September I, 1999
^ìortlanò © hseruer
Page A 5
‘Kids run better unleaded’
T h e c h ild re n m o st s u s c e p ­
t i b l e to l e a d p o i s o n i n g a r e
th o s e w h o l i v e in o l d e r h o m e s
w h e r e t h e r e is l e a d - b a s e d
p a i n t. C h i ld r e n in M u ltn o m a h
C o u n ty m a y be m o re s u s c e p ­
t i b l e t h a n k i d s l i v i n g in m o s t
o th e r p la c e s . N a tio n a lly , 27
p e r c e n t o f a ll h o m e s w e r e b u ilt
b e fo re 1950; by c o n tra s t, a l­
m o s t 45 p e r c e n t o f M u ltn o m a h
C o u n ty h o m e s w e re b u ilt b e ­
fo re th a t d a te . T h e p o te n tia l
f o r h a r m f u l l e a d e x p o s u r e is
w e ll r e c o g n iz e d b y c o m m u n ity
g ro u p s a n d b y s ta te a n d lo c a l
g o v e rn m e n ts .
T h e M u ltn o m a h C o u n ty
H e a l t h D e p a r t m e n t a n d th e
O re g o n H e a lth D iv is io n a re
c o n d u c t te s tin g p ro g ra m s fo r
s u s c e p tib le
c h ild re n ;
C L E A R c o r p s a n d th e le a d h a z ­
a r d r e d u c t i o n p r o g r a m o f th e
P o r tla n d W a te r B u re a u a re
s u c c e s s f u l l y e n g a g e d in e f ­
f o r t s to r e d u c e y o u n g s t e r s ’
e x p o s u r e t o l e a d in t h e i r
hom es.
L e a d p o i s o n i n g is s u b t l e ,
b u t c a n i n c l u d e th e f o l l o w ­
in g :
D a m a g e to th e B r a i n a n d
N e r v o u s S y s te m
B e h a v io r an d L e a rn in g
P ro b le m s (s u c h as H y p e r a c ­
tiv ity )
S lo w e d g r o w t h
H e a r i n g p r o b le m s
H eadaches
F o r A d u lts , L e a d c a n a lso
c a u s e th e f o llo w in g p r o b ­
le m s:
D if f ic u ltie s d u rin g p r e g ­
nancy
O th e r r e p r o d u c tiv e p r o b ­
le m s ( in b o th m e n a n d w o m e n )
H ig h b l o o d p r e s s u r e
D ig e s tiv e p ro b le m s
N e rv e d is o r d e r s
M e m o ry an d c o n c e n tra tio n
p r o b le m s
M u s c le a n d j o i n t p a i n
U n le s s c o n c e n tr a tio n s are
s k y - h i g h , v i c t i m s o f le a d p o i ­
s o n i n g e x h i b i t fe w a p p a r e n t
s y m p t o m s . N o t e v e n th e m o s t
w a tc h f u l p a r e n t w o u ld be
lik e ly to s u s p e c t th a t a c h i l d ’s
b lo o d c o n t a i n e d e l e v a t e d l e v ­
e ls o f le a d . S e r i o u s c a s e s c a n
im p a ir m e n ta l a n d p h y s ic a l
d e v e lo p m e n t.
T e s t i n g is u s u a l l y th e o n ly
w a y to d i s c o v e r le a d p o i s o n ­
i n g . M a k e it p a r t o f y o u r
“ b a c k - t o - s c h o o l ” r o u t i n e to
e n s u re th a t y o u r c h ild r e n are
f re e fro m le a d p o is o n i n g ; y o u r
d o c t o r o r th e M u ltn o m a h
C o u n ty H e a lth D e p a rtm e n t
c a n te ll y o u h ow .
