Portland observer., September 23, 1998, Page 5, Image 5

SEPT. 23,1998
Page A5
— (Ebe JJortlanh © bserucr
New Awareness Campaign
Targets The African
American Diabetes Epidemic
Dr. D av id S atc h er, U .S. S u r­
g e o n G e n e ra l, la u n c h e d a new
aw a re n ess ca m p a ig n en c o u ra g in g
th e 2.2 m illio n A fric an A m eric an s
w ith d ia b ete s to co n tro l th eir b lood
su g a r le v els. T he C o n tro l Y o u r
D iab e te s F o r L ife ca m p a ig n , d e ­
v elo p ed by the N atio n al D iab e te s
E d u ca tio n P ro g ram (N D E P ), e n ­
c o u r a g e s f a m ily m e m b e rs a n d
frien d s to su p p o rt th o se w ho have
the d ise a se . D r. G ary D en n is,
p re sid e n t o f th e N atio n al M ed ical
A sso c ia tio n , w as also p re se n t to
g iv e his o r g a n iz a tio n ’s su p p o rt to
th e ca m p a ig n .
“ D ia b e te s is an ep id em ic w ith in
the A fric a n A m eric an co m m u n ity .
T h e n u m b e r o f A fric an A m eric an s
d iag n o sed w ith d iab etes has tripled
o v e r th e p a st 30 y e a rs ,” said Dr.
S atch er. “ T h e N atio n al D iab e te s
E d u ca tio n P ro g ra m ’s ca m p a ig n is
a k ey s tra te g y o f th e P re s id e n t’s
In itia tiv e o n R a ce, w h ich is d e ­
sig n e d to im p ro v e th e h e a lth s ta ­
tus o f A m e ric a ’s ra c ia l an d eth n ic
p o p u la tio n s , in c lu d in g A fric a n
A m e ric a n s.”
D r. S a tc h e r c a lle d on all A fri­
ca n A m e ric a n s w ith d ia b e te s to
w o rk w ith th e ir h e a lth care p ro ­
v id e rs to m a n ag e th e ir d isease.
“ R e sea rch sh o w s th a t a g g re ssiv e
tre a tm e n t w ith d ie t, re g u la r p h y si­
cal a c tiv ity , an d d ia b e te s m e d i­
cin es ca n p rev e n t o r d elay m u c h o f
the illn e ss an d d ea th from d ia b e ­
te s,” he said.
“ A fric an A m erican s ex p erien ce
h ig h e r and m ore d ev a sta tin g rates
o f d ia b ete s co m p lic atio n s in c lu d ­
ing eye d ise ase , k id n ey failure,
am pu tatio n s, and p rem atu re deaths
th an C a u ca sia n s. T he d eath rates
fo r p eo p le w ith d ia b e te s are 27%
h ig h e r for b la ck s co m p ared w ith
w h ite s,” sa id D r. M arcu s W ilso n ,
N atio n al M ed ical D irec to r o f the
M u tu al o f O m ah a C o m p an y . “ It is
c ru c ia l that w e tre a t this d ise ase as
an ep id em ic an d in fo rm ev ery o n e
abut th e lo n g -te rm b en e fits o f c o n ­
tro llin g d ia b e te s.”
D r. D en n is also c h a lle n g ed A f­
rica n A m eric an s w ith d iab etes to
co n tro l th e ir d ise ase . “ K eep y o u r
b lo o d sugar u n d er co n tro l by stick ­
ing w ith y o u r tre a tm e n t p ro g ram .
W atch w hat y ou eat, m ak e tim e for
re g u la r p h y sic al a c tiv ity , and take
d ia b e te s m e d ic in e s as p resc rib ed .
A lso , k eep trac k o f y o u r b lo o d
sugar num bers," he said. He added,
“ I ’ve seen first h an d h o w c o n tro l­
ling b lo o d su g a r le v els ca n m ak e a
b ig d iffe ren ce . W h en p eo p le w ith
d ia b ete s c o n tro l th e ir d ise ase they
feel b etter, they h av e m ore en erg y ,
an d u ltim a te ly , th e y e n jo y a b e tte r
q u ality o f life .”
