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P ortland O bserver • S eptember 6, 1995
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African American Women Heads National Medical Association
Y vonnecris Sm ith Veal, M .D .,
today, began her reign as the 94th
President o f the 100 year o ld N ation­
al M edical Association (N M A ). A f­
filia te d w ith the N ational M edical
A ssociation since 1966, Dr. Veal has
served in various elected and ap­
pointed positions lo ca lly and nation­
a lly, including: member and the only
female to serve as Chairm an, Board
o f Trustees; member o f the House o f
Delegates since 1975; Region I Chair;
first V ice President; Executive Sec­
retary; C hair, A d Hoc Committee to
Reorganize the House o f Delegates;
and C o-P rincipal In v e stig a to rN M A /
Center fo r Disease C ontrol Breast
and C ervical Cancer Project.
Dr. Veal is currently the Senior
M edical Director, United States Post­
al Service fo r the New Y o rk M e tro ­
politan area, one o f ten such posi­
tions nationwide. She is also an O c­
cupational M edicine C e rtifie d M ed­
ical Review O ffic e r. From 1975 to
1981, Dr. Veal served as M edical
D ire cto r o f M edical A ffa irs o f the
EastN ewN eighborhood Fam ilyC are
Center, B ro o k ly n , N ew Y o rk . In
1981, she returned to Queens as
M edical D irector o f the Carter C om ­
m unity Health Center. In 1984, she
began her employm ent w ith the U n it­
ical Officer.
to play a pivo ta l role in representing
I n her address to the assembly at
the N M A Centennial Convention in
A tlanta, Dr. Veal stated, "the N M A
must do all it can to make a difference
in the numbers o f A frican-A m erican
physicians w ho can, and w ill serve
our physicians and the patients we
serve.”
our com m unities w ith compassion
and excellence.” In response to re­
cent court rulings on affirm a tive ac­
tion, Dr. Veal challenged N M A mem­
bers to loudly protest the reversal
and erosion o f opportunities that
m inorities deserve and fought for
during the 1960s. “ We must become
ed States Postal Service, first as a
contract physician, and in 1985, as
stronger and more aggressive advo­
cates fo r what is ju s t and right. The
the Long Island Field D ivisio n M ed­
N M A must be vig ila n t and continue
Dr. Veal announced that her
goals fo r 1995-96 are to: D evelop
membership in itia tive s aimed at re­
cruitm ent, retention, and reclama­
tion o f members; Continue educa­
tion and leadership efforts in man­
aged care; Continue to advocate fo r
passage o f health care reform legis­
lation w hich includes universal co v­
erage that is affordable, accessible,
portable and provides quality care
and choice; Enhance the v is ib ility o f
the N M A ; and Address gender and
racial disparities in the health care
industry.
Dr. Veal concluded by o ffe rin g
the means in w hich to implem ent her
initiatives, “ together, we must foster
a sp irit o f netw orking, a s p irit o f
cooperat ion, partnersh ip agreements,
and a vision fo r the future.”
The House o f Delegates also
elected Randall Morgan, M .D ., Pres­
id e n t-E le c t; N a th a n ie l M u rd o c k ,
M .D . V ic e P re s id e n t; P u rn e ll
K ir k la n d , M .D ., S peaker; N iv a
Lubin, M .D ., V ice Speaker; La w ­
M .D ., Region III Trustee; Javette
O rgain, M .D ., Region IV Trustee;
Sandra Gadson, M .D ., Region IV
Trustee; L. N atalie C a rro ll, Region
V Trustee; and M ich a e l L e N o ir,
M .D ., Region V I Trustee.
The N ational M edical Associa­
tion, founded in 1985, is the oldest
N ational A frica n -A m e rica n profes­
sional organization. It represents the
interests o f more than 22,000 A f r i­
can-Am erican physicians in more
than 23 specialties.
rence Sanders, M .D ., S ecretary;
G u th rie Turner, M .D ., Treasurer;
Francis Blackm an, M .D ., Corporate
Headquartered in W ashington,
D C., the N M A has over 120 chap­
Trustee; Donna Green, M .D ., R e-“
gion I Trustee; Gary, Dennis, M .D .,
Region II Trustee; E ric B u ffo n g ,
ters throughout the U nited States,
Puerto Rico, and the US V irg in Is­
lands.
