* , JAN. 27, 1999 Page A4 (Ehr Jlortlaiih ©bseruer Infant M ortality Decreases...but African American Babies Still Die at Twice the Rate o f White Babies O n December 7,1998 Reuters story that reported on a study com pleted by John H opkins U niversity and the N ational Center for H ealth Statistics in Chicago announced the good news about longer life and less infant deaths. But, K athryn Hall, Founding D i rector ofB irthing Project, USA based in Sacram ento, California, w as not celebrating. In a statem ent in re sponse to the study, Ms. H all, whose non-profit organization has saved thousands o fb ab ies lives since 1992, clarified the statistics. “ I am concerned by recent m edia reports regarding A m erica's decreas ing infant m ortality rates,” Ms. Hall said. “T he reports are m isleading and they give the im pression that w e have won the battle against poor birth outcomes. W hile this may be true for som e o f us, it is not true for specific ethnic groups. The disparity betw een whites and African Americans, Ameri can Indian/A laskan N atives, N ative Hawaiians and Puerto Ricans is alarm ing. Specifically, the mortality rate for A frican A m erican babies rem ains tw ice that o f Caucasian babies.” T he B irthing P roject affiliates across the country provide one-on- one support to at-risk pregnant teens and women. “ Birthing Project and other pro grams that target these at-risk fami- lies are continuing to educate our com m unities about the need for pre natal care w hile w e provide the sup port required to access it. It w ould be extrem ely helpful if new s organiza tions w ould rem ind the public that even though th ere’s good new s in general, the disparity in infant m or tality rem ains and continued aw are ness o f the problem can reduce the num bers g reatly,” Ms. H all co n cluded. A frican Pride Products has been the sole corporate sponsor o f the Birthing Project since 1995. Brian K. M arks, President o f A.P. Products, Ltd, distributors o f A frican Pride, added, “We are quite proud o f the fact that since our involvement with the Birthing Project, they have grown by 50%. Because our aw areness efforts have helped this growth we are help ing to save babies lives all across the country. We are grateful and proud o f our continuing relationship." The following are current statistic for specific urban areas regarding in fant m ortality per thousand births o f A frican A m erican babies: Forth Worth, T X -10.0; Chicago, IL -17.2; M emphis, T N - 14.3; Washing ton,D C- 18.2;Philadelphia,PA -19.3 Sacramento County, C A - 14.0; Harlem N Y C - 15.2;M arianC ounty,IN -17.9 Los Angeles C’o u n ty .C A -16.3: Phoe nix, A Z - 15.6. School Closures: Jefferson, Tubman And Penninsula Threatened “T he threat o f school closures is real,” says G e n W ashington, youth advocate and candidate for the ESD board. “ T hose o f us in N orth/N orth- east need to organize and fight or we could be losing Jefferson, T ubm an and P ennisnsula." A n audit com m issioned by P ort land Public Schools recom m ended the closure o f thirteen schools to save the district $26 m illion dollars. KPM G Peat M arw ick’s perform ance audit called for the closure o f one high school, one m iddle school and eleven grade schools to save $ 11 m illion in maintenance costs and gain $15 m illion by renting the space. B ruce Sam pson, PPS general coun sel, says the cuts are necessary be cause the district faces a $40 m illion shortfall next year. Jefferson H igh School at 57% of capacity. Tubm an M iddle School at 61% , and Penninsula E lem entary at 41% are am ong those schools w ith the low est student enrollm ent. Some com m u n ity activ ists b eliev e the b o ard w ill m ove to clo se these schools because they serve low - incom e, racial m inority and po liti cally w eak neighborhoods. “W hen the ax com es, w e know that w ealthy neighborhoods w ill be spared and our schools w ill be hit,” asserted Jam ie Partridge o f the New Party. D espite a citizens panel recom m endation o f no closures, school officials such as superintendent Ben C an ad a continue to point to school clo su res as the single b iggest cost saving device available to the d is trict. A final decision will be m ade by the school b oard in the spring. T h e su p e rin ten d e n t and som e m em bers o f the school board, nota bly the chair Ron Saxton, favor char ter schools. C losing neighborhood schools and directing public m oney to u n trie d , u n re g u la te d c h a rte r sch o o ls appears to be on the b o ard ’s agenda. C om m unity critics charge that the audit com pany (K PM G ) was h ired through S ax to n ’s influence to further this agenda. “ Is it p o ssib le to get an in d ep en d en t' audit from a firm that d o e sn ’t appear to be public ed ucation friendly? Is there a con- Looking To The Future W here Do We Go? And How Do We Get There? D riv in g or rid