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Volume XXVI, Number 40
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Committed to cultural diversity.
October 2, 1996
(The ^ o rtla n h (©bsertier
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a I c n h a r
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SECTION
Community “blazes a trail”
Flu
season
is here
Flood Preparedness
The U.S A rm y Corps o f Engineers has
jo in e d forces w ith the State o f O regon’ s
Emergency Management O ffic e in a state­
w ide road tour to inform local o ffic ia ls
about what to do before, during and after a
flo o d event. The tour w ill hit most o f
ederal health exp erts said
Thursday there were unusual
outbreaks of influenza In Alas­
ka and Washington sta te this sum­
mer, which might signal an early be­
ginning to the flu season.
F
O regon’ s 36 counties between now and
Dec. 5. For more inform ation about the
exact location o f the w orkshop in your
county, please contact the C ounty Emer­
gency Manager fo r your area.
The Centres fo r Disease C o n tro l and
Fall leaves gathered soon
Prevention (C D C ) said summer outbreaks
C ity crews plan to start co lle ctin g leaves
in all C ity o f Vancouver neighborhoods on
a w eekly basis starting the week o f Oct. 14
such as those that occurred in the tw o states
in June and July “ are not com m on.”
“ It can be a potential w arning that the
season is going to come earlier, but i t ’ s not
an exact science,” said the C D C ’ s Dr. K e ij i
Fukuda
(o r later, i f necessary) through Dec. 24.
T h e C ity o f V a n co u v e r P u b lic W o rk s
D e p a rtm e n ts requests resident co o p e r­
a tio n in the fo llo w in g w ays: Leavesonty-
-no pine needles, yard debris, etc Leave
room between leaf piles andvehicles (about
10 ft.). Keep leaves one foot away from
curb toward street to allow rainwater to
flow along curb Help keep leaves out o f
storm drains I f a storm dram is flooding
the street, pitch in and clear the drain with
a pitchfork or similar tool
Portland holds walk-a-thon
The College F und/U N C F w ill host its
7th Annual Portland "W a lk A M ile To
Save A M in d ” fundraising w alk-a-thon on
Saturday, October 5, 1996 at Peninsula
Park in N orth Portland. Registration fo r
the Portland walk begins at 7:30 a.m. and
the w alk w ill start at 9:30 a.m. People can
participate in d ivid u a lly o r in teams. Prizes
w ill be awarded to individuals and groups
who raise the most money. For registration
inform ation, please contact The College
Fund/U N C F Portland O ffic e at 223-8890.
Hospice training
Kaiser Permanente is o ffe rin g a free
tra in in g fo r people w anting to provide
em otional support, physical care, and re­
spite fo r hospice patients and th e ir fam i­
lies. T ra in in g is from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on
Tuesdays and Thursdays from Oct. I to
Oct. 29. To register, please call K ilia n
K untz at (503) 499-5285 o r Vancouver
(3 6 0 )6 49 -2 2 1 0 .
Harvest Festival
The 19th annual Harvest Festival w ill
be held October 25th - 27th this year, ju s t
in tim e fo r Halloween. The venue w ill be in
the Oregon C onvention Center, located at
7 7 7 N E M artin Luther K in g Jr. B lvd. Hours
fo r the show are Friday, noon to 9 pm;
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, 10
a m. to 6 p.m. Tickets cost $6.00 fo r adults
$3.50 fo r children ages 6-12. C hildren
under the age o f 6 are admitted, free. For
m ore in fo rm a tio n , please contact G ill
Cam pbell at 503/274-0019.
The CDC said the same three flu strains
that prevailed last year were expected this
w inter and this year’ s vaccine should pro­
tect most people from the disease. “ In this
year’ s vaccine form ulation ... there ap­
pears to be a good m atch," Fukuda said.
