Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, October 14, 1998, Page 13, Image 13

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    OCT. 14, 1998
Page B5
Portland ^Iw'rMeir
B fc Ä i
Seven Good Reasons To
B Regular dental visits are the best
investment you can make in your oral
health.
Below are seven reasons you may
not even have thought o f for making
an appointment with your dentist.
* Periodontal (gum) disease af­
fects three out o f four adults at some
time in their lives. It does not neces­
sarily hurt and you may not even be
aware that you have it until it reaches
an advanced stage. Regular dental
visits are essential for detecting peri­
odontal disease before the gums and
the supporting bone are irreversibly
damaged.
* During the dental examination,
your dentist can screen for precan-
cerous changes in the oral tissues,
which helps detect cancer at a stage
when it can be more successfully
treated.
* Regular check-ups are impor­
tant because some diseases or medi­
cal conditions have signs that can
appear in the mouth. Diabetes, nutri­
tional and vitamin deficiencies and
hormonal irregularities are some ex­
amples.
* Detecting tooth decay early can
save time, money and your teeth.
Your dentist will check for decay,
including secondary decay around
old fillings and decay o f tooth roots.
Your Dentist Regularly
which become exposed with age or
due to periodontal disease.
* Even if you do a good jo b
brushing and flossing each day,
your teeth need a reg u lar p ro fes­
sional cleaning at the dental o f­
fice. P rofessional cleaning helps
remove stains and tartar from your
teeth, helps prevent gum disease
and keeps your sm ile looking
great.
* I f you w ear d entures, it is
im portant for your dentist to peri­
odically check them for proper
fit. A lthough they w ere m ade to
fit precisely, dentures can become
loose due to naturally occurring
changes in your gum s and bones.
* Because o f the many advances
in dentistry, such as bonding, ve­
n e e r s , e n a m e l s h a p in g , an d
bleaching, you no longer have to
settle for stained, chipped or m is­
shapen teeth.
National Magazines Rank Providence Health Plan
Among Nation’s Top HMO’s
Examples o f Providence’s com­
mitment include:
* Prenatal Care- Rates ofcomplex
health problems in newborns dropped
from 58.8 to 35.6 percent per 1,000
deliveries.
* Smoking Cessation - Smoking
rates in PHP membership dropped
from 21 to 18 percent.
* Mammography Screenings -
Mammography screening rates for
B More than
90 percent members
say they would recommend the plan
to others
Providence Health Plan (PHP) in
Oregon has been ranked among the
top managed-care plans in the nation
by Newsweek and U.S. News &
World Report.
Newsweek ranked Providence 21
out o f 96 plans in its third annual
health maintenance organization
(HMO) survey, which appears in the
September 28th issue. Providence’s
ranking was the highest among health
plans in Oregon. The survey was
based on performance in three areas:
keeping members healthy, treating
acute illness and managing chronic
conditions, for both adults and chil­
dren.
More than 60 percent o f Oregon
residents are members o f managed-
care plans compared to the national
rate o f 29.2 percent. The high rate o f
enrollment, combined with quality
rankings in Newsweek andU.S. News
& World Report indicate Oregonians
are happy with managed care.
For the third year, U.S. News &
World Report has named Providence
one o f the nation ’ s best HMOs. Provi­
dence received a three-star rating
among the best o f the 271 health
plans ranked. This year’s new and
Lan
Ladeau
Microelectronics
Microelectronics student Lan Ladeau discovered the
variety and expertise of PCC three years ago as an
English as Non-Native Language student.
Ladeau, a native of China, came to PCC to learn
English— she will likely leave the college w ith a career
comprehensive ranking and method­
ology is based on 28 measures em­
phasizing prevention and quality of
care. The rating was based on data
provided by the National Committee
for Quality Assurance (NCQA), an
accrediting organization for HMOs.
The U.S. News & World Report
article points out that this year’s rank­
ing should not be compared to last
year’s survey. Expanded data and in-
depth analysis and comparison make
the 1998 survey a valuable consumer
tool.
“Providence’scommitment to pro­
viding excellent preventive services
to keep our members healthy is evi­
dent in the quality o f care our mem-
bers receive,” said Jack Friedman,
executive director o f Providence
Health Plan ofOregon. "Providence’s
partnership with our participating
physicians exemplifies our strong
commitment to providing care to our
members. We are constantly striving
to meet our members needs and ex­
pectations.”
r many Americans and their
milies
Rev. Jesse Jackson
T he In te rc u ltu ra l C a n c e r
ouncil (IC C ), an issue advo-
icy group form ed to address the
incer crisis am ong m in o rities
id the m ed ically und erserv ed ,
iv eiled on Friday a set o f policy
com m en d atio n s that are cru-
al to any re v ita liz e d e ffo rt
m ed at redu cin g can cer in this
juntry.
In the p o lic y reco m m en d a-
ons, ICC calls upon C ongress
id the A d m in istratio n to har-
ess the n ecessary reso u rces for
ghting the w ar ag ain st can cer
tid to allo cate them to m eet the
hallenges o f o u r d iv erse so c i­
in high technology. Ladeau is now partnered with Intel
Corp, as part of a jo int agreement between PCC’s
microelectronics program and the high-tech giant.
