P \< ii A4
M ay
3, 1995 • Tut
P ortl and O bserver
H E A LTH
What Does Biotechnology Mean? Hope
By Larry Lucas
What pops into your mind when
you hear the word “biotech
nology"? New ways to grow food?
The dinosaurs o f the movie,
“Jurassic Park"?
Biotechnology is a lot of things,
but, to me, the most important thing
about this new scientific technique
is that it holds out the promise of
cures for cancer and other diseases.
Drug developers are using biotech
nology to get a better understand
ing of how disease works—and to
stop it in its tracks.
Some 24 biotechnology medi
cines are already on the market—
medicines for heart disease, multi
ple sclerosis, the kind of anemia
suffered by patients of kidney dial
ysis, cystic fibrosis, hemophilia
and other diseases. And 234 more
medicines are in the pipeline,
according to a March 1995 survey
by the Pharmaceutical Research
and Manufacturers of America.
Biotechnology works in several
different ways. Some biotech prod
ucts are “magic bullets” that bind
to foreign organisms, such as
tumor cells. They can be used to
diagnose disease, or they can be
made into homing devices that
carry treatment to the disease area.
The magic bullets now in develop
ment are aimed at various types of
cancer as well as asthma, sepsis,
rheumatoid arthritis, multiple scle
rosis, inflammatory bowel disease,
infections in AIDS patients,
chronic lung inflammation and
several other diseases.
Researchers at America’s phar
maceutical companies are also
using gene therapy to create medi
cines that replace or inactivate dis
ease-causing genes or increase the
ability of normal genes to fight dis
ease. Medicines using this biotech
nology technique are in develop
ment for AIDS, cystic fibrosis, and
various types of cancer.
These are only a few of the
ways this promising new science is
being used by pharmaceutical
researchers. It takes a long time—
and a lot of money—to turn a
research project into a medicine,
and not all projects will be suc
cessful. But the fact that there are
so many potential medicines in the
pipeline is cause for hope for
people with uncured diseases.
For a free copy o f "Biotech
nology Medicines in Development,
write to PhRMA, 1100 15th Street
NW, Washington, DC 20005.
Larry Lucas is Associate Vice
President o f the Pharmaceutical
Research and Manufacturers o f
America in Washington, DC.
HEALTH
HEARING
Pay Attention to Children’s
Hearing Cues, Actress Urges
(NU) - Robin Wright, co-star of
the popular movie "Forrest Gump,”
is featured in a new public service
campaign for print and television,
urging parents to be aware of possi
ble hearing problems in their chil
dren.
The actress makes this recom
mendation in "A Guide to Your
Child's Hearing," published by the
Better Hearing Institute.
Speaking as a mother concerned
about better hearing for children.
Wright urges parents to watch and
listen for tell-tale signs of hearing
loss. She says the booklet will help
them to better understand common
ear problems and available hearing
help for children.
Early Detection
Patrick Brookhouser. M.D.. pres
ident of the American Auditory Soci
ety, agrees. "Early detection of a
child’s hearing loss is vital, as so mueh
of a child's speech and language de
velopment depends on hearing," he
says. AAS is an organization of in
terdisciplinary hearing health profes
sionals that co-sponsored the hearing
guide's promotion.
Noticing Vital Cues
"The cues I get as an actress are
im portant." says Wright. "As a
mother, the cues my children give
me are even more vital. For exam
ple. does your baby respond to your
voice? Does your child complain of
earaches? Does your child have dif
ficulty speaking well? Not reacting
to such cues early enough could
leave your child with permanent
News USA
Robin Wright, co-star of the hit
movie, “ Forrest Gump.”
hearing loss.
"Remember, a child is never too
young for a hearing evaluation ...
and never too young for hearing
help.” Wright says.
Free Copy Available
"A Guide to Your Child's Hear
ing" is co-authored by Charles W.
Gross, M.D.. professor of both pe
diatrics and otolaryngology at the
University of Virginia, and by Judith
Grav el. Ph D., director of audiology
and associate professor of otolaryn
gology for the Albert Einstein Col
lege of Medicine.
For a free copy, call toll-free
Hearing HelpLine at 1-800-EAR
WELL (weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
EST). Or write Better Hearing In
stitute. P.O. Box 1840. Washington.
DC 20013.
Language
No Barrier to
Quality Care
(NU) - Shriners Hospitals for
Crippled Children do more than pro
vide free care to children throughout
the United States. They also prov ide
a model for the thousands of insti
tutions dealing with the challenges
of our increasingly multicultural so
ciety.
In Shriners' Los Angeles Unit,
about 75 percent of the patients are
now Spanish-speaking. Many al
ready live in the United States: oth
ers come from Mexico in search of
care not available there.
In part because of the influx of
Latino patients, the number of pa
tients receiv ing treatment at the Los
Angeles unit has exploded. From
1951 to 1986. the hospital treated
8,000 patients. Since 1986. it's treat
ed 25.(XX) more.
Like all Shriners hospitals, the
L.A. Unit has accommodated its pa
tient diversity by hiring bilingual
staff and adding Spanish to signs and
labels. But because Shriners Hospi
tals specialize in orthopaedic treat
ment. more w as required.
