February 14,2001
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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