Last Saturday, the Community Treehouse Project put on the "Blazing a Trail" event at Albina Park. Students from nearby
Vernon Elementary School joined in the service project with enthusiasm. To the far left stands Gail Shibley, and Joanne
Hildreth, USDA Forest Service official energizes the kids at the far right. Smokey the Bear also made a special appearance.
Photo by Timothy Collins
n Saturday, September 2 8 ,1 9 9 6
neighbors, friends, fam ilie s,
business owners, and students
joined efforts to build a 1 / 2 mile
surface walking trail in Alberta Park.
O
Parks & Rec prepared the site in advance
by doing all the excavation w o rk, and v o lu n ­
teers were asked to spread out bark chips for
the trail.
The event began at 9:00 a.m. and ended
w ith a barbecue lunch and a concert by C u l­
tural Recreation Band. There was no charge
fo r participants.
Invited guests include: P hil K e is lin g -
Secretary o f State, Vera Katz - M ayor, C harlie
Hales - C ity C o uncilor, Charles Jordan -
D irector Portland Parks & Rec, Tom M ills -
at home. Tuesday, N ov. 5, 7 to 8 p.m. at
M ercantile Medical Plaza4015 S.W . M er­
cantile D rive, Lake Oswego, OR. Studies
indicate that people manage eight out o f 10
health problems such as sprains, m inor
cuts and burns at home. The Health Wise
H andbook to enable participants to treat
many everyday health-related problems at
home. The cost is $ 17. For more inform a­
tion o r to register, please call 215-6595.
Haunted house
T e rro r on 52nd street w ill haunt you
long after you leave! Located at our Lady
O f Sorrows School, 5239 SE W oodstock
B lvd , Portland. Hours Friday & Saturday
7 pm to 12 m idnight, Sunday through
Tuesday 6 pm to 10 pm. A dm ission $5.00
each. Lights on performances Saturday 5
to 7 pm fo r 8 year olds and younger,
accompanied w ith a parent only $ 1.00 per
person. Regular hours not recommended
fo r children under eight. Covered w a itin g
area w ith a fu ll refreshment stand. Spon­
sored by our l ady O f Sorrows school
association.
SUBMISSIONS: Community
Calendar information will be given
priority if dated two weeks
before the event date.
Station D ire cto r Pacific Northwest Research
S tation U S D A Forest S ervice, B arbara
M cD onald - C oordinator N ational Urban
Treehouse
Program.
soft-
“ B lazing a T ra il" is an experiment to ex­
plore how residents can be actively involved
in the developm ent o f their neighborhood
parks.
The tra il event kicked o ffth e renovation o f
A lberta Park, w hich w ill continue over the
next few months w ith the construction o f a
new restroom, playground, and paved paths.
The “ B lazing a T ra il” is an event put on by
underrepresented populations in Northeast
Portland C urrently the organization’ s focus
is on A lberta Park.
A lth o u g h the organization its e lf is a single
entity. C om m unity Treehouse Project is a
partnership oforganizations w o rkin g togeth­
er- Urban League o f Portland, U S D A Forest
Service, Portland Parks and Recreation, O r­
egon Department o f Forestry, W orld Forest­
ry Center, Portland State U niversity, Recre­
a tio n E q u ip m e n t In c o rp o ra te d (R E 1 ),
W olfree, and Friends o f Trees.
Together these organizations envision a
C om m unity Treehouse project, a n o n -p rofit
organization whose m ission is to increase a
awareness o f the environm ent and pa rticip a ­
tio n in e n v iro n m e n ta l a c tiv itie s am ong
sustainable neighborhood network o f urban
greenspaces that w ill build neighborhood
unity and meet com m unity needs through
environm ental awareness and education.
Flu vaccination is recommended fo r
people aged 65 o r older and residents o f
nursing homes o r other chronic care fa c il­
ities. It is also urged fo r adults and children
w ith chronic pulm onary o r cardiovascular
disorders, including children w ith asthma.
