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August 06. 2003
Area Resident Meets Music Legend
Pauline Bradford of
Portland had a surprise
meeting with music
legend Bo Diddly during
the recent Portland
convention of the North
west Region o f the
National Association of
Colored Women's Club
and Youth Affiliates.
Bradford and other
members of her group
met Diddly in the lobby o f
the Ramada Inn Airport
hotel where the conven
tion was being held.
Diddly was playing at a
nearby festival.
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P hoto by M ark
W ashi . ngton /T he
P ortland O bserver
Author Promotes African-American Health
Inspiring words from Maya Angelou encourages women
Oregon Zoo keepers hope stork phobia will quell as gerenuks
adapt to new home.
N early 40 percent o f A frican A m eri
can w om en die from cardiovascular dis
ease and all are at a h igher risk than
C aucasian w om en for d eveloping high
blood pressure, d iabetes, high choles
terol or heart disease - all potential deadly
conditions.
In fact, a recent study found that one
in three adults in the U nited States has
high blood pressure - w ith older A frican
A m erican fem ales experiencing the
greatest increase in developing the d is
African Gazelle
Afraid of Storks
Zookeeper
describes
gerenuks as
‘timid’
T w o m ale gerenuks, or “giraffe
gazelles” as they are know n in
Sw ahili, have been introduced into
the O regon Z o o ’s A frica S avanna
exhibit, w hich is also hom e to gi
raffes, ground hom bills and m a
rabou storks.
But it seem s a little conflict has
sprung up between the exhibit’s fowl
and the new com ers, m aking life on
the savanna anything but serene.
S even-year-old Red and two-
year-old Batu arrived from San Di
ego W ild Animal Park in May. H ow
ever, during a gradual introduction
to their new surroundings, the
m arabou storks have been less
than w elcom ing.
It seem s the gerenuks are occa
sionally on the receiving end o f
flapping w ings as the storks chase
them aw ay.
“T h ey ’re tim id anim als,” e x
p lain ed k eep er T ed D aehnke,
“A nd th e y 're very, very fright
ened o f the sto rk s.”
“T he gerenuks are also afraid
o f the giraffes,” added Daehnke.
“ But w hat really gets them is when
the storks stand up and flap their
w ings."
K eepers hope that as the g er
enuks spend m ore tim e in the ex
hibit, their stork phobia w ill ease.
G erenuk, which m eans “giraffe
n ecked” in the Som ali language,
gets its nam e from its ex ception
ally long neck.
Maya Angelou
ease.
In an effort to educate A frican A m eri
can w om en about their cardiovascular
health and reduce their risk o f develop
ing devastating diseases such as high
blood pressure, the A ssociation o f Black
C ardiologists has launched the new
educational initiative H eart H ealth for
the G enerations: A G uide for A frican
A m erican W om en, featuring poet and
author M aya A ngelou.
The program, consisting ofa 30-minute
educational video and com panion guide
book, explains w hat cardiovascular dis
ease is, highlighting prevention strate
gies and risk factors for developing vari
ous forms o f the disease.
B oth the video and guidebook can be
dow nloaded free o f charge from the
A B C ’s w ebsite, w w w .abcardio.org, and
the program also w ill be distributed
through card io lo g ists, ch u rch es and
beauty salons across the country in the
com ing m onths.
r — — — — — — — — — — — —— — — — — — — — — 7
Methadone Use Rises
An O regon D epartm ent o f H u
man Services review o f m ethadone-
related d eaths reveals a four-fold
increase since 1999.
"A lthough m ethadone is w idely
used w ithout a problem , this recent
increase in d eaths is concern in g ,”
said Dr. M el Kohn, state epidem i
ologist. “ P atients w ho take m etha
done need to understand the spe
cial properties o f this m edication so
they can safeguard them selves.”
M ethadone is a long-acting sy n
thetic opiate that the federal Food
and D rug A dm inistration approved
for m edical use in 1947. It w as ap
p roved for the treatm ent o f heroin
addiction in 1972 and m ore recently
h as been used in creasingly for
chronic pain.
T h e in c re a se in m e th a d o n e
d e a t h s in O r e g o n o c c u r r e d
am o n g th o se w ho w ere u sin g it
fo r h e ro in a d d ic tio n a n d fo r
ch ro n ic pain. T he largest increase
in d e a th s w as am o n g th o se ta k
ing m e th ad o n e fo r pain . M ost o f
th o se w h o d ied h ad tak en o th e r
d ru g s in a d d itio n to m e th ad o n e,
acco rd in g to K ohn.
Story Ideas for the Portland Observer?
Do you know about a story that hasn’t showed up In other
newspapers? If so, the newly expanded Portland Observer
editorial staff would like to know. Please fill our this form
and attach a brief description of your news tip so we can
contact you.
