PageA9
March 25. 2009
H ealth matters
H ealth W atch
Staggering Heart Failure Rate
L eg A lert S c r e e n in g - C heck for
(A P) - O ne in 100 black m en and
w om en develop heart failure before
age 50, according to one o f the first
long-term studies to look at the life-
th reaten in g co n d itio n in yo u n g er
a d u lts . T h e r e s e a r c h s u g g e s ts
blacks in that age group suffer the
condition at a rate 20 tim es higher
than w hites do — an astounding
differen ce m ore p ronounced than
earlier studies had indicated.
H o w e v e r, th o s e fin d in g s are
based on a very sm all num ber o f
heart failure cases, the authors said,
so m ore study is needed.
T he tak eaw ay m e ssag e is that
doctors should be m ore aggressive
about treatin g yo u n g blacks w ho
peripheral arterial disease with this
safe, sim ple screening using ankle
and arm blood pressure. The fee is
$40. T o schedule an appointm ent,
call 503-251-6137.
C an cer R esou rce C en ter - Provi
dence St. Vincent Medical Center and
the American Red Cross have joined
forces to create the first in-hospital
resource cen ter providing books,
printed material, com puter access and
more for individuals and families deal
ing with cancer. The center is open
M onday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to
4p.m.
C hronic Pain Su p p ort G roup - meets
the first W ednesday at 4 p.m. to 5:30
p.m. and the third W ednesday o f each
month, from 7 p.m. to 8:30p.m. For more
information, call 503-256-4000.
may be at risk, some experts said.
"Usually this is a disease of the eld
erly ," sa id Dr. K irsten B ib b in s-
Domingo, one o f the study's authors.
"When this disease happens in 30 and
40 year olds, it's quite dramatic."
H ea rt failu re o cc u rs w hen the
heart loses its ability to pum p suffi
cient blood through the body. It's
often fatal, but not always — some
suffer disabling shortness o f breath,
fatigue and retention of fluids in their
legs or lungs.
E arlier studies o f heart failure, fo
c u s e d m a in ly o n o ld e r p e o p le ,
show ed heart failure rates w ere two
to three tim es higher in blacks than
whites.
Births Break1950s Record
M o re b a b ie s w e re b o rn in the
U nited States in 2007 than any year
in the nation's history, topping the
peak during the baby boom 50 years
earlier, federal researchers recently
reported.
T h e b irth rate ro se slig h tly for
w om en o f all ages, and births to un
wed mothers reached an all-time high
o f ab o u t 4 0 p ercen t, co n tin u in g a
trend begun years ago. M ore than
three-quarters o f these w om en were
20 or older.
T he new num bers suggest the sec
ond year o f a baby boom let, with U.S.
fertility rates higher in every racial
H eart T alk S u p p o rt G ro u p m eets -
on th e seco n d M onday o f each
month; from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more
information, call 503-251 -6260.
M a tern ity W a te r W o rk o u t - H elp
ing new m om s regain m uscle tone,
strength, and flexibility, all in the sup
port and freedom o f the water. Call
503-256-4000 for more information.
C h o lestero l P ro files - C alls helps
you keep an eye on your cholesterol
and other indicators o f heart health;
educational m aterial provided. For
more information, call 503-261 -6611.
group, the highest am ong Hispanic
women. On average, a U.S. woman
has 2.1 babies in her lifetim e. That's
the "m agic number" required for a
population to replace itself.
Countries with much low er rates —
such as Japan and Italy — face fu
ture labor shortages and eroding tax
b a s e s as th e y fail to re p ro d u c e
enough to take care o f their aging el
ders.
But it's not clear the boom let will
last long. Som e experts think birth
rates are already declining because
o f the econom ic recession that began
in late 2(X)7.
A copper-lined room glows bright in the future home o f the world's
most advance MRI coming to Providence St. Vincent Medical Center.
Pictured are project manager Ken Brooks (left) and Providence St.
Vincent associate administrator Alex Jackson.
Copper-Lined MRI Room Glows
It’s the g low . T h e first th in g you
sh ie ld , w h ic h h e lp s k e e p sig n a ls
n o tic e w h en y o u w a lk in to P ro v i
su c h as ra d io w a v e s fro m in te r
d e n c e B rain In s titu te ’s n e w o p e r
fe rin g w ith th e M R I ’s m a g n et.
atin g su ite - is th a t it is fu lly lin e d
P ro v id e n c e St. V in cen t w ill b e
th e f ir s t m e d ic a l c e n te r o n th e
w ith co p p er.
