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Committed to Cultural Diversity
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Students Finish Summer Healthcare Course
Water Conservation Workshop
Learn how to take control of your
water and sewer bills. W orkshop pro­
vides information on how to detect
and repair leaks; water conservation
ideas in and around your home, plus
details on Portland’s incredible water
system. The next workshop will be on
W ednesday, Sept. 12, from 1 - 2:30
p.m. at the YW CA North Center, lo­
cated at 8010 N. Charleston. Call 503-
284-6827.
Elders In Action Commission
The Elders in Action Commission
invited interested citizens to join them
at their monthly meeting. Hot topics
on the agenda include: Senior Forum
hosted by Elders in A ction and
Multnomah County Commissioner
Maria Rojo de Steffey. The event will
be on W ednesday, Sept. 19, from
12:30p.m. - 3 p.m. Formore informa­
tion, call 503-823-5269.
Women of Achievement
The Annual W omen of Achievement
Award is a semi-formal gala attended
by politicians, corporate principles
and citizens who support w om en's
rights. Their dinner reception and si­
lent auction will be held on Saturday,
Oct. 13, starting at 5:30 p.m. at the
DoubleTree Hotel Lloyd Center in the
Lloyd Center Ballroom, located at 1000
N.E. Multnomah Call 503-725-5889.
Gardening with Native Plants
The Oregon Berry and the Berry
Botanic Garden offer jointly a day­
long educational program called “Gar­
dening with Native Plants” on Satur­
day,Sept. 15,from 9a.m .to4:30p.m .
There will also be a workshop by
native plant experts. Call503-636-4112,
extention22.
Memory Walk
The Oregon-Greater Idaho Chapter
of the Alzheimer’s Association will
be h av in g th e ir T en th A nnual
Memory W alk - a 5K plege-driven
walk and run starting at the World
Trade Center, located at S. W. Salmon
and First on Oct. 7. The Competitive
Run starts at 8:25 a. m. and the walk at
8:30a.m. Call 503-413-6471.
(Left) Jefferson High School graduate Ahquoya Brooks works the day surgery unit at Legacy Emanuel Hospital through the Youth Employment in Summers
Program. In addition to learning about health career opportunities, Ahquoya will receive a $2,400 scholarship from Legacy to attend the University of
Washington in Seattle. (Right) Jerry Martinez gives a helping hand to Youth Employment in Summers student Heydet Patricia Muros-Soto.
PHOTOS BY A C K R O Y D PHOTOGRAPHY
A paid 10-week internship to encour­
age Latino and African-American stu­
dents to graduate from high school, pur­
sue post-secondary education, and ac­
quaint them to healthcare as a career has
finished a successful year.
The Youth Employment in Summers
program at Legacy Emanuel was initiated
last year at Legacy Meridian Park Hospital.
“The primary goal is to encourage stu­
dents to graduate from high school and
go on to post-secondary education,” says
Kari Stanley, director of community rela­
tions at Legacy Health Systems. “The
secondary goal is to expose more stu­
dents to healthcare careers as an option.
Healthcare professions generally have a
low diversity rate.”
Eligible students must have completed
their sophomore year in high school and
be younger than 21 years old. Upon
completion of the summer internship, stu­
dents entering post-secondary educa­
tion programs that fall receive a $2,400
scholarship toward their education.
Seven students participated in YES
Safety in the Nail Salon
Clara Littleton o f
Classy Nails, 1439
N.E. Alberta, with
customer Dorothy
Randall, help
demonstrate the
detail to sanitation
and safety that's
required in the nail
salon business.
Homeschooling
vs. Public Education
Radical W omen hosts a discussion
on whether homeschooling is a vi­
able answer to the problems of inad­
equately funded public schools and
the subsequent compromised qual­
ity of education. The free meeting will
be on W ednesday, Sept. 12,7 p.m. at
the Bread and Roses Center, 819 N.
Killingsworth. Buffet will be served
with a donation. Call 503-240-4462.
