Septem ber 15, 1999
______ ___________(Tlir ^ o rtla n b (Phseruer
Kaiser Pemanente Sets Dates
for N Portland Flu Shots
(P o rtlan d O re.)- B eginning
M onday, Oct. 4th, and continuing
through Friday, O ct.29, all K aiser
Perm anete m em bers in north and
northeast Portland can receive free
flu shots in Conference Room LLb
on the lower level o f the H M O ’s
C entral Interstate M edical O ffice,
3600 N. Interstate Avenue
The im m u n izatio n s w ill be
given on a drop-in basis Monday
through Friday from 8 a m. to 6
p.m, They will also be given in the
same location on Saturday, O ct.9
from 9 a.m. to 1p.m.
T he
v a c c in e
a g a in st
Clinic Provides Specialized Care To
pneum ococal pneum onia will be
given next door in the East Inter­
state M edical O ffice’s nurse treat­
ment room on the lower level.
For more inform ation, please
call K aiser Perm anente at 813-
2000 or from outside Portland
(800) 813-2000.
Food Loss...And How
To Prevent It
Too often, too many families
are tossing perfectly good tood into
the garbage can. Edible tood is also
lost in staggering amounts at res­
taurants, grocery stores, and even
on the farm itself, according to a
recent federal report In Oregon,
some progress has been made in
recovering usable food from res­
taurants, w holesalers, and retail­
ers. But there is much room tor
improvement in the home.
All this has prompted the O r­
egon Department ot Agriculture to
issue some general consumer tips
on how to waste less food.
“Our food supply is very cheap
and readily available,” says Ron
McKay, administrator o f O D A ’s
Food Safety Division. “It is easier
for a consumer to discard some­
thing than it is to take steps in pre­
serving it. We would like to see
presen ation steps taken, not so much
to save pennies, but to save tood.
It is true that the U.S. enjoys a
diverse and conveniently w ell-
stocked pantry o f food. Americans
spend a smaller share o f their dis­
posable income on food than people
o f any other country. That might
explain why it’s so easy to throw
food out, even before it’s time.
But like so many other things,
food is a terrible thing to waste—
especially in a country and a state
where there is still a significant
hunger problem.
T he U .S . D e p a rtm e n t o f
A griculture’s Economic Research
Service estimates about 96 billion
pounds o f food— 27% o f the 356
billion pounds o f the edible food
available for human consumption
in the U S — were lost in the sys­
tem in 1995, the latest year statis­
tics were compiled tor the study.
The report says, “some loss oc-
curs in storage due to insect infes­
tations or mold, deterioration, or
improper transportation and han­
dling.” At the retail level, fresh
produce, dairy products, and other
perishable items make up the bulk
o f food losses.
But it is at the consumer level
that ODA is directing its attention.
"The normal customer purchases
groceries maybe once a week and
is not shopping every day," says
McKay. "Therefore, the purchases
can be extensive and possibly not
all used up during the week.”
The UDSA report notes that it
isn’t table scraps that account for
most o f the lost or wasted food. It is
such things as large quantities ot
single food items, entire heads ot
lettuce, half-eaten boxes o f crack­
ers, and sprouted potatoes that ac­
count for the largest share ot house­
hold food loss. Fresh fruits and
vegetables accounted for 19% o f
consumer and food service tood
losses, according to the report.
T h a t’s an estim ated 18 billion
pounds discarded annually. An ad­
ditional 16 billion pounds o f fluid
milk— about a third o f a glass of
milk per person each day— is also
thrown out.
“ The consum er at home can
make some good choices and save
some product before it goes bad.”
says McKay. “But in the case o f
produce, one o f the ways to stop
the waste is to be more conserva-
tive in your buying practices. Buy
just w hatyouneed. Ifpossible.buy
more often and use it up before you
return to the store.”
There are many foods that can be
retained by being put in the freezer.
Obviously, produce is not one of
those foods. But most meat prod­
ucts can be stored for several months
in freezing temperatures and still be
just fine for consumption.
Storage o f food at home can make
a huge difference in what must be
thrown out. Keeping the refrigera­
tor between 35 and 40 degrees Fahr­
enheit is a good start. 1 ightly clos­
ing the bag on chips, bread, and
other packaged products can keep
those foods fresher longer.
Even some products that show
age can be used. A block o f cheese
that might have a small amount o f
mold on the outside can be savaged
simply by trimming away the mold.
There is also a m isconception
that dated food products are haz­
ardous to your health. T h at's not
always the case. Consum ers often
confuse the sell-by date printed on
the package as a food safety issue.
"There is nothing m agical about
the sell-by date," says McKay. "It
is used on a variety o f food prod­
ucts— some not perishable. The
dates are stam ped on so there can
be a rotation o f stock w ithin the
warehouse or within the retail store.
A box ofcereal with a sell-by dates
isn’t going to go bad it you haven t
consumed it before that date.
On the other hand, meats should be
consumed or frozen by the sell-by date.
In Oregon, strides have been made
in utilizing food that would other­
wise be discarded by retailers and
restaurants— food that would be sent
to the landfill. More often than be­
fore, that food is ending up as part ot
the emergency food network that pro­
vides meals to the one o f every eight
Oregonians who need food assis­
tance. More than 401.000 emergency
food boxes were prepared in Oregon
last year, another 2.6 million pounds
o f food delivered on site. Much of
that came from donations made by
consumers, retailers, wholesalers.