in g ? P ed alin g or w alking? W hat are the best choices fo r the tran sp o rta tio n future o f our reg io n ? M e tro ’s elected o ffic ia ls and local p artn e rs from T ri-M et an d th ro u g h o u t the region w an t to h ea r your suggestions! T h a t’s w hy M etro is h o stin g a series o f lis te n ing p o sts in m id-January. T h ere are som e b ig issues th a t the re g io n ’s leaders m ust face over the n ex t few m onths and years: * W h at sh o u ld h appen in the S outh/N orth corridor follow ing the N o v em b e r vote? * W hat is the best m ix o f roads and rails? o f cars and m ass tran sit? * W h at are the people o f this reg io n w illin g to pay for? M any p eo p le have alread y w rit ten, e -m a ile d o r called w ith th eir ideas. A b o u t 150 p eo p le atten d ed th e first listen in g p o st h eld in early D ecem ber. O f th o se w ho spoke, m an y said th at the reg io n co uld not b u ild its w ay o u t o f co n g e s tion. R ather, th ey u rg ed the elected o ffic ia ls and p la n n ers to ex p lo re a variety o f options that include m ore stree tc ars, b u sw ay s, co m p etitiv e bus o p tio n s, co m m u te r rail, b etter b ik e and p e d e stria n fac ilities, and continued dev elo p m en t o f light rail as w ell as new o r im p ro v ed roads. “ W e w an t to g et p e o p le in v o lv ed so th at w e get all th e id eas on th e ta b le ,” sa id M etro C o u n c ilo r E d W a sh in g to n (D istric t 5). “ T h a t w ay w e ca n co m p are and m a y b e co m b in e the m o st in n o v a tiv e a n d m o s t c o s t - e f f e c t i v e p la n s.” A s c h a ir o f th e Jo in t P o licy A d v iso ry C o m m ittee on T ra n sp o r ta tio n , C o u n c ilo r W a s h in g to n c a lle d fo r the lis te n in g p o sts an d h as ask ed d o zen s o f lo c al o ffic ia ls to jo in him at th e e v e n ts to h ear from citizen s. C itiz e n s are a lso e n c o u ra g e d to ca ll in o r sen d in id eas. T h ey m ay c a ll M e tro ’s T ra n s p o r ta tio n H otline at 797-1900 to leave a m es sag e. T h ey m ay se n d e -m a il to w w w .m e tro -re g io n .o rg or w ritte n su g g e stio n s to th e M etro C o u n c il O u tre a c h O ffic e , 6 0 0 N E G ra n d A venue, P o rtla n d , OR 9 7 2 3 2 .M e tro p ro v id e s re g io n a l se rv ic e s to 1.3 m illio n p e o p le liv in g in 24 c itie s a n d 3 c o u n tie s. M e tro w o rk s to help g u id e g ro w th an d to h elp c re a te liv a b le co m m u n itie s fo r the fu tu re. flict o f interest w hen a consulting firm audits a public school system an d a lso m a n a g e s s c h o o ls fo r profit?” asks the C itizen M onitoring A d v iso ry C o m m itte e (C M A C ), w hich has conducted extensive re search on K PM G an d the audit. Cam paign L aunched to Stop C lo su re s A n alliance o f com m unity organi zations is launching a Stop C losures c a m p a ig n . A p u b lic fo ru m on W ednesday, January 27th, 7 PM at the K ing N eighborhood F acility, 4815 NE 7 th, will rally members o f the H ispanic Parents A ssociation, Black United Front, Coalition ofB lack Men, R ainbow C oalition, N ew Party, and Rethinking Schools T eachers to hear from C M A C , school activists, and members o f the Task Force on School C losures, including C ounty C om m issioner D iane Linn. S chool closure critics charge that c lo s in g n e ig h b o r h o o d s c h o o ls ca u se s tra n sp o rta tio n p ro b le m s, atten d an ce and p are n t in v o lv em en t problem s, leading to low er achieve m en t an d d ro p o u t p ro b lem s. C lo s u re s w o u ld s e r io u s ly d is r u p t n e ig h b o rh o o d re la tio n sh ip s an d v ita lity , th ey say. In N o rth P o rt land, th e clo sin g o f Je ffe rso n H igh S ch o o l o r T u b m a n M id d le S chool w o u ld d isp e rse B lack stu d e n ts, re v isitin g th e b u sin g p ro b lem s o f the six ties an d se v en ties. M e m b ers o f the T ask F orce on S ch o o l C lo su res say the p ain an d d isru p tio n o f c lo s ing sc h o o ls w o u ld o u tw e ig h the fin a n c ia l sa v in g s. T h e C itiz e n ta sk fo rc e re c o m m e n d ed g e ttin g c ity an d co u n ty a g e n c ie s an d o th e r u se rs to pay ren t to sh a re sp ace in u n d eru tilize d sc h o o ls. S c h o o ls as co m m u n ity h u b s , w h e r e a d u lt e d u c a tio n , h e a lth c lin ic s , r e c r e a tio n p r o g ram s, a n d o th e r so c ia l se rv ic e s are o ffe re d w o u ld b e g o o d fo r n e ig h b o rh o o d s , sa y ta s k fo rc e m em b ers. W hen p a re n ts feel c o m fo rta b le co m in g to sc h o o l fo r d if feren t se rv ic e s , th e y a re m o re in v o lv e d in th e ir s tu d e n t’s s c h o o l in g , th e re fo re stu d e n ts p erfo rm b e tte r. Applications available T h e P o r tla n d U rb a n F o r e s tr y C o m m is s i o n is n o w a c c e p tin g a p p l i c a t i o n s f