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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 29, 1998)
Page B5 JU L Y 29,1998 JJarf bttth tô te m w H e a lth »Science Regence HMO Oregon Earns Three- Year, Full Accreditation FromNCQA Regence HMO Oregon has three- year, Full Accreditation status from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Regence HMO Oregon is the managed care organi zatio n o f R eg en ce B lu eC ro ss BlueShield o f Oregon. “We are very pleased to attain this highly respected designation from the NCQA,” said Donald Sacco, Regence BlueCross BlueShield o f Oregon president and chief execu tive officer. “It is exceptional recog nition of our continuing commitment to provide our customers with high quality care and services.” NCQA accreditation is a widely recognized national evaluation tool that consumers, employers and regu lators use to assess and compare managed care plans. Full accreditation is granted for a period o f three years to plans that have excellent programs for con tinuous quality improvement and meet N CQ A ’s rigorous standards - the most stringent quality standards in the industry. Currently, Regence HMO is one o f two HMOs in O r egon to eam NCQA three-year, full accreditation. Only 168 health plans nationwide currently have NCQA full accreditation. “ F u ll a c c r e d ita tio n by th e NCQA validates all o f our hard w ork and confirm s that our m an aged care program s are perform ing very w ell w hen m easured against national standards,” said Dr. J. Bart M cM ullan, Regence BCBSO Executive Vice President, H ealth Services. Advocates Sought to Serve Long Term Care Residents Individuals interested in q u al ity care for residents o f nursing homes, residential care facilities, assisted living facilities and adult foster care hom es are needed to serve as C ertified O m budsm en. The O ffice o f the Long Term Care O m budsm an will train the v o lu n teers on the aging process, com m unication skills, problem so lv ing skills, investigation and other om budsm an skills. T he orienta tion will begin on Saturday, Sep- tem ber 12th in Tigard. As C ertified O m budsm en, the volunteers serve as advocates for the residents, by identifying and investigating com plaints and con cerns. The om budsm en w ork with the facilities to resolve those com plaints. The typical problem s om budsm en address cover a broad range, and often include resident care; resid en ts’ rights, such as pri vacy, respect and dignity; and qual ity o f life concerns such as appro- priate activities and meals, there are more than 14,000 residents in the Portland m etropolitan area and m ore than h a lf do not have any regular visitors. V olunteers also m ay choose to jo in the R esident A ssociate Pro gram , w hich focuses on visiting isolated or lonely residents. For inform ation about the pro gram or to learn how to get in volved, contact Kathy W alter at 1 - 800-522-2602. PROüíóence C b iìò C e n te R PRe- s e n ts a B o c o -a -T h o n t o s a p - p o R t Kids coith D isabilities Providence Child Center will present a Bowl-a-Thon Sunday, July 2 6 at 20th Century Lanes, 92nd & Powell, in Portland. Proceeds will benefit children with severe disabilities living at the C hildren’s Nursing Center. The event hap pens from 1-4 pm. The afternoon will feature great prizes and fun for all ages. The prize for the person with the high est score is a gift certificate to Finnegan’s Toys. For the most pledges collected, the top pledge getter will receive a debit card good for $50 worth o f merchandise at Kmart. D oor p rizes in clu d e Sunday Brunch for Four at The Sw eetbriar Inn, a m eal for tw o at A p p leb ee’s N eighborhood G rill and Bar, a round o f g o lf and dinner for tw o at B ullw inkle’s Fam ily Food-N - Fun, “ M an ag er’s F avorite" d in ners for tw o at The O ld S pa ghetti Factory, a pair o f o rc h e s tra level seats to a P o rtland Y outh P h ilh a rm o n ic C o n c e rt during the 1998-99 season and a pair o f full adm ission passes for OM SI which includes adm ission to th e p la n e ta r iu m an d O M NIM AX. Bowlers who collect $30.00 or more in pre-paid pledges can bowl three games for free. Child care will be available at the lanes. Call Donna Chandler at 503-215-2422 for pledge forms and to reserve you lane. Eating Ethnic Foods Can Be Healthy If you th o u g h t y o u r h ealth y eatin g plan c o n siste d o f o rd e rin g C h in e s e ta k e - o u t, th e n th in k again. N u tritio n e x p e rts at T he D eB akey H eart C e n te r at B aylor C o lleg e o f M e d ic in e and T he M eth o d ist H o sp ital in H ouston say an e th n ic d iet is n o t alw ay s a h ealth y on e. T he key is kno w in g w hat to o rd e r. “ E th n ic re s ta u ra n ts ten d to A m ericanize trad itio n al dishes by a d d in g fa tty in g r e d ie n ts lik e ch e e se an d n u ts ,” sa id L ynne Scott, a re g iste re d d ie titia n and d ire c to r o f th e D iet M o d ificatio n C lin ic at B ay lo r and M eth o d ist. “ W ith so m any u n fa m ilia r in g re dients found in eth