Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, March 29, 1995, Page 6, Image 6

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

    M arch
P ag i A ò
29, 1995 • Tin PoRii and
O bsi rvi r
HEALTH
North Portland Physicians Honored
Two area doctors, David Hill,
an internist at Kaiser Permanente
and Robert McFarlane, who recently
retired from his surgical practice at
Kaiser, hav e been honored for excel­
lence by the health organization.
H ill and his w ife, w ho is also
a p h y sic ia n , v o lu n te e r se v e ra l
nig h ts a m onth at the H ealth H elp
C linic in n o rth P o rtla n d . T hey
also have h elp ed c h ild re n in p ro ­
d u c tio n s o f Pham e, a P o rtla n d
o rg a n iz a tio n p ro v id in g th e a tre
e x p e rie n c es for p e o p le w ith d is ­
a b ilitie s.
McFarlane has been a volunteer
physician for the Y M C A 's cardiac
rehabilitation program and president
o f the Portland Surgical Society.
He has worked with Physicians
for Social Responsibility, a group
Dr, Robert McFarlane
Dr. David Hill
whose peace-prom oting activities
brought it the Nobel Peace Prize in
1985.
Others receiving distinguished
physician aw ards were Richard Bills,
internal medicine: Scott Feurer, fam­
ily practice; and Kathleen Holahan,
pathology.
"Kid Safe" To Address Emergencies
•‘It is a well-known fact that ac­
cidents are a leading cause o f death
for young children. Many o f these
deaths and thousands o f injuries are
preventable if children are taught
basic safety skills.
This issue will be addressed at
the ninth annual Kid Safe program, a
free health and safety program, sched­
uled for Saturday, April 1.
A ccording to David Rianda,
executive director o f a sponsoring
organization. Northwest O steopath­
ic Medical Foundation, Kid Safe of­
fers a chance to learn simple ways to
stay safe.
“ Whether children are a home
alone, ridingtheir bikes in their neigh-
borhoods, encountering a stranger,
they need to know how to react in
emergency situations," Rianda said.
Kid Safe will teach children,
ages four to 12, those skills neces­
sary to cope with emergencies and
how to avoid dangerous situations.
Kid Safe will be held at two
sites, from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Lent
S chool, 5105 S.E. 97th and at
M cLoughlin Junior High School.
14450 S.E. Johnson Rd . Milwaukie.
Parents need to preregister their chil­
dren by calling 699-5366 and chil­
dren under 10 must be accompanied
by an adult
Offering a wide array o f interac­
tive classes. Kid Safe provides in­
struction in first aid. bike and traffic
safety, stranger danger, drug and al­
cohol aw areness and tire safety,
among others. Additional program
components include obtaining fin­
gerprints, identification photos, and
taking part in a mock hospital roleplav
area and touring emergency vehi­
cles.
Each participant will also take
home a Kid Safe booklet, the "Trail
Guide to Safety.”
Parents have frequently praised
this program as a "great learning
experience for both children and par­
ents." Kid Safe is offered as a public-
service as part o f a program by the
National Child Safety Council.
Issues In Managed Mental Health Care
Built into the managed health
care system in America is the poten­
tial for major conflicts o f interests,
arising from the opposing needs,
rights and obligations o f the client/
patient, the managerial entity (C.G, a
health maintenance organization -
HMO). the care provider (e.g., phy­
sician, clinician) and even, in some
cases, the public or society itself.
Portland State University zeroes
in on managed mental health care
during an all-day workshop Friday,
April 2 1 ,8 a m. - 4:30 p.m. in Room
338 o f Smith Center (1825 SW
Broadway). Parents, physicians, at­
torneys, and clinicians, as well as
representatives from nearly every
managed health care organization,
will discuss “Ethical and Legal Is­
sues in Managed Mental Health Care:
Conflicts o f Interest in the Prov ider
Client Relationship."
“The goal o f the workshop is to
educate mental health providers to
recognize, analyze and respond to
conflicts o f interest in their clinical
practice under managed mental health
care,” says program director and con­
ference chair Trish Backlar. “Clients
belong to a vulnerable population
whose decision-making capacity may
ebb and flow . Some have no one to
speak to their interests; others may
have families who participate as in­
formal caregivers. This workshop is
especially timely since the Oregon
Health Plan is currently under scruti­
ny.”
For a conference brochure, call
725-8500. Registration is S85; call
725-4832.
‘QXI je ÿ a rtla n h (Observer
A Warning
On Baby
Bottles And
Cavities
March 10 has prompted doctors, re­
searchers and medical associations
across the country to speak out in
defense ofcalcium channel blockers.
The National Heart, Lung and
Blood Institute issued a statement
saying, “This type o f study, although
useful, cannot provide definitive in­
formation on the effectiveness and
long-term safety o f a class o f drugs.
Finn conclusions can only come from
long-term randomized clinical trials.
Therefore, only if the University o f
W ashington's study findings are con­
firmed in a clinical trial, will we
know for sure that this class o f drugs
is tied to an increased risk o f heart
attack.”
"Calcium channel blockers have
been shown to be the most effective
drug therapy for African Americans,"
Dr. Reed explained and added, "It
would be a tragedy if this small case
control study, which is by no means
definitive, caused an estimated 5.3
million African Americans currently
on calcium channel blockers to aban­
don the medication that controls
their high blood pressure."
