I nt P ortland O bserver • A ugust 21, 1996 P age A 7 H ealth ffiGCLfirr À iitffflllG (1 HÉflLTHIER CORPtUniTM The board o f directors o f Center for Com m unity Mental Health [C C M H ] rose from its annual meet ing last April with a new plan to help create a healthier North/Northeast community. Already, C C M H is responding to the mental health care needs o f North Portland inner-city neighbor hoods with a host o f preventative and therapeutic programs. The plan announced by the non profit agency’s board chairperson Margot Allen seeks increased part nership and support from the pub lic. It also embraces new and cre ative ways o f problem-solving. Changes in managed care have caused the mental health care center to streamline operations and con solidate services into a more effi cient continuum. “C C M H has responded by com bining our children and youth pro grams into family services and our substances abuse and adult outpa tient services into adult services," the agency’s executive director, Car ol R. Chism, said. C C M H relies heavily on volun tary donations from well wishers to fulfill its commitment to over 400 clients. The Center provides treatment services for children and their fam ilies, support services for adults, treatment programs for adolescents, mental health support, and chemi cal dependency treatment pro grams. After 3 years o f operation, the agency regrettably closed the door o f its transitional living facility for chemically dependent women and their children because o f lack o f funding. Over the years, the facility served a home to about 39 women and 53 children. Five drug-free ba bies were also bom at the house during that time. “ We w ill work to expand our collaborations and seek varied re sources for continuing our work. We need every dollar we can get. We want to respond quickly to these needs,” says Chism. lood pressure awareness by J oey Mt rphy Over 50 m illion adults in the U S have high blood pressure. Ifthat doesn’t alarm you, it should. High blood pressure, or hyperten sion, is easy to cure, but if ignored can lead to serious health problems, O H S U nurse practitioner Veronica Legg said. Studies also show that minorities are more susceptible to hyperten sion, Legg said Hypertension is more common in the Southeastern U S then in the rest o f the nation. High blood pressure can be nor mal even in healthy individuals. It’s when elevated blood pressure levels become consistent that a physician w ill diagnose hypertension Blood pressure rises naturally with physical activity, excitement, fear, or emotional stress, but such eleva- tions are usually transient. There are a number o f risk factors for hypertension. Some are unavoid able, like an inherited tendency for hypertension, race, old age and sex, Legg said. In young adulthood and early middle age, high blood pressure occurs more frequently in men than in women; thereafter the reverse is true. However, there are also a number o f "changeable" risk factors, Legg said. They include a sedentary lifestyle, overweightness, excessive alcohol consumption, too much salt and not enough calcium Legg said. Consequencesofhigh blood pres sure vary. Legg said hypertension can lead to eye damage, heart en largement, kidney damage and “car- diovascular incidence.” It causes ath erosclerosis, or hardening o f the ar teries, which contributes to heart attack and stroke She recom m ended “ k e e p in g good control o f your blood pres sure.” C hecking your blood pres Make Self Care A Priority Making a personal commitment to take time o ut for you may mean reshuffling priorities. With our unique roles as mother, wife, sisters, career women - and sometimes all of the above - our schedule is already full. Cherish’your body for the great g ift th a t it is, and give it the best o f care. It is recommended th a t women 4 0 and older get annual health exams. Early detection saves lives. Advertise For Diversity Advertise In <Llie ^In rtla u b (Observer Call: If you are 4 0 or older you may qualify fo ra free Women’s Health Check, which includes a pap te s t and mammogram. 