P agi A6
F ebruary 19, 1997 • T he P ortland O bserver
Tuskegee meeting for
minority involvement
A national m eeting to discuss
w ay s to encourage minorities to join
medical clinical trials will be held
February 23-25 in Tuskegee, AL,
the site o f the infamous Tuskegee
Syphilis Study which involved 400
im poverished A frican-A m erican
men
I he seminar is organized by the
Radiation Therapy Oncology Group
(RTOG) and sponsored by the na
tional Cancer Institute (NCI) and
the Office o f Research and W omen’s
Health, National Institutes of Health
It will be held in Tuskegee to em
phasize that such studies will never
be done again R TOG is a national
cancer research organization spon
sored and funded by the National
Cancer Institute (NCI) and admin
istered by the American College of
Radiology (ACR). It is made up of
more than 200 leading medical fa
c ilities across the nation and Canada.
Because of fears generated by the
Tuskegee experiments, where the
400 men were left untreated by U.S.
Government scientists to examine
the effect o f the disease. African
Americans have been reluctant to
take part in other clinical trials. NCI
has reported that w hile African
Americans make up 15 percent of
the population, only 2-4 percent of
those participating in cancer pre
vention trials are African Ameri
cans.
One purpose of the seminar, w Inch
will involve federal officials, Afri
can-American oncology experts and
other health care professionals, is to
educate the m edical community
about race and cancer treatment re
sults The other is to encourage Af
rican Americans and other minori
ties, including women, to partici
pate in clinical studies.
Overall, African Americans have
poorer cancer survival rates than
C aucasians. But those A frican
Americans who are treated in clini
cal trials have the same cancer sur
vival rates as white, according to
published studies, therefore, it is
often in the best interest o f African
Americans w ith cancer toenter clini
cal trials, according to R TOG inves
tigators.
Among those speaking at the
seminar w ill be Dr. l.ouis Sullivan,
former secretary o f the Department
o f Health and Human Services and
Dr. Vivian Pinn, director o f the O f
fice o f Research on Women's Health
Following the seminar a report
summarizing the clinical trials re
cruitment plans outlined at the meet
ing will be distributed to the public
and media later this year.
Put Children First
New Year/New Connections
Family counselors, social sci
entists and other professionals are
stepping up to express their grow
ing concern regarding the state of
fatherhood in our nation.
They report that w hile most
women are quire clear about what
it means to be a mother, most men
do not understand what it means to
be a father.
Because we as a nation don't
lecognize the value o f fatherhood,
we are unable to fully understand
what a father brings to a child's
life that is so important.
Most absent parents are fathers
and we tend to think o f them pri
marily in terms o f being just a
source o f financial support How
ever, the father/child connection
is critical in fulfilling the emo
tional needs o f both father and
New Eye Care Center To Serve Inner-City
Portland - A new eye care center
has recently opened to serve the
needs o f community members in
North and Northeast Portland.
The Northeast Eye Center has
been established by the Pacific Uni
versity College o f Optometry and
the Multnomah County Health De
partment to provide a full-range o f
high quality and affordable eye and
vision care services. The facility is
located in the Multnomah County
Health Center. 5329 NF Ml K Jr
Blvd (on the corner o f MLK Jr.
Blvd and Killingsvvorth).
Services at this Center are pro
vided by faculty optométrie physi
cians from Pacific's College o f O p
to m e try w ho are a ssiste d by
optométrie interns and resident doc
tors in their final year o f profes
sio n a l tra in in g , say s B rooks
Alldredge. O.D.. Director o f Clinic
at the Northeast Eye Center and an
Associate Professor of Optometry at
Pacific University Services include
com prehensive exam inations for
eyeglasses and contact lenses, care
for diseases such as diabetes, high
blood pressure and glaucoma as w ell
as treatment for injuries to the eye;
optical services for frames and sun
glasses, free vision screenings for
children and adults, and the avail
ability o f 24-hour emergency care
through an on-call eye doctor.
As a service to the community,
the Northeast Eye Center offers free
vision screenings throughout the year
for people o f all ages, although
screenings do not take the place o f a
complete examination, they do pro
vide information about clarity of
vision, ey e health, and how well the
eyes are working together. These
screenings can be useful for people
who have diabetes and high blood
pressure - conditions that can cause
sight-threatening vision problems,
and for those who have not had their
eyes examined recently. Addition
ally, they are very important for
youngchildren whose learning skills
— such as reading and writing --
depend on good vision and eye
health.