Agency Says Second Study Finds Surgery Not Al ways Needed
AIDS Virus Rare
M any older men w ith low-grade
prostate cancer may expect a norm al
A type o f A ID S virus most
com m only found in western A fric a
The C DC est ¡mates that 62 peo-
ple in the U nited States have be­
remains “ extrem ely rare” in the
United States, federal health o ff i­
come
infected w ith H IV -2 and five
cials said last week.
have died. The firs t case o f H IV -2
The Centers fo r Disease C on­
tro l and Prevention said H IV -2 has
been
found on ly tw ice in an estimat­
ed 74 m illio n blood and plasma
donations screened over the past
three years. In both cases, the in­
fected blood was destroyed o r dis­
carded, and the virus did not enter
the nation’ s blood supply.
In 1992, the Food and D rug
A d m in is tra tio n ordered that a ll
blood and plasma donations be test­
ed fo r H IV -2 as w e ll as H IV -1 , the
common form o f the A ID S virus in
the U nited States.
Dr. John Ward, the C D C ’s c h ie f
o f H I V /A 1D S surveillance, said that
not o n ly is H IV -2 “ extrem ely rare”
infection was diagnosed in West
A fric a in 1986 and tw o-thirds o f
those infected w ith the virus in the
U nited States were bom in western
A frica .
“ H IV -2 appears to continue to
be localized in countries o f western
A fric a ,” W ard said. “ In cases
where it ’ s diagnosed elsewhere,
most o f those people w ill have some
type o f contact w ith western A fric a ,
either through sexual contact w ith
someone from western A fric a , or
actually having live d there.”
B o th o f th e c o n ta m in a te d
d o n a tio n s o c c u rre d last ye a r, the
C D C s a id . O n e in v o lv e d an
diagnosed from 1971 to 1976 found
that those who received little o r no
treatm ent fo r the condition were no
more I ike ly to die sooner than healthy
men o f the same age group, w hich
was 65 to 75 years.
B ut among men in the same age
range w ith more aggressive, higher-
grade prostate cancer, the study
found, life expectancy was six to
eight years less than that o f the healthy
group when the mal ignancy was treat­
ed conservatively w ith hormone ther­
apy o r no intervention.
D r. Peter C. Albertsen o f the
H IV - in f e c t e d .
lik e ly to cause A ID S .
“ It appears that H IV -2 may not
be as viru le n t as H I V - 1 in the sense
years, had num erous sexual p a rt­
-o n the proper use o f prescription
; drugs.
The proposal calls fo r clearly-
; • presented leaflets to be handed out
- w ith drugs g ivin g such inform ation
as the d ru g ’ s approved uses, circum ­
stances under w hich it should not be
■ used, side effects, and cautions relat-
• ed to proper use.
“ Consumers deserve c lear, read­
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possible drug interactions.
The Food and D rug A d m in is tra ­
tion, the Departm ent o f Health and
Human Services agency overseeing
the program, said a survey showed
that about 55 percent o f people using
drugs received substantial in fo rm a ­
tion about the drugs, but the q u a lity
o f the inform ation appeared to vary
greatly.
The F D A said that, w o rkin g w ith
health providers, it hoped that 75
percent o f patients w ould re­
It added that i f the goals were
.'the importance o f using drugs ac­
c o r d in g to prescribed use and about
V s t h
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evant general po p u la tio n ,” the report
said.
A lbertsen said in an interview
years to become life-threatening.
For several years, doctors treat­
ing elderly patients have debated
tumors. W hile many doctors assume
those therapies im prove survival,
studies to assess their effects, p a rtic­
u la rly w ith early, slo w -g ro w in g tu­
mors, are s till going on, he said.
whether to simply mon itor the progress
o f these cancers and provide symp­
Dr. Gerald W. Chodak o f the
U n ive rsity o f Chicago described the
can result in impotence or inconti­
nence, for years or the rest o f life, and
Connecticut research as a w e ll-
designed and thorough study that
lent support to the practice o f“ watch-
some experts say there is little evi­
dence that aggressive treatment adds
years o f survival to the very old.
tomatic treatment, or to attack the
malignancy aggressively. In most pa­
tients, surgery and radiation treatment
and at least 95 percent by 2006.
“PCC’s Cascade Campus will be 25 years old this fall. Since 1969,
thousands of students have passed through our doors on the way to a
better life through education and training. We’re proud to be
part of the community and we’re here to meet your needs. Please stop
by and see what Cascade has to offer.”
M ildred Ollee, Executive D ean
PCC Cascade: Education That
Works!