M ore d ia b e te s in fo rm atio n is
av a ila b le fo r p eo p le w ith d iab etes
and h ea lth c are p ro v id e rs by c a ll­
ing 1-800-438-5 3 8 3 o rv is itin g th e
N D E P w eb s ite s at h ttp ://
n d e p .n ih .g o v
or
h ttp ://
w w w .c d c .g o v /d ia b e te s/.
Local Businesses Suffer
from Bad Vibes
In spite o f the Beach Boys song,
all vibrations are not good vibra­
tions.
Tasks such as driving trucks, op­
erating forklifts, tractors or heavy
m achinery can cause w hole-body
vibration and increase the risk for
low er back problem s. In fact, re­
search shows that nearly 7 m illion
U.S. w orkers are at risk o f being
exposed to the negative effects o f
whole-body vibration, according to
the O ccupational Safety and H ealth
A dm inistration. In industries such
as construction, forestry, agricul­
ture, transportation, w arehousing
and m anufacturing, high levels o f
vibration are a real threat for caus­
ing spinal colum n problem s and
low er back pain. The U.S. Bureau
o f Labor Statistics claim s that dis­
ability due to low er back pain is the
m ost prevalent and costly w ork-re­
lated problem for m any industries.
N ow L ib erty N o rth w e st, the
region’s largest private w o rk ers’
com pensation provider, offers new
technology to help reduce w orkers’
exposure to w hole-body vibration.
Developed by the safety and health
research team o f its parent com pany,
Liberty M utual, Liberty N orthw est’s
portable field evaluation m eter col­
lects data on the m ulti-axis vibration
o f specific jo b tasks. T his data is
com pared to standards set by the
American N ational Standards Insti­
tute and International Standards O r­
ganization for safe levels o f whole-
body vibration exposure. If m ea­
surement results exceed the recom ­
m ended level. L iberty N orthw est
makes suggestions on how to reduce
vibration levels. T his innovative
technology is available only through
Liberty M utual and Liberty North­
west.
"Identifying the exposure is half
the battle,” said D ebra Corbin, CIH.
Liberty Northwest Industrial Hygiene
Manager. “ By pinpointing vibration
levels and sources, w e have a better
chance o f reducing risks before they
becom e a problem for w orkers and
com panies.”
A ccording to Liberty N orthw est’s
loss prevention experts, the field
m eter is a big step in helping com pa­
nies determ ine how m uch vibration
is contributing to the o nset o f low er
back pain. It also m easures the
vibration risk associated w ith co m ­
bined daily tasks, such as m aking
deliveries and then operating a fork­
lift. T he evaluation takes m easu re­
m ents form both vehicles, com bines
the results and determ ines w hat the
em p lo y ee’s typical daily exposure
is to vibration. In evaluating low er
back disabilities, o th er risk factors
include activities such as m aterials
handling, jum ping dow n form a trac­
tor cab or vehicle, and health co n ­
siderations such as p osture and p re­
vious injuries.
W hole-body vibration evaluations
are available for Liberty N orthw est
custom ers in O regon, Idaho, and
M ontana that m eet certain criteria
for potential risks. Evaluations also
are available on a fee-for-service
basis to com panies that are not cur­
rently insured through Liberty North­
west. For more inform ation about
w hole-body vibration evaluations,
contact the Loss Prevention Depart
ment. 503-736-7100.
New Advancements in Fertility Seminar, Monday, September 28th
N ew a d v a n c e m e n ts in
f e r tility m ake p a re n t­
h o o d a w o n d e rfu l r e a l ­
ity fo r m an y c o u p le s .
O n M o n d a y , S e p te m b e r
28 fro m 7 -1 0 p m , at th e
P o rtla n d
H ilto n ,
G e o ffre y S h e r, M .D ., o f
th e S h e r - B r o d y I n s t i ­
tu te , an i n te r n a tio n a lly
re c o g n iz e d e x p e r t in th e
f ie ld o f i n f e r t i l i t y and
th e o r ig in a to r o f s e v e ra l
m a jo r m e d ic a l b r e a k ­
th ro u g h s th a t h a v e i n ­
c re a s e d IV F b ir t h r a te s ,
w ill h o s t a fre e s e m in a r
on IV F and o th e r f e r t i l ­
i ty e n h a n c i n g p r o c e ­
d u re s .
