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(Clje JJortianb (Ohsvruvr-------------------------------- -
January 26, 2000
f . L i tl.m ii
B Family Living
William and Legacy team up
P a tie n ts w ho leav e h o sp ita l
em ergency rooms with only the
clothes on their back, and sometimes
not even that, are now assured o f
warm, adequate clothing - thanks to
a new partnership between William
Temple House and Legacy Health
System.
William Temple House, which
provides emergency services and
counseling to people in need, has
agreed to supply clothing, including
coats, gloves, hats and shoes, to the
emergency rooms o f Legacy Good
Sam aritan and Legacy Emanuel
Medical Centers.
“This means that anyone, including
the homeless, who come to us in wet
or tom clothing can leave wearing
something clean and comfortable,”
said Virginia Hendrickson, director
o f Social Services at Legacy Health
System. “Often we have only light,
temporary garments to offer, which
are inadequate in cold weather.”
Hendrickson explained it is not just
the homeless who need clothes.
Patients’ clothing is often ruined in
the accidents which bring them to the
hospital, or have to be cut o ff in order
to provide emergency care.
Together, Good Samaritan and
Err. inuel see more than 86,000 patients
annually in their emergency rooms,
so nearly every day two or three
p atien ts need p ro p e r c lo th in g ,
Hendrickson said.
She said hospitals keep some extra
clothing on hand, but often do not
have the garments or sizes patients
need, and frequently do not have
adequate cold weather clothing.
“ W hen w e h eard a b o u t the
ho sp itals’ dilem m a, w e saw an
opportunity for W illiam Temple
House to step up and meet a need,”
said Donald N ichols, executive
director o f the Northwest Portland-
based social service agency.
“This is a natural partnership,”
N ichols continued. “W i lliam Temple
House provides food and clothing
without charge to those in need as
part o f our on-going em ergency
services program. We have a good
selection o f clean, warm donated
Win a get-away
to see C iv il
Rights treasures
clothing, so we can provide a variety
o f sizes and garments to supplement
what the emergency rooms have on
hand.”
One element in the new agreement
calls for William Temple House to
conduct a clothing drive at the Legacy
hospitals twice a year. The donated
clothing or other household items
will be collected, sorted, cleaned and
prepared for reuse by William Temple
House.
"In addition to coasts, caps, gloves
and shoes, donated sweat suits are
very useful because they are warm,
comfortable and adjust easily for
different sized patients," Nichols said.
The hospital will keep an inventory
and let William Temple House know
the sizes and articles o f clothing they
need for their em ergency room
patients. The E R staffs may also refer
patients to William Temple House for
o th e r
a ssista n c e ,
in c lu d in g
counseling and emergency social
services.
“This is a win-win for all o f us, but
especially for people o f very limited
means, often without family, friends
or basic resources,” Nichols said.
Founded in 1965 as a non-profit
organization to help those in need,
W illiam Tem ple House provides
counseling and emergency social
se rv ic e s w ith o u t c h a rg e to
approximately 12,000 individuals and
families annually throughout the
Portland/V ancouver metropolitan
area. For appointments or services,
call(503)226-3021.
Planned Parenthood provides cancer screening
> or T he P oh i land O bsehe eh
To celebrate V alentine’s Day and
com m em orate N ational Cervical
Cancer Awareness month, Planned
P aren th o o d o f th e C o lu m b ia /
Willamette are offering free breast
and cervical cancer screenings Feb.
14 for women who have not had a Pap
smear in the last three years. Women
must make appointments for the
screenings, and can call 1-800-230-
PLAN to reach their closest Planned
Parenthood Clinic.
In 1999, about 12,800 women were
diagnosed w ith cervical cancer
national ly, and4,800 women died from
the disease. A disproportionate
n u m b e r o f d e a th s are am ong
minorities and women o f low income,
due in large part to lack o f insurance,
transportation to a health care facility
and child care for the appointment.
An e stim ated 37-60 percent
reduction in cervical cancer mortality
is possible with regular screening for
all women. If cervical cancer is
delected while in its earliest stages,
the survival rate is almost 100 percent,
with timely and appropriate treatment
and follow-up.
“Virtually all o f these deaths can be
prevented by making lifesaving
screening services available to all
women at risk,” said Lois Backus,
E xecutive D irector o f Planned
P a re n th o o d o f the C o lu m b ia /
Willamette. “Ourcentral mission is to
provide health care services to women
who otherwise could not receive care.
While we certainly can’t provide free
breast and cervical exams every day,
we want to provide this screening as
our gift to the com m unity on
Valentine’s Day.”
The incidence o f invasive cervical
cancer dramatical ly decreased by 44
percent from 1973 to 1996, while
m o rta lity due to th is d ise a se
decreased by 47.3 percent. Much of
the reduction in cervical cancer
mortality has been associated with
the increased useof Pap smears. Also,
early detection and treatment o f the
disease improves the prognosis for
women diagnosed with this disease.
PPCW was founded in 1963 as a
p ro v id e r o f m edical se rv ic e s,
c o u n se lin g , and e d u c a tio n a l
programs for low income individuals
in P o rtlan d , and ex panded its
coverage in 1993 to 30 o f the 36
co u n tie s, and tw o c o u n tie s in
Southw est W ashington. PPCW
currently operates clinics in S.E.
Portland, N.E. Portland, Beaverton,
G resham , Salem , B end and
Affordable Quality Retirement Living
for Seniors 62 years and older
Alberta Simmons Plaza
6611 NE Martin Lnther King Blvd
Portland, Oregon 97211
240-4198
• O ne-Bedroom Apartm ents w ith Full
Sized K itchens and Living Areas
• Planned A ctivities, Laundry
F acility, C onference & M eetin g Room,
Elevator and Library, and Off Street
Parking
• C onveniently Located to Shopping,
Restaurants, Pharm acy, and
M ed ical O ffices
COW TRIBUTE!) STORE
E Q H T H tP oR T L ANDOBSEKVEH
As a special salute to Black History
Month 2000, one very lucky family
will get an up close and personal tour
o f the home o f America’s Ci vil Rights
movement when Atlanta’s DeKalb
Convention & Visitors Bureau awards
an exciting and educational all-
expense-paid weekend get-away to
Atlanta, Georgia.
The Grand Prize winnerwill receive
up to four round-trip airline tickets to
Atlanta via Delta Air Lines, ground
transportation, tw o nights hotel
accommodations, a grand tour o f
Atlanta’s African-American Heritage
Treasures including Sweet Auburn,
The King Center, Stone Mountain
Park, Underground Atlanta and much
more.
Entering to win the Black History
Month Vacation Package is as easy
as winning itself. Entries can be
submitted by sending a post card
with your name, address and phone
number to Black History Month
Contest, DCVB, P.O. Box 93447,
Atlanta, Georgia, 30318 or you can
e n te r
o n -lin e
at
w w w .atlan tasd ek alb .o rg /co n test.
TheGrand Prize winner will be drawn
on Feb. 28,2000, by Atlanta’s DeKalb
C onvention & V isito rs Bureau
President Jon Manns.
"We are proud to honor Black
History Month by bringing a lucky
fam ily to A tlan ta and D eK alb
County,” said Jon Manns, president
o f Atlanta’s Dekalb Convention &
Visitors Bureau. “We plan for this
weekend get-away to be packed with
fun. history and lots o f good-times
for the whole family.”
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