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Page B2
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TB Hard To Beat In Oregon
Hits Poor Hardest
People o f color in Oregon are
m ore severely im pacted by tubercu
losis than re W hites, according to a
new ly released report form the O r
egon H ealth division.
T he findings show ed that:
• In 1998, A sian/Pacific Islanders
had the highest rate o f tuberculosis
(T B )a t4 7 .4 c a se sp e r 100,000.arate
that is about 22 times higher than the
rate for W hite Oregonians.
• Blacks^ H ispanics, and Native
A m ericans also had substantially
higher rates o f TB than their white,
non-H ispanic counterparts. Rates
w ere 10 tim es higher for Blacks, six
tim es higher for H ispanics, and five
tim es higher for N ative Americans.
“TB is a striking exam ple o f the
unacceptable rac ial and ethnic health
disparities
in uiv
the United
aispaniicb that
uuu exist m
—
States today,” says Dr. M ark Love
less, HIV /STD /TB program Direc
tor at the H ealth Division
TB is also linked to poverty and
access to health care. H ealth Divi
sion data gathered from the Bum side
area o f Portland dram atically illus
trated this relationship. T he TB case
rate for the nine census tracts that
m ake up this low incom e, urban
neighborhood was 91.6 per 100,000
in 1998. This rate is 19 tim es greater
than the rate for the state as a whole.
“It is clear that some groups o f
people are affected to a greater de
gree than others by TB. But because
this is an airborne com m unicable
disease, it is a potential threat to all o f
us,” Loveless says.
On the positive side, there are
effective m edicines for TB, accord
-------
ing to Loveless. “ If health care pro
viders are aw are o f TB and m ake the
proper diagnosis and if patients take
their m edicine as directed, TB can be
cured and O regon’s incidence o f TB
will decrease.”
Overall, O regon’s TB cases and
case rates have rem ained relatively
stable for the past 10 years. In 1998,
there were 156 cases o f active TB, a
four percent decrease from 1997. It is
estimated that betw een 12,000 and
37,000 people infected w ith TB live
in Oregon. About 10 percent o f these
persons will develop active disease at
some point in their lives, unless they
receive treatment for latent infection.
Copies o f the 1998 O regon tuber
culosis Data Sum m ary m ay be ob
tained by calling the O regon H ealth
Division at 503-731-4024.
Breast Cancer
Study Launched
A new clin ic al tria l fo r a b rea st
c a n c e r d ru g has b een la u n ch e d in
th e P o rtlan d are a for w o m en at a
h ig h e r risk o f co n tra c tin g the d is
e a se . T a m o x ife n -A - h as b e e n
found to d ec rease the in c id en c e o f
b reast ca n ce r in a t-risk w o m en by
up to 5 0 -p erce n t in a p re lim in a ry
study. O ne thousand at-risk w om en
in the P o rtlan d are a w ill be g iv en
the d ru g an d m o n ito red .
Gun Bill Falters
S e n a t o r G in n y B u r d ic k o f
P o rtla n d h a s b e e n th e p r e s e n t
le g is la tiv e s e s s io n ’s s tr o n g e s t
gu n c o n tro l a d v o c a te . A fte r
w o rk in g w e e k s fo r a n ew b ill
r e q u irin g b a c k g ro u n d c h e c k s fo r
g u n p u r c h a s e r s at g u n s h o w s,
sh e h as w ith d ra w n h e r s u p p o r t
fo r th e b ill. S h e s a y s it d o e s n o t
c o n ta in s tro n g e n o u g h p u n is h
m e n t fo r s e lle rs w h o d o n o t m ak e
th e c h e c k s . T h e b ill c a lls fo r a
v io la tio n lik e a tr a f f ic tic k e t.
T h e b ill m o v e d o u t o f a S e n a te
s u b c o m m itte e w ith a d o - p a s s
re c o m m e n d a tio n . M o st m e m b ers
o f th e le g is la tu r e in v o lv e d in th e
b ill sa y it is so c a r e f u lly w o rd e d
th a t an y c h a n g e s w o u ld k ill it.
T h e fu ll J o in t W ay s a n d M e an s
C o m m itte e w ill h e a r th e b ill o n
F rid a y .
Free w om en’s
Seven Keys To A Safe And
Sober Summer On The Highway
.
W e see it on the evening news
more and m ore—hundreds o f crashes
every year in w ork zones and from
alcohol that cost lives, create ex
tended travel delays and cost untold
m illions ofdollars. Each one o f these
tragedies is preventable and avoid
able. All it takes is com m on sense
and personal com m itm ent to safety.
Work Zone Safety
A rising num ber o f vehicles trav -
d in g O regon’s roads com bined w ith
sum m er road w ork, places m otorists
and highw ay w orkers at an increased
risk o f injury in w ork zones. Last
year in Oregon, more than450 crashes
occurred and 14 people were killed
in maintenance, construction and util
ity w ork areas. O n average, more
drivers than construction w orkers are
killed and injured in w ork zones.
W hether you travel the Sunset
H ighw ay, In te sta te 5, Oregon 217,
1-205 or the B anfield, rem em ber to
follow these work zone safety tips:
1. O bey posted construction speed
lim it signs - they are enforced even
when no w orkers are present or if no
construction is occurring at the mo
Hazards
ment. H
azaras m ay still
suu exist
cxisi.
- m
2. Expect the unexpected - The
roadw ay m ay have lost its familiar
shape. T he num ber o f lanes may
change. There may be a detour. You
might need to stop for a flagger.
3. D o n ’t tailgate - M aintain extra
space betw een your vehicle and the
one ahead to give yourself extra cre
ation times in case o f a problem.
