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__________________ © je ^ortlauh (ßbseruer
April 23. 2003
H ealth
Bold Medical Reality
A local high school program
at Providence St. Vincent Medi­
cal Center is raising awareness
with kids about what it takes to
save a life, to encourage healthy
lifestyles and to show the team­
work involved in open heart sur­
gery.
During a recent program,
world-renowned cardiac sur­
geon, Dr. Albert Starr, wore a
head camera as he performed
the surgery in the operating room,
which enabled nearly 125 high
school students to watch the
procedure from the hospital's
Souther Auditorium.
“Heart Watch” was launched
at Providence St. Vincent in
1995.
Moore Street Tackles Asthma
The Moore Street Salvation Army
is raising awareness about the health
consequences o f asthma in the local
community.
Asthma is a frequent reason for
pediatric physician office visits and
is one o f the leading causes o f school
absenteeism. In north and northeast
Portland, the asthma rate is 14.6 per­
cent o f the local population, the high­
est in the state.
In response to these alarming sta-
tistics, the Environmental Justice Ac­
tion Group and Environmental Protec­
tion Agency are hosting a neighbor­
hood forum and asthma swim at the
Moore Street Community Center, 5325
N. Williams, on Tuesday, May 6 from 4
p.m. to 8 p.m.
The event is meant to raise aware­
ness about indoor and outdoor pollut­
ants that trigger asthma.
For more information or to join the
forum orswim, call 503-283-6397.
if
Aloha High School stu­
dent Abdirahman
Hussein (right) and
Beaverton Careers
Program teacher Matt
Bayha get a dose of
medical reality while
observing open heart
surgery as part of
"Heart Watch. ”
Health Plan Coverage Threatened
As m any as 19,510 Oregon adults
poverty level.
nancy or receipt o f public assistance,
covered by the Oregon Health P lan's
Since Feb. 1, clients enrolled under
Standard benefit package will lose cov­
the S tandard benefit package have
erage at m onth’s end if the premium
been expected to pay prem ium s by the
The Standard plan, patterned more
billing officedoesn’t receive theirMarch
25 ,h o fth e month following the cover­
after com m ercial insurance plans, dif­
payment by Friday, April 25.
age m onth or lose coverage for six
fers from the Plus plan by requiring
m onths. U naffected are m ore than
higher co-paym ents for medical ser­
ers nearly 100,000 working poor adults
300,000 O regonians w ho qualify for
vices, requiring premium payments and
who earn too much to quali fy for tradi­
the H ealth P lan 's Plus benefit p ack­
offering reduced benefits.
tional Medicaid, but less than the federal
age because o f age, disability, preg-
The Standard benefit package cov­
and who are not required to pay p re­
miums.
jo in o u r
d e p r e s s io n
re s e a rc h s tu d y
Have you or someone you care about
been experiencing some or all of the
following symptoms for at least a
few months?
A ll office visits and medical evalua­
tions related to this study w ill be
provided to qualified participants
at no charge.
•
•
•
•
To get more information about taking
part in this study call:
Hopelessness
Sadness
Loss of interest in daily activities
Difficulty concentrating
If so, participants between the ages
of 18 to 64 may qualify for a research
study of an investigational drug for
the treatment ot DEPRESSION
if
This is extremely
heartening and will
quickly result in
fewer deaths to our
citizens.
Racial & Ethnic Approaches to Community Health
A program of the African American Health Coalition. Inc
Sponsored by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Wellness Within REACH: Mind, Body, and Soul
Activity Calendar
-Jefferey Runge, admlnistratorfor
the National Highway Trans­
portation Safety Administration
Seat Belt Safety Numbers on the Rise
Buckling up means
fewer blacks will
die in car accidents
( A P )— Blacks, w ho fo ry ears
have lagged behind in seat belt
use, now practice buckling up at
the sam e rate as the rest o f the
population, according to a report
being released by the National
H ighw ay T ransportation Safety
A dm inistration.
Blacks were using seat belts
about 77 percent o f the time in
N H TSA 's latest roadside survey,
an increase from about seven in I O'
who used seat belts in a 2000 sur­
vey.
Overall, the U.S. population buck-
les up 75 percent o f the time.
NHTSA Administrator Jeffrey
Runge released the data at a high­
way safety conference in Chicago
on Monday. Runge said the in­
crease results from years o f work in
the black community.
