March 28,2001
Page A6
(Ety? $Iartla»ib Obstruer
i Education/Health
Care Managers Guide Patients Through Health Care Options
about four years ago and e s­
o n s u m e r s a re be
tablished a care m anagem ent
com ing increasingly
involved in decisions program to help prim ary care
w ith th eir com plex
fo r th e ir h e a lth c a re physicians
, and
m edical patients.
sp e n d in g m ore tim e u n d e r­
Last year alone, care m an­
stan d in g d ia g n o s e s ,re s e a rc h ­
agers
assisted alm ost a th o u ­
ing tre a tm e n ts and locating
sand patients.
com m unity resources.
“C are m anagers are able to
B ut w hile g reater in fo rm a­
see the b igger pictu re and how
tio n for m any is w elcom ed, it
all the system s im pacted the
is a d aunting often-im possible
p a tie n t’s life ,” ex p lain M ark
ch allenge for m any people liv­
M ay, regional d irecto r o f Phy­
ing with com plex medical prob­
sician S ervices and D evelop­
lem s that m ay be com plicated
m ent, w hich ov ersees the p ro ­
by p sy ch o so cial issues.
gram .
“ Som e p e o p le are barely
“ The patien t, to g eth e r w ith
a b le to m anage th e ir daily
the
care m anager, and the care
sch ed u le.
providers
develop an a p p ro ­
T rying to negotiate the laby­
priate treatm en t plan that I
rin th o f h ealth care and com ­
focused on the needs o f the
m u n ity serv ices can put them
individual
patient.
o v e r th e e d g e ,” says B ecky
The
care
m anager then as­
R an d o lp h , LC SW , care m an ­
sists all the team m em bers in
a g e r at P ro v id e n c e F am ily
coord in atin g the plan.
M ed icin e G atew ay.
We have found that having
Y e t th ro u g h P ro v id e n c e
a team ap p ro ach to p atien t
H ealth S ystem , th o se p atients
care e n su re s b e tte r p a tie n t Gateway, discusss with Craige Stephens, M.D., the needs o f an elderly patients
can get the a ssista n c e they
ou tco m es.”
need. P ro v id en ce recognized
and ways to encourage that patients to complete a POLST form.
The program helps people
P hoto by D ave L awton
th e need for care m anagem ent
C
A Com munity M arch Against Hate
In re sp o n se to a se rie s o f re ­
cen t h a te -re late d in c id e n ts in SE
P o rtlan d a co m m u n ity m arch and
v ig il a g a in st hate in o u te r S o u th ­
e a st P o rtla n d w ill take p lace on
W ed n esd ay , A pril 4, 2001 from
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM startin g at the
B re n tw o o d -D a rlin g to n C o m m u ­
n ity C e n te r lo c a te d at 7211 SE
62nd b etw een SE D uke and SE
F la v e l. T he ev en t is a d ire c t re ­
sp o n se to a series o f re c e n t h ate-
re la te d in cid en ts in c lu d in g cro ss
b u rn in g s and sw a stik a g ra ffiti.
C o n c e r n e d n e ig h b o r s a n d
co m m u n ity o rg a n iz a tio n s are o r­
g an izin g to send a m essag e to
h ate groups re c ru itin g you th in
the area that they are n o t w e l­
co m ed n o r w ill they be to lerated .
O ngoing proactive efforts to build
a co m m u n ity th at v alu es re sp e c t,
to leran ce and in clu sio n o f p eople
o f d iffe re n t racial, e th n ic , re li­
gious, and sexual orientations will
be h ig h lig h ted .
T he ev en t is b ein g o rg an ized
by S o u th e a st U p lift N eig h b o r­
h o o d P ro g ram , and co sp o n so red
b y the O u ter S o u th east C aring
A s id e fro m s p e a k in g o u t
ag ain st youth re c ru itm e n t e ffo rts
b y h a te -b a s e d o r g a n iz a tio n s ,
speak ers w ill h ig h lig h t ongoing
c o m m u n ity -b u ild in g effo rts in­
cluding:
*
“F aces o f O ur C om m u­
n ity ” R ound tab le D iscu ssio n s
o rg an ized by O u te r SE C aring
C om m unity. T his d isc u ssio n se ­
rie s w ill a d d ress the changing
c u ltu ra l m akeup o f our n e ig h b o r­
hoods and how that a ffe c ts all o f
us.
B eginning A p ril 10th.
*
SE U pliftcontinuestoem -
phasize an anti-racism action plan
that incorporates a Pledge o f D i­
versity w hich is read before many
neighborhood association m eet­
ings.
*
T he C o a litio n A g ain st
H ate Crim es continues to meet ev­
ery m onth on the fourth Thursday
from 10 AM to 12 Noon at the Edu­
cation C enter for Tem ple Beth Is­
rael.
