Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, December 05, 2001, Page 5, Image 5

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    Page A5
©Ije JJortlanb (©bseruer
December 05, 2001
Prison Hospice Helps Dying Inmates
Inmate volunteers win praise from national health care commission
Each inmate volunteer receives
44 hours of community-standard
in stru c tio n in death and d y ­
ing. T hey are allow ed to assist
p a tie n ts w ith d a ily liv in g
need s and h elp to enhance the
q u a lity o f p a tie n ts ’ lives d u r­
ing th e ir fin al d ays. T here are
c u rre n tly 22 tra in e d inm ate
v o lu n te e rs.
Officials said more inmates will
die in prison because the criminal
population is graying. Forexample,
the Oregon Department of Cor­
rections has more than 60 inmates
over age 70.
In a d d itio n , c rim in a ls, in
g e n e ra l, have o fte n not taken
c are o f th e ir h e a lth p rio r to
in carceratio n ; they are a p o p u ­
lation at high risk for increased
in fe c tio u s d ise a se s, la rg e ly
b ecau se o f d rug use; are at
h ig h risk fo r p rio r traum a; and
are b ein g se n te n c e d to lo n g e r
p erio d s of^time in prison.
T w enty-eight inm ates have
been enrolled in the hospice pro­
gram since it opened in May
1999. Twenty-four died in prison,
tw o w ere released back to the
A program that provides end
o f life care to dying inmates at
Oregon State Penitentiary has re­
ceived praise from the National
C om m ission on C o rrectional
HealthCare.
The prison hospice program
was selected from more than 500
prisons, jails, juvenile detention
and confinem ent facilities as the
com m ission’s 2001 Program of
the Year.
The award was presented ear­
lier this month to the penitentiary’s
health services manager, William
Cahal, a registered nurse.
The com m ission noted that
health services staff not only pro­
vided compassionate care to dy­
ing penitentiary inmates but freely
assisted sister facilities in Oregon
and other states to establish their
own similar programs.
The Hospice Program at the
penitentiary is just over two years
old. The core of the program are
inmate volunteers; they provide
assistance to dying inmates much
in the same way as community
hospice volunteers help terminally
ill members o f the community.
SI
Inmate hospice volunteer Mark Wilson shares a light moment
with a terminally ill inmate at Oregon State Penitentiary.
com m unity and there are two
active cases now.
“T here are a lot o f w ays for
an in c a rc e ra te d p e rso n to die,
som e m ore c o m fo rta b le , hu­
m ane, k in d er, and dig n ified
th a n o th e rs ” n o te d C o rre c ­
tio n s D ire c to r D ave C ook.
“T he O S P H ospice Program
has had a p o sitiv e e ffe c t on
the p e n ite n tia ry and the D e­
p artm en t o f C o rrectio n s.
“ T h e in m a te p o p u la tio n
know s that they w ill be treated
c o m p a s s io n a te ly , th a t th e y
w ill have control o f end-of-life
issu es, that th e ir pain w ill be
m anaged and that they w ill be
allow ed to die surro u n d ed by
th e ir fam ily, w ith d ig n ity .”
School Essays on Independence Sought
Cash awards totaling $5,000
are available to Oregon high
school students through the
eighth annual Independence
Essay Competition, organized by
Cascade Policy Institute.
The theme of the essay com ­
petition, "exploring the founda­
tions of freedom,” is intended to
p ro voke stu d e n ts to study
American history and consider
the meaning of liberty. Students
are asked to write an essay an­
swering the question: What is
the proper role of government in
a free society?
