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S i
OCT. 28,1998
Page A5
(Ebe J Ìo rtla n ò (Rbserucr
State Medicaid Office To Implement Lead Testing For Up to
8,000 Portland Children
■ P a r tic ip a tin g a re s ix p r e - p a id
h e a lth p la n s, b e sid e s th e s ta te M e d ­
ic a id o ffic e
T h e s ta te M e d ic a id o ff ic e
th ro u g h its c o n tr a c te d H M O s in
th e P o rtla n d a re a w ill im p le m e n t
b lo o d te s ti n g fo r le a d to x ic ity
a m o n g M e d ic a id - e lig ib le y o u n g
c h ild re n in 22 M u ltn o m a h C o u n ty
Z IP c o d e s n e x t y ear.
U p to 8 ,0 0 0 c h ild re n to a g e 6 a re
e x p e c te d to b e te s te d . T h e sta te
w ill u se e x p e rie n c e in M u ltn o m a h
C o u n ty to a d d re s s th e is s u e s ta te ­
w id e.
T h e s t a te ’s fo c u s o n le a d e x p o ­
s u r e w a s p ro m p te d b y M u ltn o m a h
C o u n ty ’s ra n k in g o f 4 8 th am o n g
m o re th a n 3 ,0 0 0 U .S . c o u n tie s fo r
risk o f e le v a te d lead le v e ls in y o u n g
L e a d e x p o s u r e c a n c a u s e s e r i­
o u s h e a lth p ro b le m s ra n g in g fro m
le a r n in g a n d b e h a v io r a l d is o rd e rs
to se iz u re s , co m a a n d d e a th . N e a rly
9 0 0 ,0 0 0 c h ild re n a c ro s s th e n a tio n
a re b e lie v e d to h a v e e le v a te d le v ­
c h ild re n .
“ T h is h as b e e n id e n tif ie d as a
p ro b le m in p a rts o f M u ltn o m a h
C o u n ty b u t m a n y c h ild re n e ls e ­
w h e re in th e s ta te m a y a ls o b e a t
ris k fo r e le v a te d le a d le v e ls ,” sa id
H e rs h C ra w fo rd , s ta te M e d ic a id
d ir e c to r in th e O re g o n D e p a rtm e n t
o f H u m a n R e so u rc e s .
e ls o f le a d in th e ir b lo o d .
P a in t u se d in p r e - 1950 h o u s e s is
th e m a jo r s o u rc e o f le a d to x ic ity in
c h ild re n . U n d e r th e n e w p o lic y ,
C ra w fo rd s a id all M e d ic a id - e li­
g ib le c h ild re n in 2 2 M u ltn o m a h
C o u n ty Z ip C o d e s w ith th e h ig h e s t
p r o p o r tio n o f su c h h o u s in g w o u ld
b e g iv e n a b lo o d te s t w h e n th e y
v is it a p h y s ic ia n . T h e Z IP c o d e s
a re 9 7 2 0 1 -0 6 , 9 7 2 0 9 -2 0 , 9 7 2 2 7 ,
9 7 2 3 1 -3 2 , 9 7 2 6 6 .
C ra w fo rd s a id th e n e w e ffo rt
ta k e s e ff e c t d u rin g th e first q u a rte r
o f 1999.
H e sa id n e a rly e v e ry c o u n ty in
th e sta te h as o n e o r m o re Z IP c o d e s
in w h ic h a q u a r te r o f th e h o u se s
w e re b u ilt p r io r to 1950, a c c o rd in g
to fe d e ra l C e n s u s d a ta , a n d th at
re s u lts in M u ltn o m a h C o u n ty m ay
in d ic a te w h e th e r th e le a d -te s tin g
re q u ire m e n t s h o u ld b e a d d e d in
o th e r c o u n tie s .
ap proxim ately 5,000 fam ilies stay
w arm w hile th ey ’re getting back on
their feet.”
O regon H E A T is supported entirely
to m eet the needs o f fam ilies
by donations from around the state.
D uring the w inter o f 1997-98, O regon
H E A T received close to $630,000
from m ore than 17,000 O regonians.
T hose w ishing to help this y ear should
look for a donation envelope in their
PG E or Pacific P ow er bill during N o­
vem ber, or send their donation di­
rectly to O regon H E A T , P.O . Box
127, T ualatin, O R 97062. T o receive
a toy truck o rd er form or for m ore
inform ation on O regon H E A T , please
O regon H E A T , an independent,
non-profit organizatio n dedicated to
helping fam ilies in need pay th eir en­
ergy bills, has team ed up w ith Port­
land G eneral E lectric (P G E ) to o ffer
m iniature rep licas o f P G E b u ck et
trucks. F or each lim ited-edition toy
truck purchased, $5 is don ated to O r­
egon H EA T.