503-288-0033 Seven myths about contact lenses M yth: C o ntact lenses hurt. Fa ct: Many patients experience no discomfort when first wearing contact lenses. Contact lens fitting by professional eye care practitio ners can minimize the early irritation sometimes associated with new con tact lenses. After a brief adjustment period o f a few days, most wearers report they can no longer feel contact lenses on their eyes. Myth: Contact lenses can not cor rect astigm atism . Fact: Contact lens have made tech nological advances to meet the needs o f patients with astigmatism. Indi viduals with astigmatism can be fit ted with contact lenses designed to correct this problem. The misshapen cornea is precisely measured and special lenses are used to direct light rays to one spot on the retina. More than 60 thousand different contact lens prescriptions are available for this condition, offering the nearly 71 m illion Americans affected by astig matism a potential alternative to eye glasses. M yth: Young people should start with eyeglasses for vision correc tion, then switch to contact lenses later in life. Fact: Teenagers and pre-teens can safely wear contact lenses with guid ance from parents, proper profes sional fitting and instruction in eye care and hygiene. Adolescents are usually appearance-conscious which makes them motivated to properly care for contact lenses. Therefore, contact lenses can be an appropriate initial prescription for vision correc tion. M yth: C ontact lenses are too delicate for teenagers who might dam age or lose their lenses. Fa ct: Contact lenses come in a variety o f different materials, some o f which are stronger and more resis tant to tearing. Because teenagers are usually highly motivated to trade eyeglasses for contact lenses, they learn to properly and carefully han dle contact lenses. Typ ically, teen agers do not have a signi ficantly high er incidence o f lens loss or damage than their adult counterparts. A s al ternatives, single use contact lenses that are worn once and disposable lenses that are worn for a limited time can help minimize loss, handling and associated damage. M yth: C o n tact lenses are not appropriate for people who p ar ticipate in sports. F a c t : W h atever the s p o r t - aerobics, basketball, football, ice hockey, running, biking, tennis or softball—today’s contact lenses offer improved depth perception and pe ripheral vision. Many athletes report that contact lenses offer a wider field o f view that is not limited by eyeglass frames. Contact lenses do not fog up or smudge, and they can improve the athlete’s ability to judge the distance and speed o f objects and other players. M yth: Co n tact lenses should not be worn w hile p articipatin g in wa ter sports. Fact: Contact lenses go well with water sports. Swimmers, surfers, sail ors and other water athletes no long er have to worry about wiping o f logical or psychiatric treatment and sends a clear warn ing to psych iatrists and their institutions and organiza tions to keep their hands o ff or face litigation or criminal proceedings. A strong measure, but one that International President o fC C H R , Ms. Jan Eastgate, said is necessary. She recently released the psychiatric liv ing w ill and other safeguards against psychiatric interference, at a Euro pean Hearing into Psychiatric Sexu al Abuse and Other Human Rights Violations held in Brussels. T h is week she released the w ill in the U S. saying that C C H R plans to get m illions o f copies o f the w ill distributed, includingthrough its new Web Site (http:/www.ccchr.org). “ People need legal protection against involuntary commitment which deprives people o f their liber ty, or against enforced psychiatric treatment which takes away their free dom o f choice and frequently results in a person being drugged senseless, electroshock and even being sexual ly abused. Psychiatric sexual abuse destroys Screenings may be scheduled during evenings and weekends as well as regular business hours In addition to free screenings at P acific’s Fam ily Vision Centers, vision screenings are also available on an off-site basis for schools, businesses, and community organizations. Off-site screenings are provided without charge for non profit organizations, and at a nomi nal charge to for-profit groups. The American Optometric Asso ciation recommends that infants and children receive vision screenings and examinations beginning at six months; and at three years, five years, and every year thereafter throughout lives, electroshock damages minds and powerful psychotropic (mind altering) drugs ruin people. I f protec tion is not provided by governments, then the protection must rest with the public itself. The psychiatric living w ill is a step towards achieving this,” Ms. Eastgate said. C C H R also recommends that it be mandatory for psychiatrists, psychol ogist and psychotherapists to sign Loyalty Oath For Mental Practice before they be allowed to practice. Internationally, there is a move to strengthen the Ethics Codes o f psy chiatrists, with the United Nations referring to this in their 19 9 1 guide lines for the protection o f the mental ly ill, and the Council o f