Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 10, 2002)
April 10, 2002 Page A6 <fXi»rnur F amily Campaign on “Safe Place for Newborns” Launched New law allows designated sites for leaving abandoned babies Sen. Peter Courtney arrives at Emanuel Children's Hospital to promote a new law he sponsored that allows desperate parents to leave their abandoned newborn at a designated safe place to help insure the survival of the child. Babies bom into crisis situa tions could have a greater chance o f survival thanks to a new Or egon law that encourages desper ate parents to leave their new borns in a designated safe place rather than abandoning them. Emergency and medical per sonnel, elected officials, and state human services officials gathered la st W ed n esd ay at L eg acy Emanuel Hospital in Portland to launch an education campaign to raise aw arenessofthe‘‘Safe Place For Newborns” law. “Safe Place for Newborns” al lows a parent to leave a baby 30 days or younger with any em ployee at a hospital, doctor’s of fice, free-standing birth center, sh e riffs office, a police or fire station, or the county health de partment. As long as the child is unharmed, the parent will not face criminal charges. The birth par ents will not be asked to give their name, but they will be asked to voluntarily provide basic health information. The Oregon Department o f H uman Services (DHS) is respon sible for taking custody o f the infant and placing them with an adoptive family. DHS is also charged with developing an edu cation campaign about the new law. Under the law, birth parents who surrender a newborn will re ceive information to help link them to crisis services from the receiv ing agency. Birth parents can also get assistance by calling toll free 1 -800-SAFENET forinformation about caring for and raising achild, and about safe options to aban Locke Signs Mandatory Seat Belt Law (A P ) - N ot bu ck lin g up in W ashington turns into an ex p en siv e m istake this year. G ov. G ary L ocke signed a bill last T u es day m aking failure to w ear a seat belt a prim ary traffic violation. T hat m eans police can pull m otorists over for it. N ot w earing a b elt is illegal now , but o ffic e rs can only issue tickets a fte r pulling m o to rists o v e r for som e o ther reason. S tate officials e stim ate the change will save 36 lives every y e a r and prevent th o u sands o f injuries by boosting the seat belt usage rate. A b o u t 82 p e rc e n t o f W ash in g to n ian s buckle up now . S tate o fficials hope the new law bo o sts that to o v er 90 percent. W ash in g to n S tate Patrol C h ie f Ronal S erpas said his officers w ill crack dow n w hen the bill takes e ffect June 13, handing out m any tickets until people get the m es sage. F ailure to w ear a seat belt is an $86 ticket. donment. Legacy Emanuel Hospital was chosen for the kick-off because an hours-old newborn girl was abandoned near a coffee cart at the hospital in 1998. Nurses car ing for the chi Id named her “ Baby Star.” Because she received medi cal services, she survived and was later adopted. “From a medical point o f view, leaving the newborn at a safe site increases the baby’s chance o f healthy survival enorm ously,” said Jennifer Bissett, one o f the Legacy Emanuel nurses who cared for Baby Star. More information on the “Safe Surrender” law (Senate Bill 199) ca n be o b ta in e d at 1-8 0 0 - SAFENET, or w w w .h e a lth o re g o n .o rg / AsafePlace. The Harambee Centre will cel ebrate African people and cul tures at the Oregon Museum o f Science and Industry on W ednes day, April 17, from 5:30 p .m .- 9 p.m. It will be an evening o f Afri can music, dance, food and a si lent auction. The keynote speech w ill be p re se n te d by M ark Mathabane. M athabane is the celebrated author o f “ K affir B oy,” “A fri can W om en” and “ M iria m ’s Song." He grew up in the South A frican tow nship o f A lexandra u nder ap arth eid . A love for learning and his dream s o f ten nis stardom carried him from despair, hate and anger to pos sibility and hope. M athabane did w hat no physically and psy chologically battered from the m ean streets o f A lexandra was supposed to do - he escaped to tell about it. In addition to his w riting, he now serves as D irec tor o f M ulticultural Education at C atlin G able School in P ort land. The Harambee Center is a new Settling a Debt for Less Than You Owe Paying a reduced amount to creditors equals could mean owing more to IRS When facing hard times, set tling a debt for less than you owe can make good financial sense, but it can also come back to haunt you. After settling a debt, your creditor should send you and the Internal Revenue Service a Form 1099-C or 1099-A at the end o f the year. Both forms are for the reporting