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JU L Y 29,1998
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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
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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