October 11, 2000
Page A3
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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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