*
The C ity o f Portland O f­
fice o f N eighborhood Involvem ent
(ONI) Crime Prevention program is
C o m m u nity, the C ity o f P o rtlan d
M etropolitan H um an R ights C en­
ter, and the C o a litio n A g ain st
H ate C rim es. O ver the p ast se v ­
eral m onths, th ere h av e been a
num ber o f d istu rb in g H ate C rim e
type in cid en ts in SE P o rtlan d ,
m ost recen tly in the B ren tw o o d -
D arlington N eig hborhood. T here
have been in c id e n ts o f w ooden
c r o s s e s b e in g s ta k e d in th e
ground and at le a st tw o o f them
have been set on fire.
T hese in cid en ts o c c u rre d at
W estm oreland P ark, B rentw ood
Park, and a Jew ish ce m e te ry on
SE 67th A venue. T here have also
been at least five in cidents w here
sw astik as w ere p a in te d on su r­
faces at Lane S chool, a n e ig h b o r­
h o o d s to p s ig n , th e K o re a n
C h u r c h o n SE D u k e , a t an
in d iv id u a l’s hom e, and at a Jew ­
ish cem etery.
A lthough th ese in c id e n ts m ay
not be d ire c tly lin k ed w ith one
an o th er, the fact th a t th ey o c ­
curred u n d e rsc o re s the need for
in fo rm ation to be sh a re d w ith all
p eople in the co m m unity.
distributing a hate crim e alert and
tips on how to respond.
*
T he C ity o f P o rtla n d ,
(ONI); M etropolitan Human Rights
Center and N eighborhood Program
have led w orkshops for over 150
people in the past year on building
diverse com m unities and neighbor­
hood associations.
The m arch w ill leave from the
grassy field a re a north o f the
Brentwood D arlington Community
C enter and visit several o f the
nearby sites w here crosses were
burned or sw astikas w ere painted
in the neighborhood recently.
The group will return to the park
by 7:45 PM for speakers and to
learn m ore about com m unity strat­
egies to stop hate. Speakers will
include religious, education, youth
and neighborhood organizing lead­
ers. W ednesday, A pril 4th is also a
N ational Day A gainst V iolence be­
ing organized locally by Hands Are
N ot for H urting Project based out
o f Salem, O regon. The event also
. recognizes the anniversary o f the
assassination o f Dr. M artin L uther
K ing, Jr. on th is date in 1968.
Avoid baths.
Showers save energy.
The average bath uses twice as m uch hot water as a 5-minute shower.
Since a w ater heater can be the second-largest electricity user in your
home, cutting down on the am ount of water it needs to heat can save a
lot of energy.
By working together, we've been able to reduce our energy use and
keep the pow er flowing. But the energy crunch is not over yet. We still
need to be thoughtful about how and when we use electricity.
Here are some other tips that can save you energy and money on
water heating:
Install energy-efficient
showerheads and faucet aerators.
They reduce the am ount of
water released from a tap by up
to 50 percent, but still deliver
excellent water pressure.
■ Set your water heater
tem perature at 120°F. Be sure to
turn the power off at the circuit
breaker before changing
the setting.
■ Don't leave the water running
while shaving. Turning the
faucet on only w hen you need
to can save thousands of
gallons of water a year, not to
mention the energy to heat it.
If you’re looking for a new
electric w ater heater, buy a
model w ith an energy factor
equal to or better than .93EF for
a 50-gallon tank.
■ Insulate exposed w ater pipes.
This will help keep hot water
pipes that run beneath your
home, for example, from
losing heat.
Let’s all do our part.
W ait ’til late to use electricity.
Call us at I -800-222-4335, and ask for
a copy of our Bright Ideas booklet
for more energy-saving tips.
> PACIFIC power
I
w h o se liv e s o fte n are in
ch ao s. T hey can be hom e­
less, jo b le s s or victim s o f
dom estic violence. They may
su ffe r from m ental issues,
be c h e m ica lly dependent or
have language b arriers. The
range is as w ide and diverse
as hum anity.
R andolph recalls a young
R u ssian speaking m other o f
six w ho had been diagnosed
w ith a life -th re a te n in g ill­
n e ss.
W hen the p atien t did not
k e e p h e r a p p o in tm e n t as
p lan n ed , her ph y sician co n ­
tac ted R andolph to find out
w hat happened and to d e­
velop a so lu tio n to the p ro b ­
lem.
“ T h e c a se w as c o m p li­
cated by the p a tie n t’s lan ­
guage b a rrier and her d is ­
trust o f any m edical system ,”
rec a lls R andolph.
She netw orked w ith c o l­
leagues and com m unity re ­
so u rces to access assistan ce
th a t in c lu d e d a R u s s ia n
sp e ak in g com m unity health
w orker, an in terp reter service
for w ritte n m edical info rm a­
tion and a treatm en t plan to
e n su re c o n tin u ity o f care.