A tte n d e e s w ill re c e iv e
an a u to g ra p h e d c o p y o f
D r. S h e r ’ s a c c l a i m e d
b o o k , “ In V itro F e r t i l i ­
z a tio n : T he A .R .T . o f
M ak in g B a b ie s .”
I n te r e s te d p a r tie s can
m ake th e ir r e s e r v a tio n s
by c a ll in g 8 0 0 - 7 8 0 -
7437.
W a lk - in s a re a ls o
w e lc o m e .
Advocates Sought to Serve Long Term Care Residents
V olunteer advocates and investi­
gators are needed to serve as om ­
budsmen for residents o f nursing
homes, residential care facilities, as­
sisted living facilities and adult fos­
ter care hom es. The O ffice o f the
Long T erm C are O m budsm en will
train the volunteers on the aging pro­
cess, com m unication skills, problem ­
solving skills, investigation and other
om budsm en skills. The orientation
w ill begin Tuesday, O ctober 13 in
O regon City.
A s Certified O mbudsmen, the vol­
unteers work to improve the quality o f
residents’ lives, by identifying and
investigating complaints and concerns
on b ehalf o f the residents, then w ork­
ing with the facilities to make changes.
The typical problems ombudsmen ad­
dress cover a broad range, and often
include resident care; residents’ rights,
such as privacy, respect and dignity;
and qualify o f life concerns such as
appropriate activities and meals. “The
volunteers have a real impact on the
lives o f residents, successfully resolv­
ing 90% o f the complaints," says Kathy
W alter, V olunteer Recruitm ent Su­
pervisor. “O m budsm en find a great
deal ofpersonaccomplishment in their
work.”
V olunteers also may choose to
jo in the Resident A ssociate Program,
w hich focuses on visiting isolated or
lonely residents.
For inform ation about the pro­
gram or to leam how to get involved,
contact Kathy W alter at 1-800-522-
2602.
Deadly E. Coli Subject of Study by Legacy Emanuel
Children’s Hospital and Health System Research Department
Legacy Emanuel Children’s Hos­
pital is actively screening pediatric
patients for E. coli to test a drug
designed to prevent kidney dam age
in children with the disease. The
hospital is one o f fourteen sites in the
U.S. chosen by the drug’s developer,
Synsorb Biotech, Inc. o f Calgary, to
test the medication. The principal
investigator for the trial at Legacy is
Scott Lindquist, MD, MPH. Local
family practice and pediatric physi­
cians have been notified o f the re­
search and asked to contact Dr.
Lindquist abut suspected cases o f the
disease in children 6 months to 15
years old.
Since beginning the phase III clini­
cal trial in July, Legacy Research and
Legacy Emanuel Children’s hospital
have enrolled one 4 year old child in
the study and hope to enroll another ten
over the next six months. Phase III
clinical trials are blind tests in which
fifty percent o f the patients will be
given the medication, the other half
receive a placebo. Researchers are
blind to which patient received the
medication, call Synsorb Pk. Synsorb
Pk, is also being tested in Canada,
A rgentina and Japan.
E . coli 0157: H7 is virulent strain o f
the bacteria E. coli found in contam i­
nated meat, vegetables, dairy prod­
ucts and ground water. Sym ptom s
include severe intestinal pain and
b lo o d y d ia rrh e a . It ca n c a u se
Hemolytic Uremic Syndrom e(H U S),
one o f the disease’s m ost serious and
potentially fatal complications. E.
coli is a leading cause o f both acute
and chronic renal insufficiency in
children and is recognized as one o f
the fastest growing foodbom e infec­
tious diseases in the world.
Close to 100 Oregonians are diag­
nosed with the disease each year and
according to the Center for Disease
Control and Infection, E. coli is re­
sponsible for an estimated 30,000 to
40,000 infections each year in the
United States.
