Committed to Cultural Diversity
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wwv.portlandobserver.com
'*'* t o
A p ril 23. 2008
Clowns
Without Borders
M etro
Jefferson Alum Excels
Marquis Hall wins MVP at
Lehigh University
Local performance
to support world
ambassadors
11,1 ^lorttanò (iDbscrucr
See inside, page B4
See A&E section, inside
o m m u n ity
C a l e n d a r Health Disparities Need Improvement
Town Hall
Saturday, April 26, from 10a.m. to noon.
Sen. Avel G ordly and Sisters o f the Road
invite the public to join in an open forum
on hom elessness in Mt. T abor Hall at
Portland Com m unity C ollege’s South
east Center, 2305 S.E. 82nd Ave.
Diversity Dialogues
Friday, April 25, from 8:30 a.m. Io 5:30
p.m., at Mt. Hood C om m unity College
invites guest to participate in a variety of
discussions and presentations that ex
plore m ulticulturalism in the city and on
cam pus. For more inform ation, call 503-
491-7224.
The Rule of Law
Tuesday, April 29, at 6:30 p.m., the Holly
wood T heater,4122 N.E. Sandy Blvd., will
host the 2nd annual Youth Film project,
featuring creative student films on the
rules o f law.
Annual Spring Revival
M onday, April 28 through Friday, May
2, at 7 p.m . nightly, G reater F aith B ap
tist C hurch, 9 3 1 S kidm ore St. will host
the annual revival w ith B ishop L.W .
B olton, Jr. o f G randview , M o. as guest
speaker. For more inform ation, call 503-
710-2000.
Mayoral Candidates
W ednesday, April 30, from 5:30to9p.m ..
Reflections Coffeehouse and Bookstore,
446 N.E. K illingsw orth, will host a Red
Beans & Rice dinner as an opportunity to
meet P ortland’s M ayoral candidates. For
more inform ation, call 503-445-1321 or
503-267-8713.
Health Inequities
The public is invited to join in a dialogue
with com munity members, organizations,
business leaders and local elected offi
cials to discuss the root causes o f health
inequities as well as long term solutions.
For neighborhood locations, dates, and
times visit m chealth.org/healthequity.
Remodeling Seminars
Saturday, May 10, beginning at 9:30 a.m.,
Neil Kelly Showroom s at 804 N. Alberta
St., and I5573S.W . Bangy Road in Lake
O sw ego, will host free kitchen and bath
rem odeling seminars. For more inform a
tion, visit neilkelly.com or call 503-335-
9204.
Educate, Empower, Engage
Thursday, May 15, the Portland N A ACP
Branch Freedom Fund D inner will take
place at the Sheraton Portland Airport
Hotel, 8235 N.E. Airport Way, doors open
at 6 p.m. and dinner is at 7 p.m. Tickets
m ust be purchased by May 7. Visit
pdxnaacp.org.
Growing Gifts
Friends o f Trees, is currently offering the
opportunity to give the gift o f trees; for
m o re
in f o rm a tio n ,
v isit
FriendsofT recs.org.
Spin-Gardening Workshop
Saturday. May 10, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
the Spin-G ardening w orkshop will pre
miere in Portland at 1900 S.W. 4th, the
w orkshop will teach the art o f growing an
intense garden in a small plot: $40 fee
includes lunch, and the first addition
guidebtxtk. To register, call 503-823-7553.
Free First Fridays
The Portland C hildren’s M useum has
partnered with Target to provide free
adm ission to everyone the first Friday of
each month from 5 to 8 p.m.
Homebuyer Programs
P D C ’s hom ebuyer-assistance programs
address the gap in home ow nership rates
between whites and com munities o f color.
For inform ation about the new and ex
panded hom eb u y ers’ assistance pro
gram s, visit pdc.us/nhp or call 503-823-
3400.
Walk Run for the Animals
Report finds
successes,
concerns
Disparities in health outcomes be
tween populations of color and non-
Hispanic whites show room for im
provement, according to a new report
by the Multnomah County Health
Department.
Among the indicators examined, six
of the disparities that existed in the
19 9 1 -95 had been eliminated by 2(H) 1 -
05, and an additional 14disparities had
been reduced. However, many other
areas of the report card received red
flags because disparities had widened
or not improved significantly.
The report shows lower percent
ages of pregnant women in all com
munities of color receiving first-tri
mester prenatal care, higher rates of
sexually transmitted diseases such as
syphilis, gonorrhea and Chlamydia
among African Americans and His
panics, and higher diabetes mortality
among black Americans.
“Despite our successes, there are
areas of concern for the African-
American and Hispanic populations in
the county,” said department director
Lillian Shirley. “The report card un
derscores the continuing need for
Health Department programs that
address differences in health status
among various racial groups. It also
indicates the need for sustained ef
forts by community leaders and orga
nizations to improve health (brail resi
dents.”
The National Institutes of Health
has defined a health disparity as “a
population-specific difference in the
presence of disease, health outcomes
or access to care.”