In addition to the Northeast Eye
Center. Pacific’s College o f Optom
etry operatescommunity vision cen
ters in downtown Portland, South
east P o rtla n d , F o rest G rove,
Cornelius, McMinnville, and at the
Washington State School for the
Blind in Vancouver.
For appointment scheduling and
more information about the North
east Eye Center, please call 248-
3821.
child.
Too often, we fail to understand
that fathers need to offer nurturing,
time, direction, guidance, and emo
tional support to their children-just
as mother do.
How do You Re-Connect?
If you have not seen your chil
dren, or if you are just concerned
about your relationship with them,
now would ben an excellent time to
make some positive changes, a close
relationship with your children could
be the most satisfying and reward
ing connection in your life—and in
the lives o f your children. Dr. Ron
Klinger, The Center for Successful
Fathering, suggests the following
tips for reconnecting with your kids.
I . Make time to actively play with
your children; it increases the par
ent-child connection.
2. Cook a meal, with everyone
pitching in and working together,
then sit down and eat together.
3. Create traditions which will
result in lifelong memories. Do
things that are familiar and fun for
both father and children (could also
involve other family members.)
4. Take your children to your
workplace and introduce them to
your coworkers.
5. Pay attention to what your
children liketodo(otherthan watch
television), then do it with them.
6. Go to your children's school
for lunch and/or meet with their
teachers.
7. Build something for or with
your children, e g., paint their
rooms, tlx an old car, hang a swing,
or do a school project.
8. Help with homework
Resolution
Reminder
C’hicago - Now that New Year's resolutions to eat right and
get fit have collected as much dust as the exercise equipment
you got for Christmas, try jum p starting your commitment to
healthy living by picking up the telephone. I he National Center
for Nutrition and dietetics' (NCND) Consumer Nutrition Hot
fin e (800-366-1655) can help get you back on track by
providing information on the latest food and nutrition issues -
- from amino acids to zinc. Each month, this toll free service
features a new series o f nutrition-related recorded messages
from registered dietitians. A new Spanish-language message
appears each month too.
Researchers hone in on genetics of glaucoma
Families throughout the N orth
west are helping eye researchers
at the Oregon Health Sciences U ni
versity find genes im plicated in
the most com m on form o f g lau
com a, a blinding eye disease.
Research has shown that two to
four percent o f the population suf
fers from the type o f glaucom a in
which eye pressure becom es dan
gerously high.
The research team, led by Mary
W irtz. Ph D., a geneticist and d i
rector o f the G laucom a G enetics
Laboratory at the Casey Eye Insti
tute. has located a specific region
on chrom osom e 3 that is associ
ated w ith high-pressure glaucom a
in one, large O regon fam ily. The
findings appear in the February
1997 issue o f the A m erican Jour
nal o f Human G enetics.
W hile o th e r sc ie n tis ts have
identified genes for low -pressure
and ju v e n ile glaucom as, which
occur infrequently. this is the first
report o f a gene associated with
the classic form o f the disease
w hich usually occurs after age 35.
Primary open-angle glaucom a
is am ong the leading causes o f
blindness in the w orld, affecting
m ore than 13.5 m illion people.
Elevated pressure in the ey e is the
main hallm ark o f this disease,
which dam ages the optic nerve
carry ing visual inform ation from
the eye to the brain. Identification
o f the genes responsible for this
disorder could lead to blood tests
and e a r lie r tr e a tm e n t, w hich
should, in turn, forestall or elim i
nate blinding aspects o f the dis
ease
John Samples, M.D.. director
o f the G laucom a Service at Casey
Eye Institute and co-author o f the
study, points out that open-angle
glaucom a is more prevalent in
people w ith diabetes and myopia
(nearsightedness). The scientists
The NAACP 28th Image Awards
Joe Madison, Chairman o f the
Image Awards, was on hand at the
reading o f the nominations for the
28th Image Awards Press Confer
ence held at the Magic Johnson
Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. Join
ing Madison was actress and pre
vious Image Award Winner, Erika
Alexander, Living Single, w ho was
also nominated again this year in
the best actress/comedy category.
Y olanda K ing. The G host o f
Mississippi, and LeVar Burton.
Star Trek; The First Contact, who
received a nomination in the O ut
standing Youth or C hildren's Se-
ries/Special for Reading Rainbow .
Myrlie Evers-W illiams. Chair
man National Board o f Directors.
NAACPand Kweisi Mfume. Presi
dent CEO are happy to announce
that Arsenio Hall and Patti LaBelle
are co hosting this year's event,
while Denzel Washington has been
named Entertainer o f the Year.