T his durable toy truck, only avail­
able until O ctober 31st, com es co m ­
plete w ith w orking headlights and tail-
lights, flashing yellow caution lights
and a bucket that extends u p to 18
inches. It also doubles as a co in bank.
T o receive an o rd er form , p lease call
O regon H E A T at 503.612.3790.
T he toy truck offer is ju s t o n e w ay
PG E is w orking w ith O reg o n H EA T
to m eet the needs o f fam ilies in crisis
due to unem ploym ent, accidents, sick­
ness and other unforeseen circum ­
stances. PG E contributes $43,000 in
cash annually to O regon H E A T plus a
sig n ifc a n t am ount o f in-kind services,
such as office space and fund raising
assistance throughbill inserts and pub­
lic relations support.
h e a lth s e rv ic e s .
F o r o th e r M u ltn o m a h C o u n ty
Z IP codes, C raw ford said, a task force
is looking at all children regardless o f
payer in dev eloping recom m endations
for physicians to adm inister a short
lead-screening questionnaire, to do
blood testing if w arranted, and to pre­
pare lead-education resources.
H e noted that sources o f lead poi­
soning include not only lead-based
paint but also dishw are containing lead
o r p are n ts’ jobs or hobbies w here lead
is used. N ational data show that m ore
than a quarter o f the children w ith
elevated levels o f lead are m em bers o f
fam ilies w ith m iddle or high incom es.
The City’s Largest
Rummage Sale
Toy Truck Helps O regon Families
Stay Warm This Winter
■ The toy truck offer is ju s t one w ay
PG E is w orking w ith O regon H EA T
C ra w fo rd s a id d o c to rs c u rr e n tly
se e in g M e d ic a id - e lig ib le c h ild re n
to a g e 6 a re r e q u ire d to u se a q u e s ­
tio n n a ir e to s c r e e n fo r le a d to x ic ­
ity , a n d to te s t fo r it w h e n in f o rm a ­
tio n in d ic a te s th e y s h o u ld , he sa id
u n d e r th e n ew in itia tiv e h ealth p lan s
w ill p ro v id e le a d - to x ic ity te s tin g
fo r all M e d ic a id - e lig ib le c h ild re n
to a g e 6 in th e s e le c te d Z IP c o d e s,
h e s a id th e n e w in itia tiv e a p p lie s to
h e a lth p la n s , b u t n o t to th o s e p la n s
c o v e rin g o n ly d e n ta l o r m e n ta l-
T he Catlin G abel School campus is
buzzing with activity in anticipation o f
the upcom ing 54th Annual Catlin Gabel
R um m age Sale. In preparation for the
city ’ s largest rum m age sale, hundreds o f
students, parents and com m unity volun­
teers are busy collecting, sorting and
pricing thousands o f items donated to
the sale. The Rum m age Sale will be held
Thursday, O ctober 29th, through Sun­
day, N ovem ber 1 st, at the Expo Center.
H eld every fall, this one-of-a-kind sale
raises money for financial aid for chil­
dren w ho otherwise w ould not be able to
attend the school.
Just a few unique items that can be
found at this year’s sale include:
♦ A collection o f 19 “W izard o f Oz”
books, circa 1908-1936. Bidding opens
at $1,350.
♦Two Kawasaki je t skis, with a trailer,
valued at $1,000.
♦ W om en’s Harley-Davidson leath­
ers.
♦ A contemporary bedroom ensemble
and an 1880s Q ueen Ann V ictoiia bed.
T he sale opens on Thursday, O ctober
29th at 5 PM until 9 PM , w ith all items
m arked up 25 percent, for that day only.
The sale continues Friday, O ctober 30th,
from 10AM to 9 P M ; Saturday, O ctober
31st, 10 A M to 6 PM ; Sunday, N ovem ­
ber 1 st, 10 A M to 3 PM. Custom ers can
take advantage o f “blue light" specials
announced throughout the day on Satur­
day and Sunday.
call 503.612.3790.
4 miniature replicas of PGE bucket trucks.
M o s t b e n e fic ia r ie s o f O re g o n
H E A T are single-parent h o useholds
w ith children under the age o f five and
sen io r citizens living o n a fixed in­
com e. T he organ izatio n also p rovides
em ergency energy assistance to people
w ith disabilities, m an y o f w h o m are
unab le to w ork a liv in g -w ag ejo b . Last
w inter, o v e r 15,500 O regonians re­
ceiv e d O reg o n H E A T a ssista n .
“ W h en a fam ily is forced to choose
b etw een the b asic necessities o f life
and heating their hom e, O regon H EA T
is th ere to lend a hand,” says Jay
F o rm ick , E xecutive D irecto r o f O r­
eg o n H E A T . “ T his w inter, w e ’ll help
Tips Can Prevent Children
From ‘Goblin’ Excess Treats
M onstrous am ounts o f trick-or-treat
candy d o e sn ’t have to b e a H allow een
nightm are for parents.