Europe Recommendation on Psychiatry and Human Rights in 1994. Ms. Eastgate said that if these practitioners cannot sign the oath, then they shouldn't be tampering with people’s mind. “The signing o f the oath is essential; it is a written con tract \vith the patient and not just a code psychiatrists are expected to, but don’t often, keep," she said. school years. A Ithough vision screen ings do not substitute for a complete vision examination, they do provide important information about clarity o f vision, eye health, and how well the eyes are working together as a team. This information is essential for assuring correct development of important learning ski Ils such as read ing and writing, and for avoiding a reduction in classroom performance and self-esteem. Statisics identify that approximate ly one out o f four patients receiving screenings at Pacific's Vision Cen ters fail because o f various vision problems. For more information call 795-3908 V jik O Multnomah County Breast and Cervical Cancer Partnership IC C P Susan G. Komen Hreast Cancer Foundation A muLTnamAH countY oneson L a s t W e e k , W e W a l k e d I n t o U.S. B a n k A n d L e f t W it h 2 B e d r o o m s A n d A B a t h . 5? O w 'iiing a h o m e is so m eth in g you should be able to do. Even if you d o n ’t m ake a m illion dollars, drive a fancy car, o r have m ore credit than D onald T rum p. T h a t’s w hy w e’ve designed H o m e P artners“' loans. T h ey help m ore people beco m e h o m e ow ners because qualifying is easier. And there a re n ’t a lot o f hassles, either. So before you w rite a n o th e r rent check apply for a H o m e l’artners loan w ith U S Bank. Just call o u r C o m m u n ity L ending Specialists at 5 0 3 - 7 3 1 - 1 8 8 5 o r stop by yo u r n e ig h b o rh o o d branch. As always, w e’ll leave th e w elcom e m at o u t for you. Free Vision screenings before school reconvenes The Pacific University College o f Optometry Fam ily Vision Centers, and affiliate clinics, provide a vear- around program o f free vision screen ings for all ages including infants, pre-schoolers, school-age children, and adults. Vision screenings are especially beneficial in assuring prop er development o f learning skills for infants and children if they are re ceived prior to or early in the school year Free screenings offered through the Pacific UniversityCollegeofO p- tometry are scheduled by appoint ment, take about 30 minutes to com plete, and do not cause discomfort. Sign Up for the Race For The Cure September 8th, 1996 their glass when splashed with water, or risk losing or breaking their glass es. For swimmers, tight-fitting gog gles should be worn to protect the eyes and contact lenses. Myth: C o ntact lenses require tim e -co n su m in g d a ily m ain te nance. Fact: While daily maintenance is necessary for many types o f contact lenses, regular cleaning o f lenses has become much more convenient than in the past. Multi-purpose lens care products make caring for contact lens es quick and easy. Popular alterna tives include single use contact lens es, which typically require no main tenance because they are designed to be worn once, and disposable lenses that are worn for only a limited time. Living will to protect Every 75 seconds, an American citizen is involuntarily committed to a psychiatric institution and treated against their w ill; and if you are A f rican American, you are twice as likely be committed then someone white. The Citizens Commission on Hu man Rights International, however, has come up with a means for people to protect themselves from unwanted psychiatric intrusion. Called a “Letter o f Protection from Incarceration and/or Treatment” or a psychiatric “living will,” the idea is the brain-child o f C C H R ’s Honorary C o founder and Commissioner, Dr. Tho mas Szasz, professor o f psychiatry emeritus. State University New York. The w ill is signed by people “o f sound mind" and prohibits psychiat ric intervention should others dream that the person needs psychiatric hospitalization or treatment. It au thorizes attorneys to take appropri ate criminal and civ il action against anyone who violates the declaration. The w ill is an expression o f an individual's right to refuse psycho- sure regularly is also important. But to maintain a health pressure level, Legg said a balanced diet and regular exercise program is needed. And if alcohol consumption or weight is also a problem, they need to be reduced. H o m e L o a n s F r o m Id U.S. B a n k U S .IB A N K t <' Without you, there's no us. U.S 11.ink llmin* ln.in% .ire in. .nie by .» m ortgage lending affiliate nt U S 11,ink A