Drivers not paying attention and
speeding are the leading cause oftraf-
fic-related injury and death in road
w ay work zones. Studies show that
these crashes tend to be more severe
and involve more fatalities. The typi
cal crash is a rear-end collision into a
line o f stopped vehicles or a vehicle
drifting onto the shoulder o f the road.
If these statistics a re n 't incentive
to slow dow n, consider this - traffic
fines double in work zones. An aver
age o f 6,000 hazardous violations
have been cited annually in work
zones since the 1995 traffic fine law
w ent into effect. The O regon Depart
ment ofTransportation will pay more
than $1.2 m illion during the next two
years for law enforcem ent officers to
conduct extra w ork zone patrols.
H ere’s another sobering
--—
- reminder
/*
W ith W ith two mum
for ____
motorists.
m ajor r Txn
holi
days, the summer brings this safety
issue to the forefront - drinking and
driving. W hile alcohol is involved in
about 42 percent o f traffic fatalities on
an annual basis in Oregon, the inci
dence soars on three-day holidays.
ODOT also pays law enforcem ent
to conduct extra patrols during holi
day periods to enforce DU II laws on
Memorial Day, Independence Day
and Labor Day.
Here are some im portant steps to
take to protect yourself, your family
and your friends:
4. Take the keys from a friend
w h o ’s had too m uch to drink.
5. Always have a designated driver
w hen you go w here alcohol w ill be
served.
6. Provide plenty o f food and non
alcoholic beverages at celebrations
you host.
7. Call 1-800-24-DRUNK or 911
if you spot a driver who acts impaired.
Every death and injury from work
zone accidents and alcohol abuse is
avoidable and preventable. L et’s all
do our part to have a safe and sober
sum m er on O regon’s highways.
Saltzman Selects New Director
C ity
C o m m is s io n e r
D an
Saltzm an h s selected D avid Lane
to head die Office o f neighborhood
involvem ent (ONI).
The Director o f ONI oversees 98
neighborhfxx-associations, seven neigh
borhood offices and several programs
which inc lude- Neighborhood Involve
ment, City Informanon and Referral,
Crime Prevention. Community Out
reach ( ’oordma. tx, n, Refri geolmmi grant
Coordination, Metropolitan Human
Rights Centr Neighborhood Media
tion Center and Social Services Siting.
“C itizen involvem ent was a very
im p o r ta n tp - to f this process”, Com-
m issioner Saltzman stated. “W e had
citizen input on the jo b description
and we had a citizen panel from
several neighborhoods across the city
to interview the applicants who were
selected” . Saltzm an expressed that
“It was very important to m e that the
public be involved in every step o f
this im portant decision” .
Commissioner Saltzman stated Fri
day that “W e conducted an extensive
search and received over 90 applicants
from across the country— David brings
a wealth o f experience in community
New Alarm
Security
Company
Moves into
N. Portland
Neighborliood
outreach and involvement and w e are
pleased to have found someone who
possesses all o f the necessary elements
for this unique position”.
D avid Lane is currently the A do
lescent H ealth M anager for the C -
egon H ealth Division and P rogn n
D irector for the STARS (Stude ts
Today A re N ot Ready For Sex) p o-
gram. He received his PH.D. in E du
cational Psychology from Florida
State U niversity and B.A. in Psy
chology from St. O laf College. He
will begin his new position in July.
If you’re a woman who lives in Oregon and earns less
than $15,200 a year (not including your parents’
income), you can get free women’s healthcare at
Planned Parenthood. You can even sign up for the bene
fits at our clinic during your appointment. It couldn t be
easier to protect your health and future!
For your nearest Planned Parenthood clinic, call
1-800-230-PLAN
(SI
Planned Parenthood
II»'
of the Columbia/Willamette
PEOPLE EXPOSED TO SECONDHAND SMOKE AT WORK
ARE 34% MORE LIKELY TO GET LONG CANCER.
---------------------------------
ANDTOO
thought
•,
A la rm T ra c k s n ew o ffic e h a s lo c ate d in
th e O re g o n A sso c ia tio n o f M in o rity E n tre
p re n e u rs (O A M E ) C a sc a d e P la z a , 4 1 3 4 N .
V a n c o u v e r A v e n u e , R o o m - 107A , P o rtlan d ,
O re g o n 97 2 1 7 . T h e te le p h o n e n u m b e r is 503-
288-7716.
A larm T racks is an alarm security com pany
w ith a m ission. A larm T racks p ro v id e efficien t
affo rd a b le se cu rity prod u cts for residen tial,
sm all b u sin ess and nonp ro fit o rganizatio n s in
the P o rtlan d /V an co u v er area. A larm T racks
sp e cia liz e in w ireless alarm sy stem s for fam ily
and sm all b u sin ess security. T h ey also update
WERE KILLING YOU.
an d rep a ir old security system s.
A larm T ra ck s, o w ners H aro ld and C h ery ll
B ro o k in s are ac tiv e m em bers in the co m m u
n ity . T h ey h av e w o rk ed w ith the S afeh av en
C a m p in g pro g ram fo r c h ild re n , K w an zaa c e l
eb ra tio n and o th e r com m unity events in N o rth /
N o rth e a st P o rtlan d n eig h b o rh o o d s. T hey are
e x c ite d to have a b u sin e ss p rese n ce in N o rth /
Everyone deserves smokefree air!
N o rth e a st P o rtlan d area.
Alarm Tracks is licensed, insured and bonded in
O regon and Washington, O R /C C B #1154473 WA/
ELEC #ALARMT*0 16J3 journeym an Electrician
Limited Energy (JLE) Oregon/W ashington
L et us w elcom e them to the neighborhood.
Multnomah County Tobacco Prevention Coalition
r
to quit smoking contact the Oregon Tobacco Quit Line at 1-877-270-STOP.