Mexican games were added to
recreation activities. Special training
is provided for children from rural
tow ns w ho may need to learn, for ex
ample. how to use a wheelchair on
rocky soil. And children and families
are taught how to handle emergen
cies when swift medical care isn't
available.
To refer a child to Shriners Hos
pitals. or to obtain an application for
admission, call I-8OO-237-5O55. In
Canada, call 1-800-361-7256. All
calls are toll-free.
A COMFORTABLE FIT TO YOUR LIFESTYLE
At Rehab
Units, Life
Goes On
(NU) - Spinal cord injuries dev
astate their victims, especially chil
dren. That's where Shriners Hospi
tals for Crippled Children come in.
Special Spinal Cord Injury Re
habilitation Units are located at three
Shriners hospitals — in Chicago.
Philadelphia and San Francisco.
These SCI Units provide free, long
term rehabilitative care and inten
sive therapy, as well as counseling
and research.
Initiated in 1980, Shriners SCI
Units were the first to specialize in
children's spinal cord injuries. All
children are accepted for treatment
regardless of their race, religion or
relationship to a Shriner. About 150
children are treated in SCI Units
every year, staying for an average of
about 35 days.
&
. A
15,
Largest Pool in th e * o f D o w n to w n
• Work out in a class or independently
• Wear comfortable casual clothes
• Multi-generational — all ages
50% off
Adolph Eik/$1,(XM)/Quinto/Roy
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Betty Cole/$692/Lotto/Bueoda
Bill Bedingfield/$1.000/Quinto/Hoodsport
Bobby Snyder/$1,000/Quinto/Duvali
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Bryan Ropp/$773/Lotto/Ravensdale
C. E. Warfield/$710/Lotto/Sedro Woolley
Carolyn Skye/$773/Lotto/Montesano
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Donna Munger/$69‘2/Lotto/Battle Ground
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Edward Naff7$l,000/Quinto/Shelton
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Elroy Kjelland/$710/Lotto/Des Moines
Enola Makinster/Sl.OOO/QuintoZKelso
Ernest Snider/$1,002/Quinto/Sumas
Evelyn Klimek/$692/Lotto/Aberdeen
Frank Kuhuski/$2,100/Scratch/Aubum
Franklin Murray/$741/Lotto/Elma
Freeman Stockwell/S 1,000/Quinto/Kent
Gale Stansell/$1,000/Keno/Buckley
The W a sh in g to n S tale L o tte ry . Do jo u fe e l lu c k y ?
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PROVIDENCE HEALTH PLANS
Providence
Good Health Plan
It's good fo r you
When you choose your health insurance, choose Providence Good
Health Plan. It’s a simple choice that provides convenient access to
the health care you need:
• affordable health insurance
• choice of your own doctor
• convenient access to services
• Providence hospitals:
Providence St. Vincent Medical Center
Providence Portland Medical Center
Providence Milwaukie Hospital
Providence Seaside Hospital
Providence Newberg Hospital
• other community hospitals: Tuality Community Hospital,
Tuality Forest Grove Hospital, Willamette Falls Hospital,
Southwest Washington Medical Center.
Call us today for more information. Because Providence Good
Health Plan is good for you.
Initiation Fee
Offer expires May 31,1995
What Do SCI Units Provide?
• Independence: For children,
particularly teen-agers, developing
independence is especially impor
tant. SCI therapists and counselors
stress independence whenever pos
sible. SCI Units include kitchen and
laundry facilities and other equip
ment so patients can learn indepen
dent living skills, such as cooking
meals and ironing clothes.
• Self-care skills: After a spinal
cord injury, many things change Pa
tients may be unable to walk or
move their arms. Injuries can also
affect nerves and muscles and cause
bowel, bladder and skin problems
Gayle Brown/$1,000/Quinto/Woodinville
General Wright/$692/Lotto/Lake Stevens
George Tyner Jr./$695/Lotto/Port Ludlow
Geraldine Wheeloek/$710/Lotto/Enumclaw
Gladys Hongz$l,000/Quinto/Tukwila
Greg Garee/$618/Lotto/Oak Harbor
Greg Vandeberg'Sa.OOO/Seratch/Port Orchard
H. J. W'eer/$650/Lotto/Maple Valley
Harley Hollatz/$10,000/Scratch/Port Angeles
Harold Taylor/$ 1,001/Quinto/Haniilton
Helen Hess/$692/Lotto/Onalaska
Henry Eckenberg/$538/Lotto/Forks
Ila Raben/$1.000/Quinto/Alderwood Manor
Ingrid Fortunato/$ 1,000/Quinto/01ympia
Jack Lester/$692/Lotto/Woodland
James Killen/$200,000/Quinto/Gig Harbor
James Skinner/$1.000/Quinto/Anacortes
James Schroeder/$ 1,000/Qninto/Grapeview
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From Ht JA Mcreer Health Provider Consulting:
Í994 Tof> lOOHmptlals
280-7500
1-800-878-4445
YWCA of Portland: Continuing to make a difference
1111 SW 1 0 th • P o rtlan d • 2 9 4 7 4 2 0
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