n ic c u isin e s, it can be d iffic u lt to id en tify low - fat fo o d s.” S cott say s eth n ic c u isin e has becom e p o p u la r in re c e n t years. A N atio n al R e sta u ra n t A sso c ia tion survey revealed that the three m ost p o p u lar ethnic c u isin e s in the U nited S tates are C hinese, Italian and M exican. M any ethnic re sta u ra n ts serve large p o rtio n s. Scott says m od eratio n can also help keep your fat in tak e low . “ I f y ou c a n n o t fin ish y o u r m eal, req u est a carry -o u t bag and have y o u r lefto v ers for lu n c h ,” S cott said. “O r, if y o u ’re eating w ith a gro u p, o rd er one less e n tree than the num ber o f p e o p le .” Scott recom m ends the fo llo w ing ethnic eatin g out tips; * Call ahead to learn w hat low- fat item s are o ffered. Som e e th nic restaurants offer heart healthy item s and co o k e d -to -o rd e r item s so that you can request less fat in y o u r food. S cott recom m ends the fo llo w ing tips for ord erin g lo w er-fat eth n ic foods: * R equest that cream y d re ss ings and sauces be served on the sid e so you c a n c o n tro l th e am ount you use. * Forgo d e e p -frie d a p p etizers and side o rders such as tem pura, egg rolls, nachos and fried m o z zarella cheese. * W hen o rd e rin g C h in ese, o r der steam ed rice instead o f fried rice. * W hen ordering fajitas, choose chicken instead o f beef and re quest that sauce not be added. * Request corn to rtillas instead o f flo u r to rtilla s , w hich have about four tim es the am ount o f fat in corn to rtilla s. * O rd e r p la in , ste a m e d o r g r ille d v e g e ta b le s , fish an d chicken w ithout ad ding fatty oil or butter. T he D eB akey H eart C e n te r is a jo in t program o f B ay lo r C o l lege o f M edicine and T he M eth odist H ospital su pporting c a rd io v ascu lar re se a rc h , treatm en t and education. North American Biologicals, Inc. opens new facility S eeking to expand the av a il ability o f plasm a p ro d u cts used in the treatm en t o f b u m s, shock and hem o p h ilia, N A B I (N A S D A Q - N A B Ij is o p en in g a new facility at 16225 NE G lisan. T h e G rand O pening for o u r new plasm a c o l lection c e n te r has been scheduled for F riday, Ju ly 17th, 1998 from 10 am to I pm . Local o fficials from the city , cou n ty and m edical com m unity, as w ell as the general public, are invited to attend to help us in the “C om m unity o f L ife” w hich is the them e o f the c e n te r’s G rand O pening. A key note speaker w ill be Jay C aulk, head N urse o f Emanuel Burn C en ter, on the vital im portance o f the availability o f plasm a to critically injured burn victim s. N abi, headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, is the w orld’s larg est independent provider o f human blood plasma elements to the health care industry and is dedicated to improving the quality ofhum an life o f providing plasm a and plasma- based derivatives for diagnosis or th e ra p y o f im m une d iso rd e rs. NABI collection operations encom pass 70 locations, with 66 centers in the US and four in Germany. .You Can Now Find Us On The Web!!! http://www.portlandobserver.net e-mail-PDXOBSERV@aol.com How much vitamin C ió enough? Science is taking another hard look at whether or not the recom mended am ount o f vitam in C needed to prevent scurvy -in other works, enough to keep your teeth from falling out-is also the optimal amount for health and the preven tion o f other diseases. The process still has a way to go, but it’s quite possible the time honored 60 m illigram s per day that has been the “recom m ended daily allow ance” for years will be edged up as re- searchers continue to explore the value o f this vitam in in everything from heart disease to diabetes and cancer. Researchers in the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University are preparing an analysis o f many studies done over the years on the proven, demonstrable benefits of various levels o f vitamin C intake, and will soon be submitting a report to the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy o f Sciences, which is considering changes in the RDA for vitamin C and other anti oxidants. “We aren’t sure yet about our final recommendation, but based upon a preliminary review o f many stud ies done over the past 15 years, a number that seems to stand out right now is about 100 milligrams per day,” said Anitra Carr, a re search associate with the Linus Pauling Institute. “Current guidelines suggest five to nine servings a day o f fresh fruits and vegetables, which will provide about 220 milligrams o f vitamin C,” Carr said. “Anyone who does that should be fine. But one study o f U.S. children and teens found only about 1/3 o f them actually follow the guidelines.” Women’s depression often linked to hormonal changes There are three times in a woman's life when she is at higher risk for depression. “The greatest risk for depression occurs a week-to-10 days before the period starts, after the birth o f a child, and one-to-two years before meno pause. In general, wom en’s depres sion falls between the ages o f 22 and 45,” said Dr. Lucy Puryear, director o f The W omen's Clinic at Baylor College o f Medicine’s Department ofPsychiatry. