Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, March 15, 1995, Page 4, Image 4

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    M arch
P age z \4
Homelessness: The State Of
Portland’s Very Poor
Speakers: Gretchen Kafoury. Portland City Commissioner;
Jean DeMaster, Director. Multnomah County Adult Home Care
\\ here w ere y ou during those
frozen m id-February ev en in g s?
Were you at home, watching the
snow pile steadily on the front lawn
from behind a foggy livingroom
w indow?
Y ou're one o f the lucky ones.
For many o f us, on our daily
stroll through the streets o f Port­
land's downtown, it’s become too
easy to ignore the uncomfortable sight
o f the people we pass - people with­
out front lawns, without livingroom
windows, without homes...
W ithout hope.
This week, Jean DeMaster and
Gretchen Kafoury. two o f Portland's
leading advocates for the homeless,
and two designers o f I9 9 4 ’s Shelter
Reconfiguration Plan, will address
the ongoing plight o f the homeless
in Portland, and will "chart a new
course for the next phase o f work.'
Benson Hotel, May fair Room.
Program 12:15-1 15 pm Luncheon
reservations and cancellations, call
222-2582 by 2 pm Thursday. March
16; S il members, $15 non-mem­
bers Coffee tickets available at the
door, limited free seating in back.
Hopson: Portland’s Prince Of Hope
Continued from front
▲
giate and employment opportunities
for high school students, serving
about 80 students.
Following a successful second
summer camp, which catered to mid­
dle school students, a new program
through Portland public schools was
created to provide academic moni­
toring and in-school instruction for
the camp students.
SEI launched into the Columbia
Villa Youth Projectin 1086. extend­
ing their services to about 300 stu­
dents. These sessions were the basis
for S E l’s a t-risk p ro g ra m s. It
launched its current year-round pre­
vention programs in 1088, serving
co-ed students at Ockley Green, Tub­
man. and Whitaker middle schools
and Jefferson High School. In 1080,
the agency began its elementary
school program s at B oise-Elliot.
Humboldt, and Woodlawn Schools
"Everything has continued to
grow We serve about 700 kids a
year," Hopson said, wryly, as if im­
plying they could do better.
The service SEI provides are
free. And over the years SEI has
garnered many awards.
The organization was named one
o f President George B ush's " 1 hou-
sand Points o f Light" for outstanding
community service in 1090. It re­
ceived the "Oregon Award for Pub­
lic Service" and has been named one
o f the top 20 community -based pro­
grams in the country by the national
office o f Drug Control and Policy .
•The agency also won an aw ard
from Bishop A.L. Hardy Academy
o f Theology.
In spite o f these glorious recog­
nitions, Hopson said his joy does not
lie in the numbers o f aw ards, but in
the number o f kids w hose lives have
been changed for better.
“ I'm ex c ite d b e c a u se w e 'v e
been able to c re a te opportunity
and o p tio n s for the less p riv i­
le g e d ," he said
Hopson said he's trying to keep
it simple and run it with high degree
o f integrity'.
"W e want to be extremely pro­
fessional while still maintaining our
cultural identity," he enthused.
SE I's success story, according
to Hopson, is a combined effort.
"This is not about Tony Hopson,
our success is due to a lot o f people,
many o f which have gone.’’ He was
referring to past leaders Ray Leary,
Joy Leary , Antoinette Edwards, Phil
Hopson and Zack Harris. But he
stressed that the efforts o f SETs cur­
rent leadership o f Marshall Haskins,
Ricki Allen, Brenda Polk, Steve
Adams, Les Harrison and Richard
Fortson will keep SEI rolling.
FREEBIES
Public Relations Is Key
To Business Success
The Public Relations Society of
America offers the following advice
to com panies looking for a PR rep­
resentative or firm.
• Consider your PR as an invest­
ment rather than an expense.
• Find a PR firm that represents
com panies sim ilar in size to your
own, and ask for the firm ’s experi­
ence in dealing w ith your field or
commercial area.
For more advice on public rela­
tions, write to PRSA at 33 Irving
Place. Dept. NU, New York, NY
10003-2376. (News USA)
T he P or h and O bse rver
15, 1995
PACC And-HFEN Join Forces For
Regional Health Care
PACC Health Plans ( PACC) and
the Health Future Enterprises N et­
work, Inc. (HFEN) announced today
that the two organizations have signed
a letter o f intent to form a joint ven­
ture company to create a community -
based, integrated health care deliv­
ery system throughout Oregon and
parts o f W ashington H FEN ’s part­
nership base includes hospitals and
physician groups in 16 Oregon com ­
munities. PACC is a regional man­
aged health care organization with
more than 105,000 members in O re­
gon and Washington.
"Our primary goals is to build a
unique, locally-based health care
delivery system which serves the
health care needs o f its members and
improves the health o f the communi­
ties in which we live and work," said
John Meenaghan, H FEN 's president
“We have conducted an extensive
review looking for the right partner,
and PACC’s vision for how to make
this delivery system come alive far
exceeded its competitors."