THE LARGEST. MOST COMPLETE RETAIL FABRIC STORE IS THE WEST
August 31 through September 14,1999
PRINT
SALE
ALL PRINTS
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Sale includes: Calicos, Drapery and I’pholstery
Fabrics. Special Occasion, Silkies. Rayons,
Children’s Wear. Animal Fake Fur, Active Wear,
Outwear Fleece, Corduroys
Strong Families = Strong And
Healthy Children
Bv M arian W right E delman
Sometimes, it seems, the obvious
must be restated simply to remind
people o f what they already know. I
thought o f this recently when, in the
same day. my mail brought me a press
release from the U.S. Department o f
Justice and information from the Family
Resource Coalition o f America, a Chi­
cago-based organization. Both were
making a point that cannot be stressed
too many times in a society and country
that does not put children first.
The solutions to many o f society’s
problems will grow in a garden seeded
with this one core truth: children do
better in families that are able to draw
strength and assistance when neces­
sary from their communities.
The Department o f Justice press
release announced the findings o f a
RAND C orporation study ofa program
in Elmira. New York, called “Prenatal
and Early Childhood Nurse Home Visi-
tation,"a 15-year-oldprogram allowing
for prenatal and early childhood home
visits by trained nurses to low-income,
first-time young parents. Nurses visit
participating mothers once every one
to two weeks during their pregnancy
and continue the visits until the child
reaches two.During the visits, nurses
teach pregnant young women about
the importance o f prenatal nutrition
and the negative effects o f smoking,
drugs, and alcohol, and help new moth­
ers with postpartum recovery and teach
them about infant care. The study found
that youths whose mothers participated
in the program were 55 percent less
likely to be arrested than children o f
mothers who hadn't. Not only that, but
by the time children from families in the
program w ere 15 y ears old, the
program ’s cost savings o f taxpayers
have been shown to be four times the
original investment. These savings
come from reduction m crime, welfare,
and health care expenses, and the in­
crease in taxes paid by w orking
parents. Attorney General Janet Reno
applauded the program, saying. “A
healthy start is critical in steering youth
away from crime and drugs. By working
with parents early, even before child­
birth, we can help their children to lead
safe and productive lives.’’
The second piece o f mail from the
Family Resource Coalition o f America
(FRC A), which exists to help build co­
operation in the public and private sec­
tors tooffer families community-based
cover 5 m illion o f the m ore than 11
D ay" fairs and developed programs
support, told o f the “growing consen­
million uninsured children, and other
focusing on the needs o f parents and
sus among health care professionals
social services available in their
grandparents. The fairs offer co l­
that services for families that strengthen
com
m unity.H elping fam ilies helps
laboration m odels on how we can all
parent-child relationships and build
ch
ild
ren . S tren g th en in g fam ilies
w ork together to help strengthen
community are crucial for positive
strengthens
our society and our na­
fa m ilie s w h o c o u ld b e n e fit by
health outcomes for children."
tion.
It’s
a
sim
ple prescription that
p a re n tin g c la s s e s , e m p lo y m e n t
Every family has different needs,
w
e’ve
alw
ays
know n w orks, but
counseling, access to affordable,
and sometimes multiple needs, and
sometimes
our
country
’ s policy m ak­
quality
day
care,
and
inform
ation
when parents, social service profes­
ers
and
those
in
public
service as
ab
o
u
t
h
ealth
care
and
the
State
sionals, doctors and health profession­
w
ell
as
in
the
private
sector
need to
C
hildren's
Health
Insurance
program
als, schools, policy makers, and the
b
e
re
m
in
d
ed
o
fit.
M
aybe
we
all
need
(C
H
IP),
w
hich
provides
$48
billion
private sector j oin together to find ways
to
be
rem
inded
o
f
it.
to
states
over
the
next
10
years
to
to support a fam ily's needs for health
c a re , c h ild
c a re , jo b s
paying a liv­
ing w ag e ,
and d e c e n t '
h o u s in g ,
families and
children are
given an en­
vironment in
w hich they
can thrive.
W o rk in g
w ith
th e
sponsorship
o f the Robert
W o o d
Johnson
F oundation,
E R C A h as
d e v e lo p e d
t
h
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Beef
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