“T h is is e x tre m ely h e a rte n ­
ing and w ill q u ick ly resu lt in
few er d ea th s to o u r c itiz e n s,”
R unge said.
I n 2000, researchers said at least
125 lives would be saved and 2,500
injuries prevented each year if
blacks were buckling up at the same
rate as whites.
In its latest report, NHTSA also
found that the gender gap is clos­
ing, but that females still buckle up
more often than males. About eight
in 10 females used seat belts in the
2002 survey, while about seven in
10 males were wearing them.
NHTSA found that seat belt use
was rising in rural areas, to 73 per­
cent. That was a gain o f 5 percent­
age points from 2000.
NHTSA surveyed drivers dur­
ing a 20-day period beginning June
3. 2002. Observers collected data
on 37,900 vehicles at 1, 100 intersec­
tions throughout the nation. They
observed37,900driversand 11,600
p assen g ers, in c lu d in g 3 8,100
whites, 6,000 blacks and 5,400 other
individuals.
The error margin for the survey
was plus or minus 4 percentage
points for blacks and plus or minus
3 percentage points for whites.
NMNMNMHHMMMMIMMIMMIMMMIMMIMB*
Oregon Tobacco Use Declines
New data from the Oregon Dept.
o f Human Services shows O rego­
nians outpacing the national av­
erage in reducing tobacco use.
Since 1996, overall cigarette
consum ption is down by alm ost
30 percent, a far steeper reduc­
tion than the rest o f the nation.
The statistics show that young
m ales are chew ing tobacco con­
s id e ra b ly le ss and p re g n a n t
1
w om en are also sm oking less.
State officials are attributing
the declines to a com prehensive
tobacco prevention and educa­
tion program.
“ This translates into trem en­
dous savings for O regon." said
OHS adm inistrator Jean Thorne.
“The p rogram 's current success
results in savings o f almost $40
m illion a year in direct medical
costs. And about $10 m illion o f
th ese sa v in g s are in O reg o n
Health Plan costs."
Mel A. Kohn, M .D., state ep i­
dem iologist, added that the cu r­
rent reduction in sm oking am ong
pregnant w om en alone results in
57 few er low birth w eight babies
annually and saves m ore than $ I
m illion every year in neonatal
m edical costs.
4
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Mail Dishman
77 NE b o t i
M on
Tues
W ed
Strength Training
Strength Training
89«n and 2-3pa
8-9am and 2-3,m
Brawn
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Sat
Fri
T h u rs
S -Ü ^andlÎL
African Dance
Brown
Addo
10:00-11:00am
Chicago Ste,
6.0 0 -73 0 ^
Kendrick
Sal va bon Army
5325 N WiBams.
Water Aerobics
Tai Chi
Water Aerobics
2.-00-300,m
6 30 -7 3 0,™
ZOO 3:00pm
Hamplon
Lyles
Hampton
Begins 4/16/03
Nature’«
3535 NI :i5 tk
Voga
7:30-830
imi
ORoorke
Voga
Body Conditioning
7:45-8:45 pm
9 3 0 -1 4 3 0 »
O'Boorie
Nickerson
Perorada Park
Walking trou,
Walking t i r a i,
Walking Gran,
700NPortW
6:00-7:00,™
6:00-7:00 pm
Nickerson
Nickerson
1230
Nickerson
(Neel iaside Ibe
(Meet nside the
Malory Atene
Q rn ta i Cbrdi
(Cf»)
126 NE Aietta
O m tU O m l
4635 ff 9tb A rt
1 lord Ceiter in
IJoyd (enter io
Irani of Sears )
front of Sears )
R
Aerobics
Aerobics
Aerobics
630-7:30,m
630-7:30po
630-730,™
Nicker son
Nickerson
Nickerson
Aerobics
Aerobics
Aerobics
Aerobics
6dX)-700am
6:00-700,™
6:00-7:00ara
6:00 700,™
Pierce
Keller
Pierce
Keller
"M u st be 21 or older to participate Please check with AAHC before showing up to the first class
503-413-1850 Please receive approval from your doctor before beginning exercise class
A ll classes are free o f charge!
A fric a n A m e ric a n H e a lth C o a litio n , In c.
2800 N. Vancouver Ave. Suite 100 • Portland OR 97227 • Phone 503-413-1850
E-mail kdempsey@aahc-portland org • Web www aahc-portland org
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