Outline of Story Idea: __________________________________
Send your response to: The Portland Observer Editorial Staff, 4747
Report Shows Health Care Lacking in Oregon
P oor w om en, pregnant w om en,
w om en w ho need contraceptives
and couples seeking fertility proce
dures are am ong those w ho suffer
m ost from state health care p o li
cies, according to new report.
“W o m en ’s A ccess to Care: A
State-Level A nalysis o f Key Health
Policies” by the N ational W om en’s
L a w C en te ran d th eH en ry J. K aiser
Fam ily Foundation found in gen
eral that access to health care ser
vices is still problem atic for w om en
in the U nited States. A nd O regon is
no exception.
“This study is further evidence
that w o m en 's health continues to
not receive the attention it needs,”
Legacy Summer
Jobs Promote
Medical Careers
continued
said M ichel le Berlin, M . D., assoc ¡ate
professor o f obstetrics and gyne
cology in the O HSU School ofM edi-
cine. "O regon fails in the areas o f
state-m andated insurance coverage
for reproductive health care."
P oti land Obsei \ er
all 5 0 3 . 288.0033
submissionstonews@portlandobserver.com
Hepatitis c
Education ciass
A
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African American
Health Coalition, Inc.
place to discuss and have questions answered about:
f
How the liver works & hepatitis C basics
Self care and liver health
Community resources
t
This class is for persons:
■ Living with HCV AND for those who love them
1st Annual
2003 Class Dates and Locations:
August 18:
5325 NE MLK (Urban League/Multicultural Center)
from Front
level, dealing w ith fam ilies and d if
ferent com m unities w ith different
backgrounds,” said H asan.
A lthough he shifted his career
goals from the m edical profession
to foreign policy, H ansen accredits
the program w ith teaching him pa
tience.
O lu M ajekobaje, a 21 -year-old
B en so n g ra d u a te , w a s re c o m
m ended for the program by his
m entorat the Perspective G ent Club,
an A frican-A m erican rite o f p as
sage program .
M ajekobaje, also a returning in
tern, has learned how to prepare
room s and operate x-ray equipm ent
in the electrocardiogram and c ar
diac catheterization labs.
“T he program has let m e see a lot
o f things and gotten m e interested
in cardiology," he said. M ajekobaje
has w itnessed m any surgical p ro
cedures through the program .
M ajek o b aje is a tte n d in g the
U niversity o f Pittsburgh, m ajoring
in rehabilitative science.
Participants say the program is
extrem ely helpful in focusing on
the area o f m edicine that interests
them most.
NE MLK Jr. Blvd., Portland, Or. 97211 or fax 503-288-0015. Email
September 22:
October 20:
November 17:
December 15:
Class Time:
3930
3930
3930
3930
SF.
SF.
SE
SE
Division
Division
Division
Division
S t.- OHSU
St.—OHSU
St.—OHSU
St.—OHSU
Richmond Clinic
Richmond Clinic
Richmond Clinic
Richmond Clinic
6:30pm to 8:00pm
This class is FREE! NO registration required!
This class is sponsored by Multnomah County Health Department and OHSU.
For information, call $03-988-3030
INVESTIGATIONAL
VACCINE TO
PREVENT HERPES
September 6,2003
Jola uc for tho l i t Annual Wall nass Within
RIACN Walk Sat. Sap tambar A, 20011
Walk tho 1.5 or 4-mlla coursa.
Tha walk baglm at 0:00 a.m.
Other event activltlas begin at 1:00 a.m.
F«r more Lilonnaileii
for more Information about participation ar to
volunteer contact
tha African Americas Health Coalition, Inc. nt
S01-411-1150, whoomer@aahc-partfand.arg or
mield@aahc-portfand.org
Start and finish at Dawson Park, located at
N. Vancouver and Stanton In Portland, 0*.
The purpose of tbs walk Is to celebrate oar
community's health and sustain ongoing free
physical activity classes for African Americans
in the Portland metro aroa.
Enn
Intry foe Is $1S per person.
•M M • SIMM > , , ’« » • „
Seeking women aged 18 to 30 to participate in a research
study evaluating an investigational vaccine to prevent herpes.
If you meet the criteria for enrollment, you will be Invited to a
screening visit, which will Involve a free herpes blood test as
well as free educational materials and counseling about herpes.
Those who qualify based on blood test results will be eligible to
enroll in the vaccine trial. Vaccine trial participants will be
reimbursed for time and travel. For more information or to see
if you qualify, call (503) 226-6678.
Westover l i ghts Gink
2330 NW Flanders Suite 207
Portland, OR 97210
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