The NAACP Image Awards
were created to honor those indi
viduals who have contributed to
the positive portrayal o f African-
Americans in the entertainm ent
industry.
Actor/Producer LeVar Burton and actress Erika Alexander
Western Regional Director, NAACP, Ernestine Peters; humorist
Dick Gregory; actress Yolanda King: and Image Awards Chairman,
Joseph E. Madison
Juvenile corrections agency terminates contractor
The Oregon Youth Authority is
preparing to engage the community
in an effort to re-invest resources in
Northeast Portland follow ing its ter
mination o f a contract with a pro
vider of residential services foryouth
offenders.
OYA D irector Rick Hill said
Wednesday the state s contract w ith
Yaun Youth Care Center has been
terminatedeffective March 10.1997:
and that the state juvenile correc
tions agency is working with com
munity leaders on how best to con
tinue to deliver services.
"This is not something we take
lightly, or do arbitrarily ," Hill said o f
• «X*
the agency's decision to terminate the
contract. "This has been a careful and
lengthy process, with input and sup
portive inform ation from many
sources."
Yaun. a 13 bend private non
profit residential care center located
at 5128 NE Rodney Avenue, is
among 30 such programs across the
sate with which OYA contracts.
These residential facilities are ex
pected to provide serv ices to adjudi
cated youth offenders w ho are either
at risk o f being placed in a secure
youth correctional facility, or who
are making the transition from a
secure youth correctional facility to
the community. OYA expects resi
dential centers to provide a struc
tured living environment, skill build
ing. and individualized treatment
planning and services.
O Y A 's re-investment o f the re
sources in the NE Portland commu
nity will begin immediately OYA is
committed to the resources remain
ing in the same community and serv
ing African American youth offend
ers. Hill said OYA would enlist the
involvement of community leaders,
the provider community and other
stakeholders in defining the need for
serv ices and working quickly to re
turn those services to the youth
at Casey Eye Institute believe that
m ultiple genes are responsible for
this disease
"W e know that not all glau
coma fam ilies map to this site.”
said Sam ples "In order to deter
mine the other sites, we are con
tinuing to work with other fam i
lies and other ophthalm ologists
throughout the N orthw est who
have sent patients to us.”
The research group from the
eye institute has traveled through
out the state to evaluate patients in
their eye d o ctor's office. Indeed,
this work would not have been
possible w ithout their cooperation.
team members say. "The fam ilies’
enthusiasm and w illin g n ess to
participate in these studies have
been the key to their success," said
W irtz
O ther members o f the team were
Patricia Kramer, Ph D . a popula
tion geneticists and her assistant
Jennifer Yount, who used statisti
cal analysis to dem onstrate m ap
ping o f the subject fam ily's gene
to chrom osom e 3. Kristal Rust and
Rick Topinka assisted W irtz with
the genom e-w ide search that led
to mapping o f the gene Ted Acott,
Ph D . and Robert Koler. M.D.,
were also co-authors
Melba Moore to highlight
February with series of vignettes
Odyssey (formerly the Faith &
Values Channel) has announced that
singer actress Melba Moore will be
featured in a series o f 60-second
historical vignettes entitled "Persis
tence in Faith” tied to Black History
Month
Melba Moore narrates the "Per
sistence in Faith" spots which high
light the role religion and the church
have played in black history. The
spots, which were taped at Abyssin
ian Baptist Church in New York
City , will air on Odyssey during the
month o f February .
Abyssinian Baptist Church dates
back to 1808 when it was organized
in the Greenwich Village area o f
New York City by African-Ameri
cans and Africans from Abyssinia,
who as members o f an all-white
church congregation sought to es
tablish their own church. The church
has been located in New Y ork's
Harlem since 1923.
Know for her work in the theater.
Melba Moore has starred in the origi
nal Broadway production o f “ Hair"
and won a Tony Award for her per
formance in the musical "Purlie."
She has also appeared on telev ision
in a dramatic series, sitcom and a
musical variety show with actor
Clifton Davis.
Ody ssey is now available in more
than 28 million households nation
wide via cable and the Primestar
direct-to-home satellite service It
offers a mix o f religious, moral
ethical, values-based family-safe
programming.
Odyssey isjointly owned by VISN
Management Corp., a subsidiary of
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the National Interfaith Cable Coali
tion (NICC). and Liberty Media
Corp. (LBTYA). a subsidiary ofTele-
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NICC is a consortium o f 64 protes
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Web site:
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