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) can occur each month be fore a woman’s menstrual period. It affects six-to-eight percent of women and can be severely disabling. “PMDD shouldn’t be confused with the common PMS symptoms of slight tearfulness and irritability," she said. “Women with PMDD cannot function during the w eek-to-10 days before their period.” Symptoms include an inability to work or go to school, excessive cry ing, and relationship problems. Once their period begins, the woman’s functioning returns to normal. Treatment with anti-depressants provides immediate relief o f the symptoms. “Other types of depres sion need three-to-six weeks for the medication to take effect, it is not clear why PMDD responds differ ently,” Puryear said. Medically Trained Volunteers Needed To Provide Free Blood Lead Tests To Children Between the Ages Of 6 Months and 6 Years in North/Northeast Portland C h ild h o o d lead p o is o n in g is a s e rio u s and p re v e n ta b le h e a lth p ro b le m in o u r c o m m u n ity an d th e o n ly w ay to id e n tif y i f a c h ild is b e in g p o i s o n e d is th r o u g h a b lo o d te s t. M u ltn o m a h C o u n ty ra n k s 4 8 th o u t o f 3 ,5 0 0 c o u n tie s in th e U n ite d S ta te s fo r o ld e r h o u s in g s t o c k . L e a d p a i n t in h o u s e s b u ilt p r io r to 1979 is th e n u m b e r o n e c a u s e o f lead p o is o n in g . N o r th /N o r th e a s t P o r tla n d h a s th e h ig h e s t d e n s ity o f o l d e r h o u s in g a n d y o u n g c h ild r e n w h o a re m o st s u s c e p tib le to h o u s e h o ld lead p o is o n in g . F u n d s h a v e b e e n ra is e d to p r o v id e fre e e q u ip m e n t and la b w o rk fo r b lo o d le a d t e s t in g o f c h ild r e n a g e s 6 m o n th s to 6 y e a rs o ld d u r in g J u ly , A u g u st, and S e p te m b e r, 1998. W e need v o lu n te e r n u rs e s , m e d ic a l te c h n ic ia n s , p h y s i c ia n s a s s is ta n ts , d e n tis ts , p h le b o to m is ts , d o c to r s , e tc . to a d m in is te r th e s e te s ts at s ite lo c a tio n s se t up by U rb a n L e a g u e o f P o r tla n d s ta f f . I f yo u can g iv e so m e o f y o u r tim e , p le a s e c a ll 2 8 0 - 2 6 6 2 . i __ A u g u st __ ; Garden hints from your OSU Extension Agent • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Check apple maggot traps; spray if needed. Make compost of lawn clippings and garden plants that are ready to be recycled. Control yellow jackets and wasps with traps and lures. First week: spray for walnut husk fly. First week: second spray of peach and prune trees for root borers. First week: second spray of filbert trees for filbertworm. Spray for root weevils in ornamental shrubs and flowers; codling moth and spider mite in apple trees; scale insects in camellias, holly, maples. Plant winter cover crops in vacant space around the vegetable garden; plant winter kale, Brussels sprouts, turnips, parsnips, parsley, and Chinese cabbage. Dampwood termites begin flying late this month. Make sure your home is free of wet wood or places where wood and soil are in contact. Fall webworm webbing appears in ornamentals and shade trees; prune nests and destroy, or spray with diazinon. Bacillus thuringiensis, or Orthene. Watch for com earworm on early com—treat as needed. Check lawns for chinch-bug presence and/or damage. Begin soil preparation for planting new lawn. Fertilize cucumbers, summer squash, and broccoli, while harvesting to maintain production. Clean and fertilize strawberry beds. Control caterpillars on leafy vegetables, as needed, with Bacillus thuringiensis or rotenone. For mite control on ornamentals and most vegetables, hose off foliage, spray with miticide if necessary. Monitor garden irrigation closely so crops don’t dry out. Use mulch to protect ornamentals and garden plants from hot weather damage. East o f Cascades: check for tomato hom worm. Mid-August to early September—fertilize lawn for last time this growing season. Western Oregon: mid-summer planting of peas; use enation-virus-resistant varieties, plant fall crops of cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli. Oregon coast: plant spinach. Wes/eni valleys, Portland, Roseburg, Medford: plant cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spinach, turnips, and parsnips. Columbia an d Snake River valleys, Ontario: plant Chinese cabbage, and endive. Camellias need deep watering to develop flower buds for next spring. Prune raspberries, boysenberries, and other canebemes after harvest. High elevations, central and eastern Oregon: prune away excess vegetation and new blossoms on tomatoes after mid-August. Concentrate on ripening set fruit. Coastal an d western valleys: spray potatoes and tomatoes for early and late blight. OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION SERVICE 1998