Health o fficia ls said people w ho have
suffered chronic m etabolic diseases, renal
dysfunction, haemoglobinopathies o r im ­
munosuppression in the past year should
also get a shot. C hildren and teenagers who
are receiving long-term aspirin them py
and may be at risk fo r developing Reye’ s
syndrome after influenza should bnWMfci-
nated as w ell, the C D C said.
I IHIDSAIPAIMC
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Cesaría coming to Portland
inger Cesaria Evora
bom in
Mindelo, on the Cape Verde is­
land of Sao Vincente, off the
coast of Senegal, is bringing her musical
talents to Portland
S
W ith voice conveying power, v u ln e ra b il­
a liv in g , depending on the g ro w in g generos­
ity o f their fans. But w ith the decline o f the
port in the late 1950s and independence from
Portugal in 1975, trade in Cape Verde rapidly
dim inished, and most musicians emigrated.
Evora, however, chose to stay.
W ith a relaxed manner and palpable con­
fidence, she was w id e ly embraced as “ The
Barefoot D iva ” -- in literal reference to her
style on the stage, an ongoing sign o f solidar­
ity w ith the disadvantaged women and c h il­
dren o th e r co u n try’ s streets. Fans w orldw ide
ity and an em otional a ffin ity fo r this style,
Evora q u ickly found a niche fo r h e rse lf in
M in d e lo ’s musical life and through c o m m it­
ted performances gained a distinguished rep­
utation as the “ Queen o f M o m a .” She and her
musicians traveled from club to club to make
Cesaria Evora
were q u ic k ly smitten w ith her Morna, the
Cape Verdean version o f the Blues.
D o n ’ t miss this performance at the Aladdin
on Tuesday, O ctober 15, 1996
Insurance reform takes effect
One-day Workshop
Providence Health System is o ffe rin g a
one-day w orkshop to instruct participants
on how to deal w ith m inor health problems
B
he 4 0 0 ,0 0 0 Oregonians who do
talked-about reforms, and apply to anyone
not have health insurance, the
who loses health insurance coverage under a
5 6 0 ,0 0 0 who change or lose
group plan—i f they leave their jo b , fo r in ­
their jobs each year, and thousands
of
stance—as
long as they have been covered fo r
small businesses across the s ta te need
at least six months in Oregon S B 152
to know that a new law w ent into effect
requires insurance carriers to o ffe r these O r­
yesterday October 1st, made It easier
egonians at least tw o options (lo w cost and
for them to g et coverage and offer it to
average cost) fo r continued coverage fo r as
their employees.
long as they need it. This addresses the most
T
“ Despite the fact that Oregon is w e ll ahead
o f the national curve on health insurance
reform , too many Oregon ians sti 11 don ’ t have
health insurance,” Oregon Insurance C om ­
m issioner K erry Barnett said. “ The changes
w e’ re im plem enting on O ctober 1st make
real progress in three crucial areas; a v a ila b il­
ity o f coverage, whether y o u ’ re healthy o r
sick; p o rta b ilitv o f coverage: and equitable
prem ium rates.”
S B. 152, which the Oregon Legislature
enacted and Governor Kitzhaber signed in
1995, implements a series o f reforms fo r group
and individual health insurance coverage, plus
“ portability” reforms fo r individuals who lose
their e lig ib ility for group coverage. The re­
forms in SB 152 are more extensive than those
recently passed by Congress (the Kennedy-
Kassebaum Act), and the federal reforms do
not take effect until the middle o f next year
The new state law addresses four basic
ares of reform:
• Portability' Reforms. These are the most
comm on concern expressed by the 87 per­
cent o f Oregon residents who currently have
health insurance: that they can be cut out o f
the system i f they lose o r leave their jo b .