Leach Botanical
Garden Plant Sale
Prepare now for a lovely garden next
spring. O ur N orthw est fall rains
present optimum conditions for the
planting of perennial specimens that
produce blooms in early spring and
the seasons beyond. The Leach G ar­
den Plant Sale will be on Saturday,
Sept. 22, from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. at Floyd
Light Middle School. 10800S.E. Wash­
ington.
Creating a Great
Waterfront Park
Twenty-five years after its creation,
Portland's front porch - Waterfront
Park is undergoing a thorough re­
view, giving Portland citizens an op­
portunity to step back and take a
careful look at one of our city's most
cherished civic treasures. The public
conversation will be on Wednesday,
Sept. 12,atMcCaH'sWaterfrontCafé,
from 6-8 p.m.
this summer at Legacy Emanuel Hospital,
in addition to another nine students at
both Legacy Meridian Park Hospital and
Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center.
Below are profiles of just a few of the
participants at Emanuel and some of the
advantages the program has provided:
Melissa Garcia, recently completed her
GED from an alternative high school, and
will attend Portland Community College
in the fall. She hopes to become a nurse,
and has benefited from her experience
working in the imaging and human re­
source departments at Emanuel Hospital.
Hakim Hasan, a graduate of Benson
High School, worked in pediatric rehabili­
tation at Legacy Emanuel Children’s Hos­
pital and the Sleep Lab at Good Samaritan
Hospital. Hasan is a sophomore at Howard
University.
Ahquoya Brooks, a recent graduate of
Jefferson High School, works in short
stay unit and human resources depart­
ment at Legacy Emanuel Hospital. She
will attend the University of Washington
to study dentistry.
Earthquake
Upgrade Sought
for Pioneer
Courthouse
PHOTO BY
M ark W ashington /
T he P orti , and
O bserver
by K evin W eeks
O regon H e alth L icensing O eeice
You shouldn't have to face a lifetime o f pain and
disfigurement in the name of having beautiful finger­
nails or toenails.
But disease and infection can be a very real threat
if your nail salon is not following state standards for
disinfecting tools and sanitary operations.
Forexample, over 1 OOclients of a Watson ville, Calif,
salon were infected last year with Mycobacterium
fortuitum (M-fort).
The bacteria, linked to skin tuberculosis, was spread
from client to client because o f the failure o f nail
technicians to remove infected foreign matter from
footbath screens and failure to properly disinfect the
footbath in between uses on clients.
The infection is controlled through aggressive use
of antibiotics, however once the initial boils and skin
ulcers are gone, victims are left with deep, brightly
colored scars that do not heal. Removal of the scars
ultimately requires skin grafting or laser surgery, or
adjusting to a lifetime of disfigured skin.
There have been no reports o f Mycobacterium
fortuitum infection spread from a manicure or pedicure
service in Oregon.
I
But the nightmare surrounding this highly commu­
nicable disease is one the Health Licensing Office
does not want to have cross the border into Oregon.
It will take the hard work of every nail technician in the
state, and the educated eyes of consumers to make
sure it doesn’t happen here.
The Oregon Health Licensing Office and the O r­
egon Board o f Cosmetology set high professional
safety standards to ensure that O regon's consumers
are protected from disease transmission when they
enter a state-licensed nail or cosmetology facility.
Facilities are inspected annually to ensure compliance
with state regulations for cosmetology safety and
sanitation rules.
“We frequently hear ‘I'm very busy’ as an excuse
why salon owners aren't following safety standards."
says Bob Gruchalla, Chief Enforcement Officer for the
Health Licensing Office. “What they're really saying
is the safety o f my customers comes second to making
money.”
The Health Licensing Office investigated 176 com ­
plaints involving hair salons, nail salons or facial
salons during 2000. with many o f the complaints
continued
on page B4
summer in a House Treasury Postal Appropriations
bill. Pioneer Courthouse is the second oldest federal
courthouse west o f the Mississippi. But in its present
state, it's not up to fire and safety standards and is
unprotected from serious damage or destruction
potentially resulting from an earthquake.
photo ba
M ark W asiiim . ton /T he P ortland O bserver