Little Chapel O f The Chimes On Killingsworth To Host National
Teleconference On Children’s Grief
Helping communities better under­
and children’s grief issues will be the
kus o f a live via-satellite teleconfer-
nce October 13 at Portland Adventist
lospital. Hosted by Little Chapel o f the
himes on Killingsworth, the Com m u-
ities in Crisis: W hen a P aren t Dies,
u pporting the C hildren teleconfer-
nce will feature Martin Luther King III
nd an international panel o f experts
/ho will discuss the issues children face
allowing the loss o f a parent.
“Grieving children have been ne-
lected for far too long, “ said Dr. Kiti
reier, associate professor psychology
nd pediatrics at Loma Linda Univer­
ity and Children’s Hospital, who will
articipate as a panelist. “Children do
fyeve, and we as a adults need to under-
tand how to appropriately support hem.
b is teleconference will raise aware-
less o f children’s grief.”
According to Freier, two o f the fac-
ors wltich complicate children's grief
xperiences are their ongoing develop-
nental process and their lack o f ad­
vanced verbal skills to communicate
heir grief.
“The teleconference will equip
aregivers with the tools and resources
hey need to help a child’s grieving
irocess. which is unique to each child,"
aid Freicr.
Little Chapel o f the Chimes on
Killingsworth is one o f the more than
500organizationsintheU.S. and Canada
hosting theC om m unitiesinC risis tele­
conference broadcast from Southern
California. The event is sponsored na­
tionally be Service Corporation Inter­
national (SCI), the world’s leading fu­
neral service organization, in conjunc­
tion w ith Lom a Linda U niversity
Children’s Hospital.
“This conference is especially de­
signed for clergy, educators/school per­
sonnel, psychologist, social workers,
community groups, law enforcement
officers, as well as other community
leaders and caregivers who work with
and care about ourchildren,' ’ said David
McDonald, manager ofLittle Chapel o f
the Chimes on Killingsworth. “We all
live in Portland, Oregon together, and
we know we must continue to work
together to help our children."
During the teleconference, viewers
will be able to participate by telephone
with comments and questions for an
international panel o f experts, includ­
ing:
*Dr. Kiti Freier, an associate profes-
sorofpsychology and pediatnesat Loma
Linda University and Children's Hos­
pital.
♦Dr Donna Schuurman, the execu-
tive director o f The Dougy Center in
Portland, Oregon, the first center in the
United States designed for grieving chil­
dren.
*Danny Mize, the executive director
o f the Kids’ Place, a center for grieving
children in the Oklahoma City area.
With 17 years o f experience in dealing
with grief issues, Mize has also served
as a minister o f Christian education for
churches in Oklahoma and Texas.
In addition to the panelists. Dr. Wil­
liam J. Worden, an internationally re­
spected author, lecturer, and researcher
on children and grief, will speak via
recorded video. Worden is also co­
director o f the Harvard Child Bereave­
ment Study and author o f Children &
Grief: When a Parent Dies.
After the national program’s conclu­
sion, David McDonald will moderate a
one-hour workshop featuring a local
panel of caregivers andcommunity lead­
ers.
The teleconference is free o f charge
for all who attend. It will be held from
8:30 am to 12:40 pm in the Portland
Adventist Hospital Amphitheater C
lower level. (The general public is also
invited to attend.) Participants are
asked to arrive by 8 .15am. Continuing
Education Credits will also be offered
for a variety o f professions. For more
information or a reservation, contact
Little Chapel o f the Chimes at 283-
1976.
_________________________
(k
When a Parent Dies:
Supporting the Children
A free Comm unities in Crisis" Teleconference
Join our national panel o f experts featuring keynote speaker Martin Luther King III and panel
members as they discuss issues such as:
Howwill thechildreneope? Howaraetheirlivesforeverchanged? Howcanyoum akea
dilfenaice?
October 13, 1998
T im e :
8:30
A.M.
At
Portland Adventist hospital 10123 S.E. Market
Portland, Or 97216 Amphitheater C (lower level)
Hosted by:
Little Chapel of the Chimes on Killingsworth
For Reservations, contact:
Little Chapel of the Chimes
283-1976
There is no charge, but space is limited.
Call today for your reservation.
Presented b\ Senket orporatir>n Intcmanonaland/^wnu/jridu / itver^Children'sHinpitii.
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