o r th e t h i r d A n n u a l B ill N a t i o A w a r d . T h e a w a r d w a s c r e a t e d in h o n o r o f th e la te b u i l d e r a n d c o m m u n ity le a d e r w h o d id so m u c h to b e a u t i f y P o r t l a n d w ith tr e e s . B i ll r a r e l y m is s e d a n u r b a n F o r e s tr y C o m m is s io n m e e tin g , w h ic h h e f o u n d e d in 1 9 7 4 a n d c h a i r e d u n t i l h is d e a th . N o o n e in P o r t l a n d h a s b e e n m o r e te n a c io u s as B ill N a tio e n c o u r a g i n g th e p l a n t i n g o f t r e e s . T h r o u g h h is h u m o r , p e r s i s te n c e an d im a g in a tiv e a p p r o a c h to p r o j e c t s , h e in s p i r e d m a n y i n d i v i d u a l s to r e c o g n i z e th e b e a u ty t r e e s b r in g to o u r c ity . B i ll N a ti o A w a r d w a s c r e a te d to h o n o r th e s t o r i e s o f in d iv i d u a ls , o r g a n i z a t i o n s o r p r o j e c t s th a t h a v e c o n t in u e d B i l l ’s w o rk a n d r e f le c t h is d e d i c a tio n . T h e A w a rd s w ill b e p r e s e n te d a t P o r t l a n d ’s A n n u a l A rb o r C e le b r a tio n o n A p ril 5 th . A p p lic a ti o n s m u s t b e r e c e iv e d b y P o r tla n d ’s A n n u a l A rb o r C e le b r a tio n o n A p r il 5 th . A p p lic a t io n s m u s t b e r e c e iv e d b y F e b r u a r y 1 5 th . C o n t a c t U rb a n F o r e s tr y C o o r d in a to r at 8 2 3 - 4 4 4 3 f o r an a p p l ic a tio n p a c k e t. Business Training For O reg o n ’s Fastest Growing Entrepreneurs Demographics show women and minorities are starting businesses faster than the general population. What is being done to meet the challenge o f this growing market in Oregon and south west Washington.’ TheU.S. Small Business Administra tion (SB A) and the Hispanic Metropoli- tanChamberofCommerce have formed an alliance to provide a series o f techni cal training workshops to increase eco- nomic opportunities for entrepreneurs, especially w om en and minorities. Humberto Reyna, President o f the His panic Metropolitan Chamber o f Com merce, states that he is committed to working with SB A to ensure that women and minorities participate in the 1999 workshops.The ‘99 four part training senes, entitled “Creating A Successful Business,” addresses marketing and Sales, Business Planning, International Trade Practices, as well as Financial M anagement The workshops, which are scheduled for January 29, March 18, April 29 and June 3 respectively, will take place attheWorkForceTrainingCenter. 18624NW Walker Road, Room 1506B Beaverton, OR from 8:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. the cost for the series is $80 or $25 for individual classes. The fee includes lunch, most materials, and community education credit. Just think: Your son is b rig h t, h e a lth y a n d h e a d e d fo r college one day You love the direction your career has taken. You're doing a lot of the things you planned and even a few you didn't. Living life to the fullest is easy when Community Enrichment Program W e are excited to share w ith you a nique program that will benefit the roductivity, efficiency and economy fo u r com m unity and your efforts to lare quality information. The Com - ìunity Enrichm ent Program is based n the b elief that dysfunctional be- avior is a prim ary process in our om m unity w hich, i f allow ed to regress untreated, will result in se rre physical, personal and social prob a s . A s w ith others progressive pro ram s, however, dysfunctional behav- nr is responsive to education. Educa- ion and support in the early stages is articular effective The C om m unity Enrichm ent Pro pani is designed to provide intensive ducation and support to individuals vith dysfunctional behaviors and their family members at the time when the education and support can be most effective: during the early and middle stages o f dysfunction. This program is designed to be utilized by persons who need not nec essarily be removed from gainful em ployment, daily activities, family rela tionships, or those who necessitate minimal detoxification, but who are experiencing the increasingly debili tation effects o f dysfunctional behav iors. The com munity Enrichment Pro gram achieves the following goals: 1. T o interrupt the abuse behavior and to confront the participants with the effects o f verbal, mental, and physi cal abuse; 2. T o provide the therapeutic envi- ronment in w hich the participants can explore and resolve personal, family social and w ork problems related to dysfunctional behaviors; 3. To educate the participants o f the program about the process o f dys functional behaviors and its effects on the family and employment; 4. To establish the participants in a discovery program which will ensure self-discipline, self-control and per sonal growth; and 5. 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