrics to geriatrics,” said
Bartlett, who graduated from Baylor’s
program in 1991. “My day may range
from giving a safety lecture at a com­
pany to stitching a minor cut.”
Other standard responsibilities
include taking patient histories, giv­
ing physicals, identifying and manag­
ing patient problems and carrying out
therapies discussed with the physi­
cian.
“A PA provides a permanent in­
tern for the physician,” Bartlett said.
“After I see a patient, the doctor can
come in and work with the informa­
tion I have obtained.”
During training, PA students
study the basic sciences, preventive
medicine and public health. The sec­
ond year involves intense training in
medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstet-
rics/gynecology, psychiatry, em er­
gency medicine and community health
Smoking Linked To
Depression And Suicide
D uring the G reat A m erican
Sm okeout T hursday, m illions o f
Americans will attempt to crush out
their cigarettes for the last time, but
most who try to stop say they just
can’t.
A c c o r d i n g to M ic h a e l
R esnick, M .D ., p sy c h ia trist and
an e x p e r t in n ic o tin e w ith
P o rtla n d ’s P ro v id e n c e H ealth
S ystem , sm o k in g is lin k ed to
d e p re ssio n , and i t ’s the sm o k ­
ers w ith a h isto ry o f d e p re ssio n
w ho have the h a rd e st tim e q u it­
tin g on th e ir ow n.
“ N ic o tin e in flu e n c e s n e u ­
ro tra n sm itte rs in the b rain that
m o d u la te e m o tio n ; th e re fo re ,
sm o k in g m ay m ake som eo n e
w ho is d e p re sse d feel b e tte r -
and q u ittin g m ay trig g e r ad ­
verse w ith d ra w a l sy m p to m s in­
c l u d i n g d e p r e s s i o n , ” s a id
R esnick.
He ad d s th a t th o se w ho are
d e p re s s e d a lso are the le a st
lik ely to su c c e e d in sto p sm o k ­
ing p ro g ra m s, w ith only about
a six p e rc e n t su c c e ss rate a fte r
one year.
R e se a rc h a lso lin k s teen
su ic id e to sm o k in g . In O regon,
the 1993 Y outh R isk B e h a v io r
S u rvey fo u n d a stro n g a s s o c ia ­
tio n b etw een heavy c ig a re tte
sm o k in g and th o u g h ts o f su i­
v e rtisin g and peer p re ssu re c o n ­
tin u e to be the b ig g e st in flu e n c e s
on teen sm oking. T een ag ers have
a ten d en cy to w ard “risk -ta k in g
b e h a v io r s ,” and they w ro n g ly
b e lie v e they can e x p e rim e n t w ith
sm o k in g and n o t b e c o m e a d ­
d ic te d .
“W ith the social support that
the Great American Smokeout of­
fers, smokers want to quit can begin
the road to secession,” Resnick said.
c id e , e sp e c ia lly in g irls. M ore
th an th re e q u a rte rs o f g irls w ho
re p o rte d sm o k in g m ore than 20
c ig a re tte s per day had c o n s id ­
e re d su ic id e , and heavy sm o k ers
w ere far m o re lik e ly to be treated
for a su ic id e a tte m p t th an non-
sm o k ers. P h y sic ia n s are q u ic k to
e m p h a siz e th a t sm o k in g d o es not
ca u se su ic id e , but m ay be an in ­
d ic a to r o f d e p re ssio n .
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Reynolds And Reynolds Purchases
PD Medical Systems
The Reynolds and Reynolds Com­
pany announced that it has completed
the purchase of assets of privately
owned PD Medical Systems of Port­
land. Ore. Formerly Poorman-Dou-
glas Corp.. PD Medical Systems is a
provider of information management
systems for office-based physicians.
The company hits annual sales of
approximately $8 million. The pur­
chase price was not disclosed.
“The acquisition o f PD Medical
Systems is an important part of our
strategy to aggressively grow our
m edical system s business." said
David Holmes, chairman, president
and CEO of The R eynolds and
Reynolds Company. "PD Medical
Systems is a very successful com ­
pany with an excellent reputation
for custom er satisfaction Their sys­
tem has the industry's leading, most
com plete managed care capabilities.
M anaged care is undergoing rapid
growth throughout the country and
represents the future o f healthcare
d e liv e ry . PD M ed ical S y stem s
com plem ents our own strength in
healthcare systems. The broadened
capabilities w e've created by inte­
grating PD business with our own
NMC Services medical systems sub­
sidiary establishes us as a leading
provider of information systems to
the healthcare m arket, including
office- and hospital-based groups,
service bureaus and the fast em erg­
ing integrated healthcare delivery
netw orks.”
PD Medical Systems and NMC
Services will be merged to become
Reynolds and Reynolds Healthcare
Systems, a newly formed business
group to be headquartered in Day-
ton, Ohio.
Joe B ausm an, p re sid e n t o f
Reynolds' Computer Systems Divi­
sion, said Reynolds will maintain op­
erations in Portland and San Diego.
“O urgoalistocontinuetodrivehigher
levels of customer satisfaction and
aggressively grow our position in the
healthcare industry. The talented and
knowledgeable people we have in
Portland and San Diego will enable us
to drive the business forward.”
“The integration o f our busi­
ness with Reynolds is a very positive
move for PD Medical Systems and
our custom ers,” said John Douglas,
president o f PD Medical Systems
“The resources and skills required to
com pete in this business are grow ­
in g e v e ry day. As in te g ra te d
healthcare delivery networks and the
en tire m anaged care m ovem ent
builds momentum, physician needs
and system capabilities are becom ­
ing much more complex. As a result,
the information systems companies
serving the market must have the
industry knowledge, leading edge
products and the necessary resources
to continue to invest in the products
and services the healthcare industry
dem ands.”
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Book Profiles Black Pioneers In Medicine
“A fric a n -A m e ric a n M edical
P io n e e rs." a first-o f-its-k in d c o l­
lectio n o f p erso n al sto rie s, p h o ­
to g ra p h s and h isto ric a l d ata o f
the black men and w om en w ho
o p en ed the d o o rs in acad em ic
and o rg a n iz e d m e d ic in e , is now
a v a ila b le from B etz P u b lish in g
C o. at an in tro d u c to ry price.
"This long-awaited book is a
true inspiration." said Elizabeth
Angel, publisher. "The remarkable
achievements of these pioneers stand
as a reminder of the important role
that African-Americans have played
in helping to shape the future o f all
health professions."
Charles H. Epps, Jr., dean of the
Howard University College of Medi­
cine, wrote the collection with co­
authors Audrey L. Vaughan, uni­
versity public information officer and
Davis G. Johnson of the Association
of American Medical Colleges.
The book includes photographs
and biographical sketches of 33
medical pioneers Biographies are
primarily based upon actual inter­
views with the 31 living pioneers
Such le a d e rs as L ouis W.
Sullivan, the first African-Ameri­
can secretary of the U S Depart
ment of Health and Human Services
and Gertrude C.T Hunter, the first
director of health services for Head
Start, discuss their obstacles and
disappointm ents as well as the sup­
port they received from family and
friends.
The book also includes histori­
cal articles tracing A frican-A m eri­
can youth into medicine and sci­
ence, and information on the 15
predominantly black U S. medical
schools and their graduates.
“ In itials sales have already
shown us the book will quickly be­
come a classroom standards as well
as a popular gift item,” said Jim
Angel. Betz Publishing marketing
executive.
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