“ In th e en d , th e p a tie n t
c h o s e n o t to h a v e fu rth e r
tre a tm e n t,” R andolphrsays. “
I co u ld live w ith her decision
know ing that through our e f­
forts she tru ly understood the
issu es and that she m ade an
ed u cated , inform ed c h o ic e .”
Provindence Health System
in Oregon, ranked the ninth
best integtrated health network
in the nation, offers a compre­
hensive array o f health and
education service throught it
hospitals, clinics, health plans,
long-term care programs and
facilites and home health ser­
vices. With more than 12,500
employees across the states,
Providence Health System is
Oregon's largest health system
and second largest private em­
ployer.
Visit
www.providenc, org/oreson.
Oregon Official Takes
Measures Against Outbreak
S tory C ontinues from front page
Animal health authorities warn that
smuggling anything into the country
that could introduce the virus could
have grave consequences for one o f
the nation’s top agricultural indus­
tries. In Oregon alone, the cattle, dairy,
and sheep industries have a combined
production value in excess of$645 mil­
lion. Livestockproducersneedtheirranch
Clark calls it basic sound biosecurity.
‘ ‘They should not allow anyone who has
been traveling overseas, especially to the
U .K , to enter the ranch at this time,” he
says. “They need to ensure they don’t
accept anything that may be contami­
nated, including anything of animal on-
gin from the U .K it’s good management
to take great precaution.’ To help get
prepared for an outbreak nobody wants
to see, the Oregon Department o f Agri­
culture is sending one o f its own to Great
Britain this weekforamonthlongvolun-
teer stint with British authorities dealing
with foot-and-month disease. Brad
Leamas ter,ODA’sEastem Oregon field
vetennanan, will use the expenence as a
training opportunity, seeing how animal
health officials in the U.K. deal with the
disease, how producers handle it, and
weather Oregon should change some of
its own procedures in the event the virus
crosses the border. Should any Oregon
herd become infected, ODA is ready to
deploy its Veterinary Emergency Team
System (VETS), a rapid response mobile
unit that can be utilized to contain the
spread of animal diseases. “Within a
matter of hours, we can have all o f the
equipment we need in site to do the job,”
says Clark. “We are hoping we will not
have to respond to an outbreak o f foot-
and-month. ’ At the moment Prevention
is the best option available. For more
information, contact Dr. .Andrew Clark
at(503)986-4680.
Soda Companies May Pour
Money into Portland Schools
B y AP S taff
Faced with a projected $20
million budget deficit next year,
Portland Public Schools are con­
sidering an exclusive contract with
Coca-Cola or Pepsi as a way to
raise money.
A contract would mean only
one beverage maker could put its
vending machines, beverages and
advertising displays in and around
Portland’s lOpublic high schools.
Schools currently sign individual
contracts and use the money for
school activities.
Working with a single vendor
would generate between $1 mil­
lion and $1.25 million for the dis­
trict, with money left over for
individual schools, said Marc
Abrams, Portland School Board
vice chairman. The board’s bud­
get and finance committee is sur­
veying student councils and prin­
cipals about the proposal.
The surveys must be returned
by April 6. Some teachers and
parents said they object to using
exclusive soda contracts as a way
to increase education funding.
’’C an’t they find a more whole­
some way to raise money?” said
Marianne Fielding, an English
teacher at Wilson High School.
Kim Nolen, whose son Ryan
W olford is a freshman at Cleve­
land High, said even without ex­
clusive contracts “kids drink far
too much soft drinks in replace­
ment o f food.”
In Portland, revenue from soda
m achines already runs from
$ 10,400 a year to $45,000 a year,
depending on the number of vend­
ing machines at each school.
Coca-Cola officials in Atlanta
recently said it discourages such
arrangements with schools.
Bob Phillips, a spokesman for
the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of
Oregon, said whether his com­
pany negotiates with a school or
the district is for school officials to
decide. ”As a local Coca-Cola
bottler, we respect what schools
want,” he said. “ Each community
is different.” Schools in Seattle
and San Francisco have explicitly
banned exclusive agreements.
In 1998, the Hillsboro School
District signed a $ 1.3 million, 12-
year deal with Coke and received
$1 million for improvements to the
district’s athletic field.
The Center for Commercial-
Free Public Education, an advo­
cacy group based in Oakland,
Calif., opposes beverage con­
tracts. Andrew Hagelshaw, ex­
ecutive director, said Portland is
exploring the option as similar
contracts in other districts fizzle
out. Meanwhile, state lawmak­
ers in California and Texas are
considering legislation that would
ban carbonated drinks and snack
foods from schools entirely, he
said.