T h e shiny su ite at P ro v id e n ce St.
W est C o a s t - a n d o n e o f o n ly 16
V in cen t M e d ic a l C e n te r w ill so o n
in th e w o rld - to h a v e th is a d
b e h o m e to th e w o rld ’s m o st a d
v an ced n eu ro su rg ical im ag in g sy s
v a n c e d M R I. R ig h t no w , c re w s
te m .
are p re p a rin g fo r th e arriv al o f the
T h e n ew te c h n o lo g y a llo w s su r
d e v ic e ’s g ia n t m a g n e t. T h e y ’v e
g e o n s to sa fe ly im a g e p a tie n ts in
u se d n e a rly 1.15 m illio n sq u a re
th e o p e ra tin g ro o m d u rin g b rain
in c h e s o f c o p p e r an d 1 5 -th o u san d
su rg ery - allo w in g th em to b e ev en
feet o f so ld e r to m ak e th e c o p p e r
m o re p rec ise.
®1,c p o ttia n i» (iDbseruer
presents
The 4th Annual
*
’
Joyce Washington Classic
Joyce Washington Scholarship
2009 Women’s All-Star Teams
Home Team (Gray)
H ead C oach: Floyd Hall
PLAYERS
HIGH SCHOOL
Jude Schimmel
Shoni Schimmel
M ariah Ladd St.
D enaya Brazzle
Ariel Reynolds
Kristen Swim
M ikaylaElliiott
H annah M unger
Bailee Jurgenson
Aliyah G reen
S han’nice Story
Z oie Sheng
M arin H obson
Franklin
Franklin
M ary ’s
Jefferson
Jefferson
Franklin
Franklin
Newberg
Franklin
Jefferson
St. M ary’s
St. M ary's
Franklin
H igh S chool A ll -S tar
B asketball G ames
P IA Y E R S
H IG H SC H O O L
Benson
Jefferson
Grant
R oosevelt
Jefferson
Cleveland
B enson
Grant
Cleveland
Cleveland
De La Salle
W o m e n ’s C o a ch o f th e Y ear:
C ecille M oses Franklin High School
Home Team (Gray)
H ead C oach: Paul Kelly
Pl AV ERS
H IG H SC H O O L
Terrence Jones
Larry Richards
Derrick Hayes
N iekK unis
VladBahjak
Max Snodderly
David Jordan
Dominique Gilles
Tyrone Phillips
Ryan Robertson
Ashton Murdock
D onta Harris
Jefferson
R oosevelt
W ilson
Franklin
Franklin
Franklin
R oosevelt
Marshall
Jefferson
W ilson
Roosevelt
de La Salle
VISITING TEAM (BLUE)
Visiting Team (Blue)
K ay Phosakham
T yrisha Blake
Jacque Shaw
M onique C arlson
Krystal Forthan
Razja G oodman
D iam ond Ferguson
Kiarra Berry
M addy M ay
Brittany Raz
M ia Robinson
Joyce Washington Scholarship
2009 Men’s All-Star Teams
In memory of
Cory Neal Washington,
1965-1991
H ead C o ach : Michael Holton
A ssistan t C o ach : M ichael M angum
H IG H S tH (X )L
PIA Y E R S
Grant
Mike M oser
Sunset
M ichael Holton JR
Grant
M ikeFendall
Benson
Damareus Davis
R oosevelt
Terrell Manlley
Benson
Perry Dinyain
Cleveland
Joe Owen
S unset
Anthony Holton
Grant
Lucas Shaw
Cleveland
Jack Hollowell
Cleveland
Zachary M inden
Lincoln
JD Esters
M e n ’s C oach of th e Y ear:
Pat Strickland, Jefferson High School
Come see the best of high-school basketball players! Be there to support your school!
May 9th at Self Enjancement Inc., 3920 N. Kerby, Portland
Doors Open at 3:00 p.m. • Dunk Contest at 3:30 p.m.
Girls Classic at 4:30 p.m. • Boys Classic at 5:30 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased at The Portland Observer (4747 N.E. Martin Luther King Blvd.)
$5 for adults, $2 for kids (age 7-17) & Seniors. *Kids 6 and under free.
WL
Proceeds raised go to the Joyce Washington Memorial Scholarship Fund
For information, call Mark Washington at 503-288-0033 or email markw@portlandobserver.com
MOONSTAR
P o rtland
Community
College