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July 13, 2005
Families Fall Through America’s Health Care Gap
Emergencies with no
insurance lead to poverty
It’s a common plight among lo it’s nearly impossible to pay up.
cal residents. With a lack of health
Oregon Action and the North
benefits offered at work, or low- west Federation of Community Or
income that doesn’t cut it for other ganizations released a recent study
health care options, people find that reveals an alarming trend away
themselves in a major financial bind from comprehensive, em ployer-
when an emergency pops up and based health care - and toward a
they get the doctor’s bi 11. For som e. health insurance system where al-
most everyone is one illness away
from poverty.
Betw een high wage earners
w ho have com prehensive em
ployer health benefits, and the
very poor and sick who are cov
ered through public health pro
gram s, lies a rapidly grow ing
population with no coverage or
inadequate coverage. The health
gap is grow ing as em ployers are
financially forced to cut benefits
because o f costs insurance pre-
miums skyrocket.
make it very costly for people to someone into the health gap, it is
As this report reveals, the pri get health care when they really very difficult to climb back out.
mary causes o f the w idening o f need it.
People with health problems face
the health gap include: insurers
"People may be in the health gap higher insurance premiums. They
charging more for all types o f without realizing it,” said Mallory may also be unable to work full time
health insurance coverage; em Pratt, spokesperson for Oregon or at all, which makes health cover
ployers shifting health care costs Action. “People with health insur age even less attainable.
to employees, charging them more ance often don ’ t reali ze that they ’ re
The health gap study highlights
for coverage; health insurance underinsured - until deductibles the failures of the current health
plans requiring new deductibles and cost sharing eat up their sav care system to provide quality, af
and co -p ay m en ts; and having ings and even force them into bank fordable coverage to people in O r
more and more em ployers offer ruptcy.”
egon. It also presents strategies for
ing high deductible plans that
Once a medical problem pushes closing the health gap.
Breast-Feeding Urged for Preemies
(AP) - Specialists are trying to promote breast-
feedingamong mothers of premature babies. Breast
milk isconsidered especially important for the most
vulnerable babies, those bom smaller than 3 1/2
pounds. But they're the least likely to get it, espe
cially if they’re bom to
low-income or black
mothers.
Now specialists are
targeting frightened
mothers of the small
est preemies to try to
change that - with strat
egies that range from
free breast pumps to
bringing breast-feed
ing “peer counselors” into the intensive care unit
to train moms to nurse.
Jameca Benjamin was scared to even hold her
premature baby, who weighed just under 2 pounds.
The nurses were urging the teen mother to breast
feed - yet Benjamin had never known a woman
w ho’d breast-fed a healthy baby, much less one
hooked to machines in intensive care.
Such programs are a big change for neonatal
intensive care, brought about because of research
in just the last few years
proving that breast milk
m arkedly low ers the
chances of infection and
a life-threatening bowel
inflammation in very low
birthweight babies.
The American Acad
emy of Pediatrics recom
mends that babies be
breast-fed exclusively
for the first six months. Breast-fed babies suffer
fewer illnesses such as diarrhea, earache and res
piratory infections; their brains seem to develop
faster; and they may be less likely to develop
asthma, diabetes or get fat later in life.
<
The American Academy
of Pediatrics recommends
that babies be breast-fed
exclusively for the first
six months.
i
Jacqueline Scott, a
breastfeeding peer
counselor, sits in
the neonatal care
unit with Jameca
Benjamin and her
8-month-old,
2-pound daughter
Miracle Scott at
Rush University
Medical Center in
Chicago. (AP photo)
Breast Cancer Foundation
Donates $30,000
The Sankofaa Health Institute was recently awarded with a
$30,000 grant from the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer
Foundation Affiliate o f Oregon and S1V Washington. The
community-based non-profit is one of the 14 selected this year
to receive funding toward vital, life-saving programs. Sankofaa
will be able to expand its Sister Keepers program, which
provides integral breast health education and services.
Free Health Fair on Monday
The public is invited to a free
Health Fair Extravaganza on Mon
day, July 18 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at
Pioneer C ourthouse Square in
downtown Portland. OASIS, a na
tional nonprofit educational orga
nization, is hosting the event.