The contest is open to all O r­
egon high school students. The
deadline forentnes is March 15;
fo r
g u id e lin e s
v isit
e ssay .asp or call 503-242-
0900. An independent panel of
judges will select the winners,
who will receive up to $1,000
each. The judges are Dominic
Biggi, vice president of Beaverton
Foods, Inc.; Lois Ditmars, vice
president of Peterkort Manage­
ment Co. ; W illiamC. ' Chris'" Girard
Jr., chairman of the board of Plaid
Pantries; Susan Nielsen, associ­
ate editor of the Oregonian; and
Scott Staff, vice president for
college relations for Lewis & Clark
College.
fabric
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THE LARGEST. MOST COMPLETE RETAIL FABRIC STORE IS THE WEST
D ec. 4th through D ec. 18th, 2001
•BOOKS
• SCISSORS
Consumer Group Warns of Hazardous Toys
deaths p o r t e d nationally since
1990. Balloons were the leading
cause o f toy choking deaths last
year.
“Consumers should avoid la­
tex balloons altogether for chil­
dren under 8,” Bockis said.
He said balls with a diameter of
less than 1.75 inches are illegal for
sale when intended for play by
children under 3.
A cardboard tube from a toilet
paper roll can be used as a rule-of-
thumb measuring device, Bockis
said. He said objects that can fit
inside the tube pose choking dan­
(A P) — L ittle balls, balloons
and toys that include sm all parts
are am ong the toys consum ers
need to be careful about when
buying C hristm as gifts, accord­
ing to a state consum er group.
The O regon Student Public
Interest R esearch G roup has re­
leased a national report o u tlin ­
ing categories o f toys that the
organization said poses dangers
to children.
A ndrew Bockis o f OSP1RG
said choking is the m ajor cause
o f problem s, accounting for 59
percent o f the 207 toy-related
gers to children.
In the national report issued by
the related U.S. Public Interest
Research Group, the organization
urges consumers to be cautious
about buying toys online via
Internet sites.
A check o f online sites o f 44
toy retailers showed that none
posted the choke hazard safety
w arnings that are required by
law for toys sold in stores, the
report said.
The report also w arns that
sc o o te rs are d a n g e ro u s and
have caused thousands o f inju­
(Includes Gingher)
OFF
'SEW ING
V 1 1
BASKETS
ries requiring em ergency room
treatm ent.
Bill O ’ Neill, a spokesman for
Marion County Fire District 1,
suggested that safety gear such
as helmets be included when giv­
ing scooters or rollerblade skates
as gifts.
He also urged parents not to
toss “everything into the same
toy box” so children of all ages in
a household have easy access to
all forms of toys.
“We pull toy cars from ears,
noses and throats,” on emergency
medical aid runs, he said.
•
40
ALL CHRISTMAS
MERCHANDISE
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Solids and Prints
__
Expert in Geriatrics and Ethics to Lead OHSU
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Doctor returns to Oregon to become the schools’ first female dean
“She is one of the most highly
respected medical educators in
the country, an international au­
thority on the care o f older people
and an experienced and gifted
administrator,” said Dr. Jordan J.
Cohen, president of the Associa­
tion of American Medical Col­
leges.
Early inher career, Cassel spent
four years in Portland.
From 1979 to 1981, she was a
fellow in geriatrics at OHSU and
A leading expert in geriatric
medicine, medical ethics and the
quality of clinical care take over as
dean o f the School of Medicine at
Oregon Health & Science Univer­
sity in January.
Dr. Christine Cassel is currently
a professor at Mount Sinai School
ofMedicine inNew YorkCity. She
also directs the Geriatric Research,
Education and Clinical Center at
the Bronx Veterans Affairs Medi­
cal Center
the Portland V eterans A ffairs
Medical Center. Then from 1981
to 1983, she was assistant pro­
fessor o f m edicine, and public
health and preventive m edicine
atO H SU .
OHSU president Peter Kohler
says C assel provides ex cep ­
tional leadership as the m edical
school continues its rise to the
top ranks of m edical education
C assel will be the first female
dean at OHSU.
I I I
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B e su re to ch eck w w w .fa b ricd ep o t.co m
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700 S.E. 122nd Ave.
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503-252-9530
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