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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 4, 2004)
ib s p e c ia l B lack H istory M o nth „W Local Editor Fought for Education “Superbugs’ are New Health Threat Page A 6 February 0 4 , 2 0 0 4 c o u e ra a e * Beatrice M orrow Cannady was a pioneer o f A frican-A m erican education in Oregon. A tireless civil rights activist, she also dissem inated inform a tion about the history o f African- A m ericans through lectures, writ ings, and her own personal lend ing library. Cannady persuaded the Port land Board o f Education to teach African-A m erican history in area high schools and played an in strum ental role in the desegrega tion o f schools in Vernonia and L o n g v ie w . S he a lso e d ite d Portland’s leading African-Ameri can new spaper, “The A dvocate,” and was a founding m em ber of the Portland chapter o f the N a tional A ssociation for the A d vancem ent o f Colored People. In 1926 she h elp ed repeal O regon’s notorious “black laws,” which prohibited the settlement o f African A m ericans in the state PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY and denied voting rights to people Beatrice Morrow Cannady edited Portland's African-American o f color. She died in 1974 at the age o f newspaper “ The Advocate, ’ and was a founding member o f the Portland chapter o f the NAACP. 84. ous medications. These bacterial infections require extended hospi talization and can cause disability or even death. Overuse o f antibiotics is the pri mary way that superbugs get cre ated. As antibiotics kill susceptible bacteria, this leaves more room and nutrients for powerful, resistant bacteria to grow. They multiply and Earlierthis month, my wife and I experienced the anxiety and fear that most parents never want to go through. Our eight-year-old daughter was taken by ambulance to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy. Like most parents in this situation, we were grateful for the great skill and care of the doctors and nurses who helped our daughter. And, we were thankful that the bacteria causing my daughter’s illness weren’t antibiotic-resis tant “superbugs.” Antibiotic resistant bacteria have been dubbed “superbugs” because they are extremely hard to treat. They cal 1 for longer treat ments with stronger, more expen sive and potentially more danger- 5D3-988-37DD *5' Get tested. Get treated. Stay healthy. HIV Community Test Site 5 0 3-9 8 8-3775 4ZG SW Stark St.. G"1 Floor Downtown Portland Call for an appointment Limited walk-ins Sliding-scale fee No one turned away for inability to pay ;V .i // I While this may sound like science fiction, the unfortunate truth is that superhugs are already here. - Dr. Mel Kohn, Oregon Dept. of Human Services soon take over. spread of superbugs? Health care While this may sound like sci providers are half the answer. Sev ence fiction, the unfortunate truth eral years ago, public health offi is that superbugs are already here. cials began an effort to discourage A 2001 study of illnesses in the health practitioners from prescrib Portland area found that 20 percent ing antibiotics for coughs, colds of infections caused by Strepto continued on page A8 coccus pneumoniae, the leading Fighting Tobacco STD Clinic th e word out. cause of meningitis, pneumoniaand ear infections, were resistant to penicillin. And here’s another truth: only 24 percent of Oregonians know about the danger of antibiotic re sistance, according to a recent tele phone survey conducted by the Oregon Department of Human Ser vices. What can we do to stop the Multnomah County . h e a lth Department State tackles smoking disparities by minorities Oregon has joined a national effort to break the disparities in smoking among minority com m u nities and lesson the tobacco in d u stry ’s g rasp on m in o rity populations. A state survey by the Tobacco Prevention and Education Project found a high prevalence o f to bacco use among African A m eri cans, N ative A m ericans, 18-24 year olds, som e A sian/Pacific Islander groups, low socioeco nomic groups and the gay com munity. Studies also showed that to bacco com panies aggressively target m inority, disadvantaged HAVE A DREAM and young populations. In addi tion, lim ited resources are spent on tobacco prevention program s among com m unities with health disparities. The Oregon Health Department aims to reduce tobacco use by im plem enting prevention pro gram s for those m ost at risk. The Federal Centers for D is ease C ontrol sponsored effort provides training and financial support necessary to create a stra tegic plan to identify and elim i nate the disparities. Research indicates that sw eep ing changes in attitudes against tobacco use have been woven into our social fabric over the last 20 years. Oregon officials esti mate that the latest efforts against smoking will save 1,800 lives and $450 million in health care costs. zz Martin Luther King, Jr. Delivered in front o f the Lincoln Memorial August 28, 1963 Don't let the tobacco industry cloud your dreams. The tobacco industry spends more than $100 million annually in Oregon to market its deadly products. The industry targets all Oregonians ... especially young people and many minority communities. D eclare F reedom from T obacco /( dhs In Oregon, 27 percent of adult African- Americans smoke. The Hispanic rate is 18 percent; Asian/Pacific Islander smoking rate is 14 percent; and 44 percent of adult American Indians smoke. Protect yourself, your loved ones and your community. Call the Oregon Tobacco Quit Line. 1-877-270-STOP Tobacco Prevention and Eduction Program i