The Lions Sight and Hearing
Foundation will offer five health
screenings: vision, glaucoma, hear
ing, diabetes and hypertension.
Pfizer and Eisai will provide free
mental health screenings.
Booths set up on the square will
provide information on a variety of
health-related subjects, with free
samples, drawings, and prizes avail
able. According to OASIS execu
tive director Robin Costic, partici
pating vendors will represent a
variety of businesses and living
organizations. Live entertainment
will feature The Touchables play
ing super hits of the 60’s.
OASIS has been active in its
current Meier & Frank location for
more than 20 years with its local
sponsors Legacy Health System,
Regence BlueCross BlueShield of
Oregon and Meier & Frank.
Arthritis hurts. Physical activity can help. Studies show that 30 minutes of moderate
physical activity three or more days a week can help you move more easily. You can
break it up, too. Start with a walk. Later, rake leaves or wash the car. Keep it up, and
in four to six weeks you could be hurting less and enjoying life more.
Physical Activity. The Arthritis Pain Reliever.
Call 1-800-283-7800 to learn more.
Physical activity helps manage your arthritis pain. Take it slow. Take it easy. Come and try one of the classes below. Classes are free for
qualified participants. Please contact the African American Health Coalition for more information at: 503-413-1850 or visit www.aahc-
portland.org .
Tai Chi (Contact the AAHC)
Low Impact Aerobics
Air Bags Unsafe for Children
It may seem like a great form of
car safety, but airbags in the front
passenger seat of cars are not ef
fective for children ages 14 and
younger, according to a new study
by an em ergency medicine re
searcher at Oregon Health & Sci
ence U niversity’s D oernbecher
Children’s Hospital.
The study, “Effects of Child Age
and Body Size on Serious Injury
From Passenger Air Bag Presence
in Motor Vehicle Crashes," will be
published in the June 6 edition of
the American Academy of Pediat
rics'journal.
Current federally mandated warn
ing labels in cars only indicate a risk
o f air bag injuries for children 12
and younger.
“Eight years ago, when the Na
tional Highway Traffic Safety Ad
ministration issued its recommen
dations. they were based on the
best information (about air bag
safety) available at the time,” said
Craig Newgard, M.D., M.P.H., as
sistant professor o f em ergency
medicine in the OHSU School of
Medicine’s Center for Policy and
Research in Emergency Medicine,
and an emergency physician at
OHSU and Doernbecher hospitals.
Newgard looked at a popula
tion-based sample of3,790children
aged 1 month to 18 years who were
seated in the right front seat and
involved in motor vehicle crashes.
The eight-year sample was sup
plied by the National Automotive
Sampling System Crashworthiness
Data System and encompasses one
of the largest, most current and
comprehensive databases on air
bags.
The study found that children 14
and younger were a, high risk for
serious injury from air bags when
they sat in the front passenger seat
during car crashes.
St. John's Community Center - 8427 N. Central
Tue, 6:30-7:30pm
Tue,7:3O-8:3Opm
Seniors Physical Activity
W a te r A erobics (Contact the AAHC)
Columbia Pool -7701 N Chautauqua
Matt Dishman - 77 NE Knott
Allen Fremont Plaza - 221 NE Fremont
Mon, 10:30-11:30am, Tue.Thu, 10:30-11:30am
Multicultural Senior Center - 5325 NE MLK
Mon, Wed, 10:30-11:30am
Irvington Village - 420 NE Mason St.
503-546-9292x121
Walking Group
Peninsula Park - 700 N Portland
(Saturday group will resume in the summer)
Lloyd Ctr. 1 st FI. in front of Sears
Tue, Thu, 6:30pm
3rd Annual Wellness Within REACH Walk. Saturday, September 1 Oth at Dawson Park, located at N. Vancouver
and Stanton in Portland, OR. To register or volunteer, please contact the African American Health Coalition, Inc. at
503-413-1850orninan@aahc-portland.org.
A MESSAGE FROM TH E
CENTERS FOR DlSEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION • T H E ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION
T he D epartment of H ealth & H uman S ervices • A frican A merican H ealth C oalition , I nc
I
A ARTHRITIS ■ Ç H Ç
t i ( j i N D A iir ’ ■ V - . U / V -
Take Control.
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