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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 11, 2000)
October 11, 2000 Page A3 (Ti|e ^Jortlanò (lìheeruer jJortlanft -w * -w - “» -» Health Isiah (from left), Cordel and 16 other children are among the first kids to enroll in Albina Early Head Start, a daycare center exclusively fo r infants and pregnant women. Albina Early Head Start Begins First Year B y M ichail L eighton Albina Head Start is forging into new territory this year with the opening o f a daycare center for infants, toddlers, pregnant m others and their fam ilies. Early Head Start opened last month in the freshly painted, car peted and rem odeled R ichard Brown Center at 605 NE Ivy St. It’s the first time Albina Head S tart has been able to offer daycare services for such young children, from 6 weeks to 3 years old, and pregnant women. The care is provided at no cost, based on low-income qualifications. Needless to say the demand for these services is great. Researchers seek participants for group treatment of depression Pacific University’s Psychologi cal Service Center (PSC) in down town Portland is seeking partici pants for a study in treating de pression in group therapy settings. According to Dr. Paula Truax of Pacific’s School of Professional Psychology, the study will com pare the effectiveness of two widely accepted forms ^ depression treat ment, cognitive therapy and be havioral therapy, The groups will include 8-10 people and sessions will be led weekly by professional therapists and graduate students. Both forms o f therapy will be used over an eight-week period. Participants will pay a modest $ 15 fee for each ses sion. The first group began earlier this year and new groups are be ginning each month. The center offers a free assessment to anyone interested in joining one o f the groups. Call 503-352-2400 for an appointment or more information. The center is located at 511 SW 10th Avenue, Suite 400, and is lo- their study in professional jour nals. Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore., is one o f the West’s oldest chartered higher education institutions. Pacific annually ranks as one o f America’s best colleges by U.S. News & World Report and is ranked as one o f the best tuition values in the West. With an enroll ment of more than 2,000 students. Pacific University provides an ex cellent academic experience link ing theory to practice in education. cated near Tri-Met bus lines and the max light rail line. Behavioral therapy is focused on “getting people more active, set ting goals and getting them en gaged in pleasurable actives” to counteract depression, Truax said. Cdgnitive therapy involves alter ing “your thinking and beliefs about yourself, others and the world adopting a more realistic view" and getting away from thoughts such as ‘I’m worthless’ or everything I do is wrong,” Truax said. These approaches are “ usually blended together” in treatment o f depres sion, she said. “There are definite advantages for people receiving therapy for depression in groups,” she said. “You are interacting with other people in the same position as you who can offer their perspectives and advice.” Truax and Dr. Jay Tho mas are conducting the 18-month study o f people undergoing both forms of treatment in group therapy. They will publish the results of When applications opened last May, early head start received 300 requests in just a two-week period, according to Albina Early H ead S ta rt D ire c to r E lain e Harrison. Now, it’s a waiting list to get in that can be extremely long, she said. The new program is operating at capacity with 16 children en rolled. However, Harrison said there is an opening to provide services to a woman in her first trimester o f pregnancy. Albina Head Start, serves fami lies in north, northeast and south east Portland. Programs for kids 3 and older are held in 22 class rooms at 16 different sites. Mayor Promotes Cancer Awareness Portland Mayor Vera Katz has proclaimed the month of October“Breast Cancer Aware ness Month" and October 2O'h National Mammography Day for the city. The M ayor has worked to increase awareness o f breast cancer through her openness regarding her own battle with the disease, and by serving as Honorary Survivor Chair o f the 2000 Susan G. Komen Foundation Race for the Cure. “ I realized my experience could help demystify this pro- cess o f detecting the disease and that I was privileged to have a job where I can affect good change,” said Katz. An estimated 182,800 new cases of female breast cancer will be diag nosed in 2000 and 40,800 will die of the disease; and an estimated 1,400 new cases o f male breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2000 and 400 will die of the disease. Cancer experts say early de tection and prompt treatm ent can significantly reduce suffering and deaths caused by this disease. October 20lh has additionally been declared National Mammog. raphy day, because mammogra phy (an x-ray o f the breast) ii recognized as the single mos effective m ethod o f detectinj breast changes that may be can cero u s, long b efo re p hysica symptoms can be seen or felt. “ I feel so lucky to have caugh my cancer early. I never wouk have known if 1 hadn’t had a mam m ogram ,” said Katz. “ B reast can cer has already claim ed too many lives and it i only through aw areness that i can be fought.” w w w .w a m u m o rtg a g e .c o m MDA Offers Free Flu Shots The M uscular Dystrophy As sociation is again offering free flu shots throughout Portland for people who are affected by any o f the more 40 neuromuscular dis orders covered by MDA pro grams. Influenza is particularly haz ardous for people living with m u s c le - w a s tin g d iseases, in c lu d ing m uscular dys tro p h y , s p in a l m uscular atrophy and am y o tro p h ic la te ra l s c le ro s is (A L S or Lou G ehrig’s disease). MDA ad m in is ters thousands of free flu shots an nually, an effort made possible by a year-round fund-raising ef fort th a t’s highlighted by the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon broad cast nationally on Labor Day weekend. MDA works to defeat neurom uscular disease that ef fects children and adults through programs o f worldwide research, com prehensive services, and far- reaching professionals and pub lic health education. “The flu can be life-threaten ing for children and adults with progressive neurom uscular d is eases,” im portant in reducing I. their risk o f respiratory infections. T hat’s why MDA offers this im portant weapon against influ enza. People registered with MDA may have transportation made available or be reim bursed for travel costs to visit the MDA clinic. The Association will also say a local doctor to ad m inister the flu shot if a person registered with MDA isn ’t close to one o f M DA’s 230 clinics. For more information or to set an appointment for a free flu shot, call MDA Program Services C o o rd in a to r P a tric ia Helzer in Portland at (503) J223-3177. More informa tion is also available from MDA headquarters at (800) 527-1717, or on th e In te rn e t at www.mdauas.Qr8 In Oregon, MDA has three clin ics, including the MDA clinic Or egon Health Sciences University in Portland. MDA is a national voluntary health agency dedicated to find ing treatm ents and cures for neu rom uscular diseases affecting more than a million Americans, It program are funded almost en tirely by individual private con tributors. 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