Here are some of the many programs and services available at
PCC Cascade:
not met, one option was to require
F D A -approved patient leaflets
o r to seek p u b lic comment on how a
m a n d a to ry in fo rm a tio n p ro g ra m
should be established o r whether oth­
er steps could be taken to reach the
agency’ s patient inform ation goal.
♦
Two-year college degree programs. PCC Cascade is a comprehensive campus. Our credits are
accepted by 4-year colleges, if you want to transfer for a four-year degree. You can get all the
credits you need to complete an AA or AS degree here.
♦
Career Training. At PCC Cascade there are more than 30 career fields you can prepare for.
Good jobs are waiting for you in medical-related fields, business administration, computers,
criminal justice, fire protection, and many more.
♦
Counseling, career guidance and student support. Our trained counselors and support staff
are here to help guide you to a program that meets your needs. We know students are strug­
gling to balance school, work and families and our counselors and advisors can help you
through.
♦
Financial aid. More than half of the students at PCC receive some form of financial aid. Even
though PCC is low-cost, if you need help, we’ll try to arrange it.
♦
Adult Basic Education/GED/High School Com pletion If you have not finished high school,
PCC Cascade has programs and courses to help you.
A n n i v e r s a r .,
CELE BR A T I O N q / ^ ^ -
CHOICES
Law Offices of Daniel E. Russell, P.C.
SPECIALIZING IN YOUR LEGAL NEEDS
Real Estate
Wills & Trusts
Medical Malpractice
Accidents-Persunal Injuries
Divorce & Family Law
“ M en aged 65-75 years diag­
nosed as having low-grade prostate
cancer face no apparent loss in
life expectancy compared w ith a re l­
Some early o r slo w -g ro w in g
prostate cancers can take 10 to 15
Part of the Community
for 25 Years!
s p o r tia n i» (© b a e r u e r
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was unwarranted.
He said the inform ation was valu­
able fo rju d g in g the effect upon sur­
viva l o f the more aggressive treat­
ments being used today, including
radiation and surgery to remove the
treatment now, o r delaying or forgo­
ing it in some cases.”
PCC Cascade Campus
nated w ith n e edles th a t w e re
reused w ith o th e r p a tie n ts .
Services Secretary Donna Shalala
Z e r people, who often need to know
M e dical Association, said the
findings suggested that more aggres­
sive treatment ofthese slow -grow ing
and spreading tum ors in older men
receives little or no treatment.
to expect from having aggressive
ners and had tw ic e been v a c c i­
ceive the leaflets by the year 2000
' patients more control o vertheir health
I care and be especially helpful to old-
Am erican
liv e d in w e s te rn A fr ic a fo r s ix
able inform ation to help them use
drugs co rre ctly,” Health and Human
said in a statement.
She said the program w ould give
yearcum ulative m o rta lity from pros­
tate cancer was 9 percent.
T h e re p o r t, p u b lis h e d on
Wednesday in The Journal o f the
The value o f the study, he said, is that
it provides a conservative baseline
fo r predicting survival i f the cancer
tion we can provide patients about
how to treat prostate cancer," Chodak
said. “ It w ill help show patients what
T h e o th e r in ­
Prescription Drug Info
Campaign Proposed
Federal health o fficia ls have pro-
’ ' posed a voluntary program to give
’ * patients more and better inform ation
no cancer m o rta lity before seven
years o f fo llo w -u p . A nd their 15-
prostate cancer in the U nited States
in w hich general population figures
were used fo r comparison purposes.
ful w a itin g ” w ith low-grade prostate
tumors in older patients. “ This study
is im portant fo r re in fo rcin g inform a­
A m e ric a n w o m a n w h o d id n o t
v o lv e d a F re n ch m a n w h o had
he said.
Scientists studying the medical
records o f 451 C onnecticut men in
w hom localized prostate cancer was
men exam ined in their study w ith
low-grade prostate cancer showed
that the study was the first survival
analysis o f conservatively treated
k n o w i f her sexual p a rtn e rs w ere
among blood donors, it is also less
that people do not appear to progress
as readily or as q u ic k ly to A ID S ,”
life span w ith o u t undergoing poten­
tia lly d e b ilita tin g radiation o r su rg i­
cal treatment, researchers said last
week.
U n ive rsity o f C onnecticut Health
Center in Farm ington and his c o l­
leagues from other institutions said
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Landlord/Tenant
Small Business Law
Product Liability
Criminal Defense
Collections
Call Daniel E. Russell at 282-7999
For your free initial consultation.
Fall classes begin September 18.
For information
Call 978-5222
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