Page A3
December 1, 1999
(ftbseruer
Health/Education
ÌJurtlanò
(Obseruer
Eye and foot exams are key to AfricanAmerican Health Coalition
preventing diabetes complications begins HIV outreach campaign
________ CONTRIBUTED STORY_______
tor T he
P ortland O bserver
Having annual dilated eye exams and
routene foot exams will aid those with
diabetes avoid serious complications
related to the disease. Diabetes is the
leading cause ofblindness and lower
limb amputations.
During N ovem ber the A merican
Diabetes Associations along with
m any health care organizations
th ro u g h o u t O re g o n an d SW
Washington will offer free eye, foot,
and glucose screenings for people
with diabetes. Screening are designed
to e n c o u ra g e th o se w ho have
diabetes to take charge o f their
disease prevent future complications.
During their lifetime, nearly half o f
A m erican’s estim ated 16 million
people with diabetes will develop
some degree o f retinopathy, the most
common form ofdiabetes eye disease.
Usually, diabetic retinopathy has no
e a rly sy m p to m s an d v isu a l
impairment does not develop until
the disease has advanced into its
later stages. Diabetic retinopathy
damages the tiny blood vessels in the
retina, the light sensitive tissue that
lines the back o f eyes. As many as
24,000 people go blind each year from
the disorder, making it a leading cause
ofblindness among people ages 20-
74. Statistics from the Oregon Health
Division indicate one Oregonian
become blind daily. Over 90 percent
o f these cases can be prevented with
early detection and prompt treatment.
People with diabetes can also develop
many different foot problems. Even
ordinary problems such as cuts,
blisters, calluses or corns quickly get
w o rse and lead to serio u s
complications. About one in five
people with diabetes are hospitalized
because o f foot problems. The risk o f
amputation is 15-40 times greater for
those who have diabetes.
Diabetes can cause nerve damage
that impairs sensation in the feet.
Loss o f sensations, attributable to
neuropathy, can cause a person with
diabetes to bums their feet or even
step on a tack without feeling it. About
60-70% o f people with diabetes has
mild to severe forms o f neuropathy
and it is more likely to effect people
who have had diabetes for a long time
or whose glucose control is poor.
M aintaining good blood glucose
control is an im portant step in
preventing nerve damage. Another
self-preventative measure is to skin,
and feel for very cold or hot areas.
Routine foot exams by a physician
can also check feet for pulses,
reflexes, calluses, infections and sores
as well as nerve damage. Routine foot
care is a key factor in protecting the
feet from damage.
Formore information about activities
call the A m e ric a n D ia b e te s
Association at (1-888) 342-23483.
Examples o f organizations providing
screening include Pacific University
College ofOptometry Vision centers,
Clatsop County Diabetes Coalition,
Center for Health Mind & Body (The
Dalles), Adventist medical Center,
Douglas County Diabetes Coalition,
and McKenzie Willamette Hospital
(Springfield).
To receive free information about
heart, eye and foot care tips call the
Association’s Information Line at ( 1 -
800) 342-2383. Ask for the brochure
“Diabetes What to Know Head to
Toe” to receive a free filament that
can be used to test feet for loss o f
feeling. The filament comes in a
c a rd b o a rd h o ld e r w ith sim p le
instructions for its use. Information
is also available on the A ssociation’s
website at www.diabetes.org/adaor.
Smoking ban doesn’t hurt liquor or beer sales
contributedstory _____
for T he
P ortland O bserver
Study shows no overall economic
impact on bars while employees and
custom ers get significant health
benefit Corvallis bar patrons are
complying with the city’s ban on
smoking-meaning a major health
benefit to the employees and the
customers o f those bars. A majority
o f these persons are non-smokers.
Further, Corvallis’ ban on smoking in
bars had no overall impact upon sales
o f liquor or beer. This and other
finding were contained in a study
released today by the Health Division
ofthe Oregon Department o f Human
Services. “We are extremely happy
with the results o f the survey. These
finding mirror those from a recent
study o f California bars”, Benton
County health educator Dana Kaye
said. “We can successfully protect
employees and customers from the
c a n c e r-c a u sin g c h e m ic a ls in
secondhand smoke without hurting
business.” The study noted that there
was a regional decline in video poker,
and a larger decline in few Corvallis
b a rs. O th e r sig n ific a n t stu d y
findings: 67% percent o f Corvallis
bar customers said they like the bar
experience better now than when
smoking was allowed. Every worker
and customers in Corvallis bars is
now protected from cancer causing
secondhand smoke, including the
54% o f people em ployed in the
C orvallis bars and the 66% o f
C ustom ers w ho do not sm oke.
Almost 7 to 10 customers in Corvallis
and c o m p a riso n co m m u n ity
establishments remained loyal to the
same bars after the ordinance went
into effect. Almost 9 in 10 customers
in the Corvallis bars spend as much
time or more in bars now as they did
before the ordinance went in to effect.
9 in 10 customers also report spending
as much or more money on food and
alcohol in bars as they did before the
ordinance. Corvallis servers reported
less eye irritation than before the
ordinance, and less than other servers
in the comparison communities. 2 o f
every 3 customers in the Corvallis
bars like the smoking prohibition
ordinance. The study, conducted by
the Pacific Research Institute under
contract with the Oregon Health
Division, was designed to assess the
health and economic effects o f the
Corvallis smoking ban in bars. It
compared liquor and beer sale data
from similar periods. Analysis ofthis
and other data, researchers found
that the ban had no impact on liquor
or beer sales, which declined equally
in both com m unities and in the
Corvallis establishments that were
already smokefree. In 1998, Corvallis
voters upheld a city council decision
to implement a ban on smoking in
I
bars. That ban was passed to protect
em ployees and custom ers from
secondhand smoke. According to
Kaye, other studies elsewhere have
found that, like bars, restaurant sales
are also u naffected by sim ilar
ordin an ces designed to protect
employees from secondhand smoke.