Patients At Risk For Blood Clots
After Carol McLaughlin, 54, suf­
fered a heart attack and kidney failure
in November of 1998, her physician
prescribed an anti-clot medication
called Coumadin. The drug is a life-
saver for millions o f patients pre­
disposed to clots because it thins the
blood; how ever, even a slight lifestyle
change can cause the blood to become
too thin creating internal bruising and,
potentially, excess bleeding.
T h a t’s w hy P ro v id e n c e St.
Vincent Medical Center in June of
1997 began its A nticoagulation
Clinic. The clinic employs four phar­
macists who regularly monitor about
350 patients every month.
McLaughlinofMilwaukie.Ore., for
example, visits the clinic for 15 minutes
once or twice a month. A pharmacist
inquires about McL .aughlin’sdiet. stress
level, exercise routine, and any new
medications, then pricks her finger to
analyze the factors in her blood and
ensure it is in a safe range between too
thick and too thin.
“I’m feeling so much bener," says
McLaughlin, who has battled heart dis­
ease for the past four years. "It gives me
real peace of mind to know that some­
one is looking out for me and updating
my physician about my progress. 1 know
and the food service industry as well
as farmers involved in field gleaning
projects.
"W e are interested in salvaging
that food so it doesn't go to waste,
says Jerry Tippens, chairman o f the
Oregon Food Bank. “ It’s a shame
there is still that kind o f food loss
and, o f course, there isn 't much
that can be done with a consum er s
wilted lettuce in the refrigerator.
But maybe if the consum er better
utilized the food they purchased,
they would have some money left­
over to donate to the food bank.
There w ill always be food loss
at all m arketing levels. But grow ­
ing concern over hunger, the envi­
ronm ent, and the econom ics o f
wasting food have given rise to a
new effort to conserve and better
utilize safe and nutritious food.
For more information, contact
Bruce Pokam ey at (503)986-4559.
Three-Sequence Course
In African American
Literature Offered
The English D epartm ent o f the
PCC Sylvania Campus is proud to
announce the developm ent o f a
new three-sequence course in A f­
rican A m erican Literature. In the
past, we have only offered Eng.
256, but now we will offer Eng.
256 in the fall, Eng. 257 in the
w inter and Eng. 258 in the spring
quarter. Eng. 256 will focus on the
A frican Am erican literature from
1746- 1865, w hile incorporating
the international history and influ­
ences o f people o f A frican D e­
scent on A m erican and w orld lit­
erature from as far back as the
Sixth C entury B.C. The Eng. 257
course will focus on the Literature
o f R econstruction to the Harlem
R enaissance, 1865-1919. Finally,
Eng. 258 will focus on the L itera­
ture o f the H arlem R enaissance
(1919-1940), Realism , N atural­
ism, M odernism (1940-1960) The
B lack A rts M o v em en t (1960-
1970) and Black Contem porary
Literature (1970- present).
We are excited about this se­
quence course because students
Page A6
will learn so much about litera­
ture, A merican and international
history, politics, sociology, and
culture. The departm ent is plan­
ning to have several outstanding
g u est speakers this year. The
texbook for all three course will
be The Norton Anthology o f A fri­
can A merican Literature by Henry
Louis Gates.
Photo Dave Lawton
BLOOD ANALYSIS
Providence St. Vincent Medical Center Pharmacist Charlene Bechen
(right) finger-sticks anticoagulation Clinic patient Vicki Brewer to
ensure her blood is In a healthy range between too thick and too thin.
other people on Coumadin who don t
get this kind of service and I’ve heard
some real horror stories."
Physicians also appreciate the anti­
coagulation Clinic. "I used to do all ot
the anti-coagulation control tor my pa­
tients frommy office,” says Peter Block,
M n „«nrime director of the Provi-
dence Heart Institute and a cardiologist
at Providence St. Vincent. "In the past
year. I’ve completely transitioned all
my patients' anticoagulation care to the
clinic. The clinic is very efficient, com­
munication with the patients has been
enhanced and, ultimately, my patients
are getting even better care.
Papaflurphift
TAKE N BAKE BIZZA
IPEPPERON
PIZZA
I I I
Valid through Oct 1999
OPENING IN NOVEMBER
On 1 5 th & Fremont!
41S t & Fremont
71st & Fremont
503-281-6833
503-287-5520
D os familias unidas
en ima sola celebración.
These courses m eet the D iver­
sity R equirem ent and count to­
w ards the Arts & Letters D istribu­
tion Requirem ent. The only pre­
requisite is placem ent in Wr. 121.
The course will be held on Tues­
day and Thursday at 9:30-10:50.
so re g iste r today. R egistration
O ffice (503) 977-4933
PCC to Offer
Orientation to Web-
Based Courses
Portland Community College
will offer an inform ation and ori­
entation session for its w eb-based
classes on W ednesday, Sept. 15,
6-8 p.m., in the Sylvania Campus
Performing Arts Center, 1200S.W.
49th Ave. This free session, of­
fered for the first time this fall,
will Include a dem onstration and
question-and-answer session about
ta k in g PC C c la s s e s o v e r the
Internet. In addition inform ation
ab o u t o th e r d ista n c e learn in g
classes at PCC will be available.
If this is your first online course or
you are interested in enrolling in a
distance education class, the Dis­
tance Learning departm ent highly ■
recom m ends this orientation and 1
dem onstration session.
Mes De La Hispanidad
AMERICAN FAMILY
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4í/W
S f H A ir u ! F f
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Toda La Protección Bajo l n Techo.
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