o f miscella neous income. When you file your taxes, you ’ 11 need to record the amount on those forms along with your income for the rest of the year. There are several situations when a settled or defaulted debt needs to be recorded as income: a mortgage lender forgives the balance owed after a short-sale o f a home or a foreclosure sale; a car lender forgives the bal ance due after a repossession sale; a credit car issuer takes less than the full amount owed on an outstanding bill; and you have defaulted on a loan and the debt was written off. Mike Kidwell o f Myvesta, the nation's only financial health center explains, “If you have people negotiating on your be half to help settle a debt, be careful who you are dealing with. Many companies will tell you to stop paying your bills so that it wi 11 be easier to negotiate a settlement. Not paying your billsisnevera good idea. You ’ 11 ruin your credit and you could end up owing thousands more.” »■ ' ■ ■ w orkshop on “ Peaceful Responses to Bullying and H arassm ent in the School Environm ent. Participants will learn about peace program s being used at schools in the Portland area and will be exposed to different curricula dealing with bullying and harassm ent am ong children. Facilitator Vicky M artin has been an elem en tary counselor for 10 years. She has also w orked in several m ental health settings as a counselor and therapist. The workshop will be held Thursday, April 25, from 6 :3 0 -9 p.m. in Room 134oftheFirstU nited Methodist Church, 1838 S.W. Jefferson. For more information, call the peace institute at 503- 725-8192. A Division of American Heart Association Stroke Awareness Forum April 13, 2002 • 9 a.m. - Noon Oregon Museum of Science and Industry 1945 S.E. Water Avenue • Portland • FREE Your Sight. Stroke is a leading cause of adult disability and the No. 3 killer of Americans. Learn about the warning signs, treatment, care and your best defenses against stroke. This free forum is hosted by the American Stroke Association and features experts from Legacy Health System, Oregon Health & Science University and Providence Health System. Speech. nonprofit in Portland dedicated to connecting the people o f the Pa cific Northwest region with the people and cultures o f Africa. Its programs include multicultural education for students o f all ages, intercultural exchange opportu nities, and support for community self-help development projects in Africa. To reserve tickets or for more information on the Harambee Cen tre, call Jackie Goldrick at 503-285- 8056 or em ail h er at jdgoldnckto-aol.com. The O regon Peace Institute is planning a American Stroke Association, Your An Evening of African Culture Peace Group Tackles School Bullying Participants will receive a voucher for a free stroke screening courtesy of HealthCheck Screening, Inc. Your Mobility. Please register by April 9. Seating is limited. To register, call the American Stroke Association at 503 233-0100 or 800 452-9445. Featured speakers: • Paul Ash, M.D. Medical Director, Comprehensive Stroke Program at Legacy Meridian Park Hospital Which can you afford • Ted Lowenkopf, M.D. Medical Director, Providence Stroke Center at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center 10 lose ? • Helmi Lutsep, M.D. Associate Director, the Oregon Stroke Center at OHSU • Roger Simon, M.D. Director, Robert S. Dow Neurobiology Research Laboratories at Legacy Clinical Research and Technology Center Providence Stroke Center E| HealthCheck Screening, Inc. Legacy Comprehensive Stroke Program Providence | Health System scmoH-synthelabo OHSU /Y{?\ Boehringer Pillili/ Ingelheim llu W ' i . Alitu RACIAL & ETHNIC APPROACHES AAF K to COMMUNITY HEALTH Hi H: A PROGRAM OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN HEALTH COALITION 2800 N. Vancouver Avenue, Suite 100, Portland Oregon 97227; 503 413-1850 SDonsored bv the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention h a t i s A community action plan to decrease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) in C A f ' L f ? the Oregon African American community. The program, "A Healthy f c A U n . Community Starts with You: Community-Driven Strategies to Lower Risk Factors for CVD", addresses the root causes of the CVD disparity. W H Y ? STAY UNED... In Oregon an African American is twice as likely as a white American to die from a stroke and almost one & 1/2 times as likely to die from a heart attack. African Americans have a higher incidence of premature death, diabetes, stroke, heart attack and high blood pressure. For more information on our intervention strategies to provide health education, strengthened social support networks, and advocacy skills to combat racism and to help decrease the disparity of preventable chronic diseases. f