“ To me the most im portant thing now is
convenience,” she said."I work,
I go to school and (PCC)
has a great schedule
Congress And Administration To
Equalize The War On Cancer
I " Cancer is a harsh reality
PHP members at highest risk o f
contracting breast cancer (ages 50
to 69) increased from 71 to 81 per­
cent.
In addition to improving health,
PHP also works diligently to en­
sure members receive outstanding
service. More than 90 percent o f
PH P’s nearly 300,000 members say
they would recommend Providence
Health Plan to another person.
e ty . IC C r e c o m m e n d s th a t
policym akers:
♦ adopt and im plem ent p o li­
cies and funding p rio ritie s ta r­
getin g the needs o f m inorities
and the m ed ically -u n d erserv ed ;
♦ q u ad ru p le the budget o fc a n -
cer p rev en tio n , early detection,
and treatm en t program s in the
C en ters for D isease C ontrol and
P rev en tio n ;
♦ d esig n ate a highly visible
n atio n al c an cer co o rd in atin g e n ­
tity;
♦ re a u th o riz e and in c re a se
funding for the N ational In sti­
tutes o f H ealth;
♦ co n tin u e p rio rity on D ep art­
m en t o f D e fe n se c a n c e r p ro ­
gram s; and
♦ expand c a n c e r data c ap ac­
ity.
C an cer is a harsh re a lity for
m any A m ericans and th e ir fam i­
lie s," said R everend Jesse Jack-
son at a S eptem ber 25 ICC press
conference.
“C a n c e r does not d iscrim in ate
as a d ise a se ,” co ntinued Jack-
son. “ It in flicts p ain and h a rd ­
ship on people o f all co lo rs and
e c o n o m ic b a c k g r o u n d s in
A m erica. A nd, rem em ber, som e
cancers disp roportionately affect
poor w hites like those w ho re ­
side in rural a re a s.” P overty cuts
across racial lines, according to
a 1990 report pu b lish ed by the
O ffice o f T ech n o lo g y A sse ss­
m ent. In fact, victim s in the war
on c an cer are p a rtic u la rly found
in m edically underserv ed , poor
w hite co m m unities. O f the 9.5%
o f the A m erican p o p u latio n that
Total Digestive Care
“30 Day Miracle” Works!
n anperouspoisons.bile.fattvacids^eavymgtab.add!tivcsatjdchcmi-
M ljcan build up in your body like “toxic sludge.” After years of accum u­
lation, this sludge can clog your organs and blood stream, damage and even
destroy your body’scells, w eaken your body’s defenses and literally steal
away your health - opening the door to disease and illnesses. 30 supply of
TD C pow derandtw ospecialreportsforO N L Y $39.00plus$4.50s/h. lotal
$43.50 (plus any applicable sales taxes)
Created by Dr. Jack W atklns.Try it. Money back guarantee. You
risk nothing. Call or write today:
MCR Health Care
P.O. Box 11208
Portland, Oregon 97211
Toll free 1(800) 935-6240
lives below the poverty line, 6.6%
are w hite.
Ja c k so n c o n clu d ed , “ To c o m ­
b a t c a n c e r, w e m ust have a s y s ­
tem o f n a tio n a l health c a re in
p l a c e th a t m e e ts a ll o f
A m e r ic a ’s need s b a se d u p o n
n eed and not based u p o n race
o r m o n e y ."
F o r m ore in fo rm a tio n re g a rd ­
ing c a n c e r d is p a ritie s am ong
m in o ritie s and the m e d ic a lly
u n d e rse rv e d , p le a se c o n ta c t S u ­
san B a c h a r at 2 0 2 .4 8 4 .2 7 7 6 .
for me. It’s nice and
convenient.”
Portland
Community
College
S03 244 6111
College that
fits your life.
North Portland Bible College
4905 N. Vancouver Ave. Portland, Oregon
Fall Term Class Schedule
September2 8 -December 10,1998
Monday, 6:30-9:30p m .
P.O. Box 114437
” Voice 503/288-2919
Fax: 503/282-3795
Portland, OR 97211-0437
DEV
081 MS Windows 95/Word 97
NT 101 New Testament Survey I
Annett Z. Stanton, B.A.
Jim L. Williams, Ph.D
Wednesday,
9:00 a.m. -1 2 Noon
UM 101 Ministry to Urban Families
B
101
Bible
Interpretation
Carol Chisim, M.S.W.; and Richard White,
Michael
Lindsey,
M.Div.
Ph.D
Thursday, 9:00 a.m. -1 2 Noon
Tuesday, 9:00 a.m. -1 2 Noon
OT 101a Old Testament Survey
NT 101 New Testament Survey I
James Coleman, M.A.
Jim L. Williams, Ph.D
Thursday,
6:30-9:30 p.m.
Tuesday, 6:30-9:30 p.m.
B
121
The
Black
Presence
in the Bible
B 101 Bible Interpretation
Otis F. Brown, D. Min.
Michael Lindsey, M.Div.
OT 101a Old Testament Survey
CM 101 The Theology of the City
James Coleman, M.A.
David Hopkins, D.Min.
CH
110
Survey of Church History
PM 101 Equipping the Saints
Leroy
Haynes, Jr., D.Min.
Brian Fraught, B.A. and
DEV 071 Computer Keyboarding
(15 weeks: Sept. 16-Dec 22)
Annett Z. Stanton, B.A.
Linda Fraught, B.A.
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