Martin Preizler, PACC’s presi­
dent and CEO, said the plan is for the
two organizations to complete a de­
finitive agreement and business plan
for the new joint company by April
15. "W'e believe this is a tremendous
opportunity to create a new way of
delivering and financing health care.
We want to bring the physicians, the
hospitals, and insurers, and commu­
nities together as partners," Preizler
said. "Health care decisions need to
be made at the local level, and we
intend to create a company which is
customer focused and quality driv­
en.”
The letter of intent outlines a pro­
posal to create a company dedicated to
improving health care access and de­
livery throughout Oregon.
Thejoint company will be equal­
ly owned by PACC and the HFEN
providers. A board o f directors will
be formed with equal representation
from PACC, the hospital partners,
and the physician partners. Manage­
ment for the new joint company will
be determined during the business
planning.
“ PACC will provide strong ad­
ministrative, marketing, and finan­
cial services, as well as strategic plan­
ning and state-of-the-art information
and reporting systems, to the new
venture in order to allow the physi­
cians and hospital staffs to dedicate
as much time as possible to doing
what they do best -- work with pa­
tients," Preizler stated.
“ We envision creating one o f
very few truly integrated delivery
systems dedicated to better serving
the health care needs o f our commu­
nities," Meenaghan added. "This is
not merely a contractual agreement;
it is a true partnership which brings
together the key facets o f an integrat­
ed health care system."
Discount Bus Pass Program
Signs Of Success
A newly launched program de­
signed to persuade more Portland
State University students, faculty
and staff to take mass transit is
showing early signs o f success.
PSU’s Transportation and Park­
ing Services Office Sold about 2,500
discounted monthly bus passes to
PSU students and employees from
late December through January 20.
That far exceeds the first-month sales
goal of 1,500 bus passes, said Sandy
Arnold, manager o f the Transporta­
tion and parking office.
“W e’ve definitely seen chang­
es in people’s driving habits. W e’ve
seen a number o f people canceling
their parking permits,” said Arnold,
who added that February bus pass
sales have remained strong since
they went on sale Jan. 20.
The all-zone monthly bus pass­
es sell for $21.50, half the normal
price. During the first month o f sales,
2,240 PSU students. 151 staff mem­
bers and 134 faculty members bought
the discounted tickets. Another 50 or
so people bought senior-age (hon­
ored citizen), youth, or other passes.
“ As people continue to find out
about this program by word-of-mouth
and other means, we really anticipate
sales increases,” Arnold said. “Once
the program is in full swing, we antic­
ipate selling 4,500 to 5,000 o f the
discounted passes a month."
Since December, Arnold said,
about 40 staff and faculty members
had canceled their monthly parking
permits, replacing them with newly
purchased discounted bus passes.
“And that’s just the start.” she added.
The experimental discount bus
pass program will extend through
Mar. 3 1 ,1996, although it will be re­
evaluated sometime this summer and
again this fall.
While the number o f discount
.pass buyers has been encouraging, a
significant number likely are per­
sons who norm ally w ould buy
monthly Tri-Met passes at regular
prices.
“ W e’re looking topickup 1,200
new riders over the course o f this
program. It’s hard to tell w hat’s
happening so far," said Jon Weaver,
Tri-Met marketing representative.
“ But PSU is the largest destination
per capita downtown. From a re­
gional standpoint, it makes sense for
us to merge w ith PSU on this ty pe of
a program.
-
... .
_
■
presenting
The Second Annual
Hiss Black Oregon LISA Banque!
Please Call:
Sam Dean
At 287-9249
For
Reservations
Sponsored By
Doris Cafe
& Lounge
At 3 52 NE
Russell
APR
Special Rate Good Through 12/31/95
10.79’
Non-Promotional Rate
Home Equity Rates
TooGoodToPassUp.
So come into your nearest West One branch today and apply, or
call us at 1-800-578-7778 to apply for a home equity line of credit
over the phone. Once you apply, you’ll get an answer quickly.
Other terms and rates are available.
J fE S T Q N E
BANK
April 1st
7:00 p.m.
Primary
Sponsor:
Seating Is
Limited,
Tickets Are
$10.00
Fortiani»
(íDbserücr
O ffe r e x p ire . A p r,I 29. 1995 A ll rite s shown ,n effect « o f 3 /0 7 /9 5 Rates may v a n after > *731Z95 M a rtm u m APR fo r reT lv ,n «
line ,s 18 00% APRs w ith fixe d rate loan optio n s range fro m 1 1 03% to 11 53% w ith m a xim u m s o f 16 ' to |
'i*e p en ing
on term and size o f loan C ustom e r pays norm al c losing costs w h ic h may range Iro m $150 to $ 5 0 Annual fee is $ 6. per year
Fixed rate loan o p tio n fee is $50 after the firs t o p tio n M a x im u m c o m m itm e n t SZOO.i»«)
Come Meet Donna Knight
Miss Black Oregon USA, 1995!
t=ï
f
I
f
’ F'-.' 'T'• BS
A
•
t
1
»