April 10, 2002
Page A6
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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
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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.
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