February 14,2001
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Health
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AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE PLAN
Pioneering Program Helps New Families
A p io n e e rin g p ro g ra m aim e d
at p ro v id in g m a te rn ity c a re fo r
p r e d o m in a n tly lo w e r-in c o m e
p re g n a n t w o m e n in th e P o rt
lan d a re a h a s b e e n se le c te d as
o n e o f th e n a tio n ’s m o st in n o
v a tiv e p r o g r a m s th a t s e rv e
w o m e n a n d c h ild re n .
P ro v id e n c e B e g in n in g s w as
la u d e d fo r c re a tin g a c o o rd i
n a te d m o d e l fo r m a te rn ity c a se
m a n a g e m e n t th a t m a d e it e a sie r
fo r w o m e n to re c e iv e m a te r
n ity se rv ic e a n d p ro v id e d th o se
se rv ic e s at a lo w e r c o st.
A s th e n a m e c o n v e y s, P ro v i
d e n c e B e g in n in g is fo r w o m e n
in th e P ro v id e n c e H e a lth S y s
te m to re c e iv e c o n siste n t, o n
g o in g , h e a lth c are th ro u g h p reg
n a n c y a n d in to th e n e w b o r n ’s
life. S e rv ic e s in c lu d e c o m p re
h e n siv e ris k a sse ssm e n ts, e d u
c a tio n a n d e x te n s iv e c o lla b o
ra tio n w ith o b s te tric ia n s . T h e
p ro g ra m se rv e s w om en o f
$11.95 — Individual Plan
c h ild b e a rin g ag e a n d th e ir fa m i
lies.
“T h e se le c tio n is a tre m e n
d o u s h o n o r fo r e v e ry o n e w h o
has c o n trib u te d to m a k in g P ro v i
d e n c e B e g in n in g s a s u c c e s s ,”
sa y s C a r o ly n S c o tt, M .P .H .,
p ro g ra m m a n a g e r.
M o st w o m e n are re fe rre d into
P ro v id e n c e B e g in n in g s b y th e ir
d o c to r o r m id w ife ; h o w e v e r, e x
p e c ta n t m o th e rs m a y d ire c tly
c o n ta c t th e p ro g ra m . F o r th e
e ast P o rtla n d o ffic e c a ll 50 3 -
2 1 5 -9 1 6 0 . F o r th e W e st P o rt
land o ffic e c a ll 5 0 3 -2 1 6 -4 9 4 4 .
Special nurses and social workers, together with doctors and midwifes,
provide a variety o f service to help support women during pregnancy.
The Doctor's Corner
$1 9.9 5- Family/Household
Covers:
Dental, Vision, Pharmacy, Orthodontic, Chiropractic
A n d ... More
For More Information:
Call (503) 288-1140
Ask for Maudie White, Plan Broker
“ My mama loves me so much,
she protects me from colds,
ear infections, headaches,
asthma attacks and even cancer
without lifting a finger.”
Break the Abuse by
Raising Your Standards
Dear Doctor John,
I am a 28-year-old female
and have been in a lot of
abusive relationships. My
stepfather raped me and my
mother didn’t believe me.
Because o f this, I’ve attracted
abusive men for boyfriends.
Is this a pattern? How can I
deal with my past and start
loving myself?
Judy ofMichigan City, Ind.
Dear Judy,
I want to thank you for
writing. It appears that you
have been through a lot o f
pain. Since you have not dealt
with what took place in the
past, it’s affecting your rela
tionships with men today. I
suggest you seek counseling.
In an sw er to yo u r question,
th is is a pattern. I t’s tim e to
b reak the cy cle by raisin g yo u r
standards. Som etim es that could
b e a ch allen g e b ecause y o u ’ve
n e v e r d o n e it before. Y ou need
to d o so m eth in g d ifferen t to
c h an g e y o u r behavior.
W h en yo u co n d itio n y o u rse lf
fo r c h a n g e , in n e r a n d o u te r
ch an g es tak e place. I t’s p ro b
ab ly b est to find out about y o u r
s e lf and stop datin g for a w hile.
It ’ s tim e to h e a l. I f yo u c a n take
sm all steps and im prove in e v
ery area o f y o u r life, you w ill
co n d itio n y o u rse lf for p o sitive
change. W h en you d isc o v e r
Y O U an d love y o u rse lf again,
th e n y ou are ready to start d at
ing.
M ak e y o u r life outstanding!
By John Oda, Ph.D.
for The Portland Observer
John P. Oda, Ph.D., NLP
is a Peak Perform ance Ex
p ert with 13 years experi
ence in the m ental health
fie ld and a regular featured
w riter fo r the Portland Ob
server. I f you have any ques
tions fo r The D o cto r’s Cor
ner, email your question to
news&FortlandObserver, com.
Oda R esearch In te r n a
tio n a l p ro v id e s corporate
tra in in g , w o rk sh o p s and
seminars, also presonal and
professional coaching. For
consultations call 503-471-
2954.
How? Josiah's mother doesn’t smoke and doesn't allow
secondhand smoke in her home. If you smoke, take it
outside. Or better yet, consider quitting.
For help, call the Tobacco Quit Line at 1-877-270-STOP
or The African American Health Coalition at 503-413-1850.
A message from
Multnomah County Tobacco Prevention Coalition
4 s African American Health Coalition
Expert Offers
Advice on Colds
With the cold and flu season
upon us, the best advice an epidemi
ologist can give you was shared in
1847 by Ignaz Semmelweis:
W ash your hands regularly and
well. This was a radical, even career
limiting message at the time.
Semmelweis was a 29-year-old
Hungarian doctor practicing medi
cine in Vienna. He noted that births
involving midwives resulted in a far
lower mortality rate than those us
ing physicians and medical stu
dents, who often went directly from
the dissecting room to deliver ba
bies in the obstetrics ward.
He directed those on his staff to
begin washing their hands in a chlo
rine solution. This worked so well,
dramatically cutting deaths from
“childbed” fever, that he began wash
ing medical instruments, as well.
This was nearly two decades before
Scottish surgeon Joseph Lister ap
peared on the scene showing how
to kill germs. Both the critics o f the
Vienna hospital and a European
m e d ic a l
jo u r n a l
rid ic u le d
Semmelweis for his ideas.
But we now know those ideas
were accurate, even iflarge numbers
ofpeople still ignore the value ofhis
findings. It’s the water, soap and
friction o f rubbing one’s hands to
gether for about 15 seconds that
make hand-washing effective. This
should be done regularly, and espe
cially before preparing food and
eating; after touching animals; and
before and after caring for a sick
person.
Anti-bacterial soaps are unnec
essary.
I