I n comparing communities of color
with the white non-Hispanic residents
of the county, researchers calculated
disparity rate ratios labeled as “No
disparity,” “Needs improvement” and
“Requires intervention.”
No significant disparities were found
in heart-disease mortality or cancer
mortality, including breast cancer and
lung cancer. Disparities have also
measurably disappeared in motor-ve
hicle crashes over the past few years.
The department has initiated a vari
ety of programs to move towards
reducing and, ultimately, eliminating
health disparities. These include the
Health Equity Initiative, sponsoring
public screenings and discussions of
the documentary series “Unnatural
Causes," the Healthy Eating Active
Living program, a coalition-building
effort intended to change environ
mental conditions that contribute to
chronic disease, and the Healthy Birth
Initiative, providing services to preg
nant African-American women and
their families to promote good preg
nancy outcomes.
The newly revam ped Sexually
Transmitted Disease Prevention and
Treatment Program has prioritized
cases of gonorrhea and Chlamydia in
African Americans.
From Fear
to Focus
Nurse promotes
trust to help
diverse patients
by R aymond R endi . rman
T he ; P ortland O bserver
You would understand if an Afri
can-American nurse did not continue
checking the blood pressure of a
patient revealing a Klansman tattoo.
But Gwen Riggins did, having
started work with HIV patients in the
uncertain period of early ‘80s.
As a nursing assistant to internists
at Kaiser Permanente on North In
terstate Avenue, Riggins believes
strongly in providing high-quality treat
ment and compassion for all people
no matter what their background.
As a team leader, she also tries to
help others in her profession by serv
ing as a diversity liaison for the
Multnomah County Health Depart
ment, tackling health disparities and
sharing information with co-workers
on how to develop a trusting connec
tion with various populations.
“I always thought it was sad that
people didn’t want to take care of
people just because they were afraid,”
she says.
On a recent visit, 72-year-old Joan
Kinter arrived in pain after discover
ing blood in her urine. Riggins’ first
step was to establish rapport, and
they quickly discovered that they both
knew a pastor at Irvington Covenant
continued
on page H2
photo by R aymond R endi . eman /T he
P orti . and O bserver
Kaiser Permanente registered nurse Gwen Riggins attends to
patient Joan Kinter on North Interstate Avenue. Riggins is
driven by her belief in caring for all people with the highest
standards and compassion.
Rose Festival Honors Roy as Grand Marshal
Saturday, May 3, beginning at 7:30 a.m.,
at the Esther Short Park in dow ntow n
V ancouver, a walk run will benefit the
Southw est W ashington Humane Soci
e ty .
To
g et
in v o lv e d ,
v is it
southw esthum ane.com .
All-star brings
excellence,
sportsmanship
Learning English
Every Tuesday and Thursday, currently
through May 29, the SUN Center at
Marshall Cam pus, 3905 S.E. 91st Ave.,
will offer the free open English as a Sec
ond Languageclasses. For more inlbrma-
Iion,eall97l-570-I384
photo by R aymond R endi . eman /T he P ortland O bserver
Bernestine Dew gets her blood pressure checked by Dr. Kristin Behle at Multnomah County's North
east Health Center, located next door to the Multicultural Senior Center at Martin Luther King Jr.
Boulevard and Killingsworth Street.
Brandon Roy
Portland T rail B lazer and NBA A ll-star
B randon Roy will serve as G rand M arshal o f
the Key Bank G rand Floral Parade, the prem ier
ev en t o f the 2(K)8 Portland Rose Festival.
"B randon rep resen ts both ex cellen ce and
sp ortsm anship, q ualities we can all em brace,"
said M ark M cG irr, presid en t of the Portland
R ose F estival F oundation. "W e thought it
w as a perfect ch o ice."
A fter being selected sixth in the 2006 NBA
d raft, Roy, 23, m ade an im m ediate im pact on
the T rail B lazers and was nam ed the 2000-07
NBA R ookie o f the Year. He bested his o u t
standing freshm an cam paign this season by
being nam ed a 2008 NBA All Star and h e lp
ing rekindle the spirit o f B lazerm ania.
"I am very honored to have been asked to be
thcGrand Marshal," said Roy. "Il w ill be a thrill for
me and my family to ride in the parade and greet
all the fans ot the Rose Festival and Trail Blazers."
The Portland Trail Blazers’ rich heritage in
cludes 26 playoff appearances, an NB A ch am
/
pionship in 1977 and a com m itm ent to com m u
nity service. With its current corporate mission
Io "M ake II Better," the Trail Blazers strive to
help children and their fam ilies throughout O r
egon anti southwest W ashington learn, play,
grow, get involved and live healthier lives.
Tickets are on sale now for the Grand Floral
Parade at the Memorial Coliseum Saturday, June
7. Reserved seals are available both inside and
outside the Coliseum: prices are $30 anti $25.
Purchase tickets o n -lin e on the w eb at
w w w .m sefcstival.org, the Rose Q uarter Box
Office or charge by phone at I-877-789-R O SE
(7673).