African A merican men and
women and more likely to suiter
from high blood pressure than their
white counterparts. Contributing
factors are believed to be too much
o f the follow ing factors by them­
selves or in combinations: salt in the
diet, stress, weight or alcohol.
"W hile sm all retrospective
studies my result in new important
discoveries, one needs to be cau­
tious in interpreting the results. More
research is needed in this areas,
said Dr Reed.
The National Heart, Lung and
Blood Institute is currently conduct­
ing a definitive study to investigate
this important issue.
For additional information. Dr.
Reed urges patients to contact the
International Society o f Hyperten­
sion in Blacks in Atlanta at (404)
875-6263.
Tiny Gowns Go To Preemies At Emanuel
Folks from Cynthia’s Sew ing
Center in Gresham made an extra
special delivery recently when they
brought 550 preemie gowns and 50
caps to the Neonatal Special Care
Unit at Legacy Emanuel Children's
Hospital, 2801 N. Gantenbein.
The tiny gowns are the fruits of
the labor o f v o lu n te e rs from
throughout Oregon w ho participat­
ed in Cy nthia’s first annual Sew-a-
Thon.
Owner Katy Fellows and Sew-
a-thon Coordinator Lynda Albright
had read about a similar event in a
sewing newsletter and had hoped to
r -
produce 250 gowns to donate to
mothers who have a difficult time
finding tiny clothes for their prema­
ture babies. The results exceeded
their wildest expectations!
Neonatal unit manager Karen
Waske said the gift means a more
normal environment for babies who
spend their first days in a hospital
setting.
“All babies like to be dressed
and swaddled and surrounded by
warmth and security. Clothes o f this
quality for premature babies are hard
to find and very expensive. This do­
nation will help us meet the needs of
all the smallest babies we see in our
unit.” Waske said.
She said dressing the babies is
also a tremendous boost for the par­
ents. Babies in clothing seem more
’norm al,' and this helps the parents
prepare for the day they can take
their baby home.
The care unit is the largest of its
kind in Oregon, providing a compre­
hensive range o f services for it, new­
borns, including premature infants,
infants with congenital defects who
require comprehensive diagnostics
and treatment, general surgery, car­
diac surgery and specialized care.
i
Advertise in
(Cite
^ o r tla n h
ffib s c r u c r
Call 503-288-0033
_______________J
Prices effective March 29 through A pril 4,1995 at your nearby Safeway store
Boneless Beef
Top Sirloin Steak
Valu Pack, 3 or More
S m aller Packages, 2 .6 9 Lb
SAVE UP T 0 1.30 LB.
rw- *
says healthy baby teeth are important
for proper chewing, and, in some
areas, reservingspace for adult teeth
“ Keep giving baby all the milk
and nutritious juices it needs. But
when the teeth first come in start
using a damp warm cloth to wipe the
teeth and gums after meals, says Dr
Bone-In Beel
<11
■*
He also suggests:
-
Rib Eye Steak A 399
- „
J f
• Valu Pack, 4 or More
• SAVE UP TO 1.40 LB.
Snyder
• Never give a baby a bottle at
A leading expert in hyperten­
sion among African Americans cau­
tioned patients to continue taking
their medication despite a recent
study claiming an increased heart
attack risk for patients on calcium
channel blockers. Approximately
eight million African Americans
are diagnosed with hy pertension.
"Patients should not stop tak­
ing their high blood pressure med­
ication without consulting their phy­
sician," advised Dr. James Reed,
p ro fe sso r o f m e d ic in e at the
Morehouse School o f Medicine and
president o f the International Soci­
ety of Hypertension in Blacks.
"In fact, discontinuing the med­
ication could place patients at much
greater risk for increased blood pres­
sure and even a heart attack or
stroke," he added.
Widespread consumerconcern
about researched presented at an
American Heart Association Coun­
cil of Epidemiology meeting on
Sizzling Steak Sale
Leaving a baby at naps or bed­
time with a bottle filled with juice or
milk may be inviting baby bottle
syndrome - a pattern o f cavities in
baby teeth.
According to Kaiser Permanente
dentist John Snyder, DMD, himself
the father o f preschoolers, decay oc­
curs when baby teeth are exposed
frequently or for prolonged periods
to liquids containing sugar - such as
milk, fruit juices or soft drinks. Fre­
quently dipping a pacifier in honey,
sugar or syrup, can cause the same
problem.
Cavities in baby teeth are cause
for concern Dr. Snyder, who works
at Kaiser Perm anente's Sunset M ed­
ical Office in W ashington County ,
bedtime.
• Use cool water it a bottle is
needed between regular feedings to
comfort a baby or keep it from dehy­
H ypertension Patients
Told To Continue Medicine
■ ■
Lb.
Oregon Grown
Mushrooms
•White or
•Brown Crimini
drating;
• Consider getting your child
fluoride treatment lor more cavity-
resistant teeth
Look In Your This Week Magazine
for our weekly Saleway Savings Guide!
Enjoy Extra Savings With The
EXTRA in-Store
Safeway Savings Guide
Available al your Safeway store.
I
•
•*
• •A*
A ,