• S m all Group Reforms. These changes
bu i Id on a smal I group reform s enacted by the
legislature in 1991 by s ig n ifica n tly expand­
ing the a v a ila b ility o f coverage to small em­
ployers (those w ith 2-25 employees) C a rri-
ers cannot reject a small em ployer fo r any
health insurance plan they offer, and they
must include a state-approved basic health
care plan among their offerings. S B. 152
also requires carriers to charge the same
average prem ium to all small employers,
adjusted on ly fo r differences in member age.
These reform s make the small group market
more like the large group market — more
choices and more stability in rates
• Group Reforms. These reform s apply to
all group policies w ith tw o o r more members,
and elim inate a range o fd is c rim in a to ry prac­
tices. Under S B 152, insurance carriers
cannot refuse to cover or impose different
coverage terms on a group member bas‘'d on
that person’ s health status. Carriers also can­
not exclude pre-existing medical conditions
from coverage fo r more than six months,
cannot exclude pre-existing conditions at all
i f the enrollee has had coverage fo r the past
six months, and cannot treat pregnancy as a
pre-existing condition.
• Individual M a rk e t Reforms. These re­
forms specify that insurance carriers must
use a standardized health statement to deter­
mine w hether they w ill accept o r reject
applicants,and they p ro h ib it p o licy exclu­
sions o r lim ita tio n s that are based on the
health status o f an enrollee. As w ith group
plans, in d ivid u a l policies must use the stan­
dard six-m onth preexisting conditionsclausc,
w ith credit fo r p rio r coverage. And, like
small em ployer plans, all enrollees must be
charged the same average prem ium rates,
adjusted o n ly fo r differences in age
“ The reform s put in place by S B. 152 are
p a rticu la rly im portant fo r small employers
who w ant to o ffe r coverage to their workers
but could not afford to in the past,” Com m is­
sioner Barnett said, “ but these reforms also
o ffe r c ritic a l support fo r w om en’ s health
issues: the b ill elim inates gender-based rat­
ing in setting premiums, and prohibits insur­
ers from treating pregnancy as a pre-existing
co n d ition in all group policies.”
Dolores Huerta
Dolores Huerta, C o-founder and Sec
retary-T reasurer o f the U n ite d F a rm
W o rk e rs o f A m e ric a , A F L - C IO , w ill
speak in W oodburn on Sunday, O c to b e r
6 M s Huerta's appearance headlines an
event h o n o rin g the w o rk o f the late
C ipriano Ferrel, form er President o f the
P in ero s y C am pesinos U nido s d el
Noroeste (P C U N ), o r --in E nglish—the
N o r th w e s t
T r e e p la n t e r s
and
F a rm w o rk e rs U n ite d . This event is from
3:00 pm to 6:00 pm at PCUN's Risberg
H all, at 300 Y oung Street in W oodburn
call (503) 982-0243.
César Chávez Leadership
Conference
Latino high school students are invited
to attend the 6th annual César E. Chávez
Leadership Conference, w hich is the larg­
est student even, in the Hispanic comm u
n ity in Oregon. The conference w ill be
held at the U n ive rsity o f Portland's C hiles
Center on O c to b e r 8. Sign up through
yo u r school.
Minority Business
Opportunity Day
The I2,h Annual M in o rity Business
O p p o rtu n ity Day Trade Fair is com ing to
the O re g o n C o n v e n tio n C e n te r on O c ­
to b e r 9. T his event is a procurement
conference designed to help W om en- and
M in o rity-o w n e d businesses be more suc­
cessful in this increasingly com petitive
economy. For inform ation call (5 0 3 ) 326
5105 o r 326-5102, o r (503) 245-9253.
I he O re g o n C o n v e n tio n C e n te r is locat­
ed at 777 N E M L K , Jr. B lvd. in Portland.
Amigos de las Americas
A m igos de las A m ericas provides sum­
mer service opportun it ies to young people
w ho wan, to get to know another culture
and im prove liv in g conditions in Latin
Am erica. Meet O c to b e r 23 at the M e tro ­
politan Learning Center, 2033 N W Glisan.
For inform ation call: 231-9355 o r 234-
7790.