According to Kaye, other studies
else where have found that, like bars,
restaurant sale are also unaffected by
similar ordinances designed to protect
employees from secondhand smoke.
Research on smoking Ban in Corvallis
Bars 1. Did the Corvallis ordinance
simply move secondhand smoke from
area to another? There is little
evidence o f a migration o f Corvallis
customers to non- Corvallis bars.
S e v e n ty -tw o p e rc e n t o f the
customers in Corvallis said they went
to the same bars before and after the
ordinance. Likewise, although some
smoker from Corvallis may have gone
to the bars near Corvallis, the vast
majority o f the patrons in the non-
Corvallis bars did not come from
Corvallis.
Evidence from this study suggests
that the Corvallis ban was associated
with an increased propensity o f
smoking customers to quit smoking,
which has also been found in research
in o th e r setting. A lso, studies
elsewhere show that smokers do not
travel to new places just to be able to
smoke. In fact, studies show that
once a smoking prohibition goes into
effect, smokers quickly adapt and
their drinking habits remain the way
they were before the prohibition. Bans
on smoking in the workplace not only
reduce secondhand smoke exposure
d ire c tly , w o rk p la c e sm o k in g
prohibition have a indirect benefit o f
helping people who want to quit
actually succeed quitting, thereby
reducing secondhand smoke further.
2. Do the health benefits o f the
o rd n a n c e o u tw e ig h w h a te v e r
economic losses there might have
been? Clearly, saving people’s lives
while not hurting the Corvallis bar
business in general is a win-win
situation. In spite o f owners’ concern,
the objective data from this study
suggest that the ordinance itself did
not cause overall revenue decline in
the bars inCorvallis. OLCC data show
a 5.6% decline in dispenser sales in
Corvallis, while Albany had 5.7%
decline. Likewise, there were no
statistically significant differences in
malt beverage sales between Corvallis
and bars in the sunounding areas. At
the same time, enorm ous health
benefits were obtained by protecting
every w orker and patron in the
C orvallis bars from secondhand
sm oke, which contains over 50
cancer-causing chemicals.
CONTRIBUTED STORY
for T he
P ortland O bserver
The A frican A m erican H ealth
Coalition is expanding its program to
include HIV education and outreach.
On D ecem ber 1st, the A fric a n
American Health Coalition (AAHC)
will begin providing HIV education
and outreach services targeted to
A frican A m erican living in the
Portland area.
The AAHC program will include
co m m u n ity p re se n ta tio n s and
regular, ongoing contact with places
in the com m unity where people
g a th e r. T he A A H C w ill urge
community members to know the
facts about HIV and how it is and is
not spread. In addition, they will
educate people about how to protect
themselves. They will also emphasize
the need for those at risk to get tested
for HIV and help connect them with
community testing resources.
“We are very excited to be able to
provide these services” says Corliss
McKeever, Executive Director o f
AAHC. “ We are com m itted to
p ro m o tin g p o sitiv e h e a lth and
wellness in the community and HIV.
Is a issue we just can’t ignore”
As with the other health issues we
work on, we want emphasize early
detection. The earlier someone is
diagnosed with HIV, the better,” says
McKeever. “We want to get people
talking about HIV is an issue we just
can’t ignore”
Initial funding for this project comes
though the M ultnom ah C ounty
Health Department’s HIV Prevention
services. “W e like the idea o f
supporting an agency that has an
overall health focus,” says Loreen
Nichols,M anagerofHIV Prevention
Services for the Health Department.
“T here has been such a stigma
attached to HIV disease, it makes
sense to integrate it into an overall
health focus. We are hoping that will
help get the community engaged and
O PEN
involved in HIV prevention.”
Other AAHC projects include the
Wellness Village, an annual wellness
conference and community health fair;
the N ational B lack L eadership
Initiative on Cancer, and SisterCircle,
a project that provides support, case
management and outreach for breast
and cervical cancer survivors.
The kick-off o f this project coincides
with World AIDS Day December 1.
H O U SE
A n o p e n i n v i t a t i o n to
p a re n ts a n d s tu d e n ts
In s p ir e d
i n t e r e s t e d in s i x t h t h r o u g h
le a r n in g
tw e lfth g ra d e
l e a d in g to
r e s p o n s ib le
S unday, D ecem ber 5
1 :0 0 p .m
a c tio n
- 3 :0 0 p . m
8625 SW Barnes Road
Portland. Oregon
503-297- 1 894
The Instant
Holiday G ift
PCC Tuition Bucks
* More than 1,000 courses to choose from, including
credits that transfer to just about any university.
s
l W
♦ Sold in $ 10, $25, and $ 100 amounts in an attractive
presentation folder.
♦ A great gift idea for parents, grandparents,
family friends, aunts and uncles.
Portland
Call SO3-S33-2882 to o rd er by phone.
Community
College
C o lle g e T h at F its Your Life
ARMA.CZ
•&J
F E A T U R IN G
NATUROPATHIC PHYSICIAN
& CONVENTIONAL PHARMACIST
CONSULTATIONS
PRESCRIPTIONS
ß O O N ES FER R Y
NATUROPATHIC MEDICINARY
COMPOUNDING
FR EM O N T
Selfcare at Nature’s is about helping people live well by making healthy lifestyle choices
to prevent illness and integrating the best of conventional & alternative medicine in treating illness
I T
iZ
W A Y
O
F
L IF E
I