W ith a few tricks o f th eir ow n,
parents can provide a b alan ce betw een
sugary treats and fright-night festivi­
ties. “C hildren caught up in th e thrills
o f other H allow een activities are less
likely to be obsessed w ith bags o f
candy," says Dr. D ebby D em ory- Luce,
a nutritionist w ith the U S D A /A R S
C h ild ren ’s N utrition R esearch C enter
at B aylorC ollege ofM edicine in H ous­
ton.
She offers these suggestions:
* C onjure up activities that focus on
H allow een fun, not sw eet treats. C arve
Ja c k -O -L a n te m s, c re a te a c reep y
“ grave yard” on the law n, h ost a M on­
ster m ake-up party, or organize a neigh­
borhood scavenger hunt. “F ew adults
rem em ber how m uch H allow een candy
th ey received as a child, but alm ost
everyone rem em bers w hether they had
fu n ," D em ory-L uce says.
* Scare up healthy treats for little
g oblins w ho knock at the door. “ W hat
you hand o u t sends a strong m essage
to yo u r children," D em ory-L uce says.
S he recom m ends sm all bags o f p ret­
zels and m ini-boxes o f raisins, o r n o n ­
food treats such as stickers, pencils,
an d coins.
* lim it the length o f trick-or-treat
outings to decrease the am ount ofcandy
children b ring hom e. T his is a lot
easier to do w hen children know that
o th er activities are planned.
* Encouragechildrentosort through
th eir bags and decide how m any and
w hich pieces o f H allow een candy to
keep. “ L earning to m ake good food
choices is instrum ental for ch ild ren to
d ev elo p self-co n tro l an d h ealth y e a t­
ing h ab its," D em o ry -L u ce says. T his
also giv es p aren ts the o p p o rtu n ity to
screen treats an d d iscard an y w ith
lo o se o r su sp icio u s w rap p in g s.
♦ A llo w ch ild ren o n e o r tw o treats
H allo w een n ig h t, th en store the re ­
m ain d er out o f sight. " I t’s fine to give
o n e o r tw o treats a d ay in lunches or
Just think: Your son
is b rig h t, h e a lth y
a fter sch o o l,” say s D em o ry -L u ce.
“ B u t av o id u sin g c a n d y to rew ard
a n d h e a d e d fo r
college one day You
g o o d b eh av io r b ecau se it can increase
a c h ild ’s p referen ce fo r sw eet fo o d s.”
love the direction your
career has taken. You're doing a lot of the things you planned
♦ C o n sid er d o n atin g an y ex cess
treats to sen io r c itiz e n s’ h o m es or
o rg a n iz a tio n s s e rv in g th e n eed y .
“ G o o d p lan n in g can h elp k eep ch il­
d ren from g o b lin ' u p to o m an y H al­
lo w een treats w h ile still letting the
g h o u l tim es ro ll,” sh e says.
and even a few you didn't. Living life to the fullest is easy when
you have family behind you. American Family Insurance. Call
and talk to one of our helpful, friendly agents. You'll find out
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Oregon Food Stamp Recipients
Receive An Increase
Food Stam p Recipients Receive An
Increase Beginning This M onth
O regon's 114.000food-stamphou.se-
holds are receiving sm all increases this
month in the am ount o f their allotment
and in the am ount o f m oney they can
earn to qualify.
T hechanges,aflèctingabout233,000
people, becam e effective O ctober 1 st.
Amounts received are based on house­
hold size, incom e and expenses
For an individual, the m onthly food-
stam p allotment will increase by $3,
from $ 122 to $ 125, if the individual has
no other incom e or expeases. The indi­
vidual also can earn more - gross income
to qualify m ust be $873 a month o r less,
com pared with $855 before O ctober
1st
For a family o f four, the food-stamp
allotm ent increases by $ 11, from $408 a
m onth to 419, if they have no other
incom e or expenses. Gross monthly in­
com e to qualify for food stamps rises
u have family behind you.
from $1,338 or less to $1,371.
The federal governm ent revises food-
stam p paym ents annually to reflect
changes in food, housing and other costs.
T h e f e d e r a lly fin a n c e d fo o d -
stam p p ro g ra m , in te n d e d to en su re
access to n u tritio u s d iets, is a d m in is­
tered in O reg o n b y th e A d u lt and
F a m ily S erv ices an d th e S e n io r and
D isab led S erv ices d iv isio n s o f the
s ta te D e p a rtm e n t o f H u m an R e­
so u rces.
All Your Protection Under One Roof.
American
Family Mutual Insurance Company and Subsidiaries. Madison. Wisconsin 53783-0001 wwwamfam com
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