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April 22. 2009
H ealth matters
County Clinics Get Shot in the Arm
More needy
patients to
receive care
M u ltn o m a h C o u n ty h as
taken a drubbing from the ail
ing econom y resulting in over
$60 m illion budget cuts, w hich
have lim ited the ability o f the
county to provide health ser
vices to those that need it most.
But help is on the horizon as
part o f the $787 billion federal
stim u lu s pack ag e has begun
trickling in.
A nticipating the num ber o f
people w ith o u t health in su r
ance to so a r C o n g ress m an
dated that $337 m illion o f the
m oney be set aside for com m u
nity health cen‘ers.
M ultnom ah C ounty’s Health
D epartm ent recently received
an $ 8 5 4 ,0 0 0 g ran t fro m the
stim ulus package to help keep
its prim ary health care centers
provide services for the needy.
H alf o f the m oney has already
com e in. The other com es next
year.
T he m oney will be used to
take in an additional 5,500 poor
or u n in su red p atien ts during
the recession, and will allow the
county to hire 18 new doctors,
not sure exactly what the break
dow n is for the county's six pri
m ary health care clinics, but
com es at a needed time.
"W e're at the limit," said Suo.
O ne o f theses is La Clinica
de la Buena Salud, located at
6736 N.E. Killingsworth. The
c lin ic ’s staff speaks S panish
and English and offers services
including family planning, men
tal health services, primary care,
and im m unizations services.
“It serves a diverse popula
tion," said Suo of the clinic.
T here’s more m oney com ing
dow n the pipe.
T he county is slated to b e
gin a $2 million capital improve
m ent project that will be used ,
to upgrade facilities and equip
ment, with stimulus money. The
N o rth ea st H ealth C e n ter lo
cated on M artin Luther King Jr.
Boulevard will be one of these.
Besides the six prim ary care
clinics, M ultnomah County op
erates 13 school-based health
centers, and clinics for specific
diseases such as HIV, tubercu
losis and STDs.
C o u n ty h ealth d ep artm en t
photo by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
providers
served 66,500 people
Dr. Carla R a d cliffe (left) o f th e La Clinca d e B u e n a S a lu d , th e M u ltn o m a h C o u n ty H ealth D e p a rtm e n t clinic a t 6 7 3 6 N.E.
in
2007-2008
- nearly 1 in 10
Killingsw orth S t., m e e t s with S h a ro n B otchw ay, R N su p erviso r.
co u n ty resid e n ts. T h e co u n t
nurses and support staff.
insured. County clinics have patients for a lack o f resources co unty's senior policy advisor. included 1 out o f every 5 chil
M o re th a n 6 0 p e rc e n t o f been operating at capacity and at som e locations.
there are three clinics that will dren who reside in M ultnomah
those new patients will be un- have been forced to turn aw ay
A ccording to Steve Suo, the benefit from the money. H e’s County.
Weight Gain is Public Health Crisis
Obesity on Rise
A new report shows that obe
sity am ong O regon adu lts and
children is increasing at alarm ing
rates.
“O ne in five O regon children
today is o v erw eight o r o bese,”
said Dr. Bruce G oldberg, director
o f the O regon D epartm ent of H u
man Services said. “This is a pub
lic health crisis, and there is no
tim e to lose in taking action."
In O regon today, six o f every 10
adults is overw eight o f obese -
1.7 m illion o f O regon’s total adult
population o f 2.9 m illion. These
adults have a higher risk o f can
cer, diabetes, heart disease and
stroke as well as high blood pres
sure and high cholesterol.
Every year, another 43,500 O r
eg o n ad u lts becom e
obese. The proportion
o f o b ese ad u lts has
more than doubled in
the past 18 years and
th e p r o p o rtio n o f
o b e s e c h ild r e n h as
tripled in the past 20.
T reating diseases re
lated to obesity costs
O regon $781 million
per year.
“ T h e h e a lth c a re Dr. B ru ce
costs are staggering, but w e can
n o t sim ply treat our way out of
th e p ro b le m ,” G o ld b e rg said .
“W hat we need, and the w ork o f
the task force supports this, is a
com prehensive focus on prevent
ing obesity.”
“Obesity is not a problem of will
p o w e r o r p e rs o n a l c h a r a c te r .
Big Gaps in Health Coverage
About one in three Oregonians
younger than age 65 has gone with
out health insurance for at least a
portion o f the last two years, ac
cording to a new report from Fam i
lies USA, a national health care re
form advocacy group.
The group is releasing data by
Red C ross C ontinuing Education - The
O regon Trail C hapter Red Cross now o f
fers credits to helps professionals m ain
tain licensing or certification. For a cum u
lative list, visit pdxinfo.net.
C ancer Resource C enter - Providence St.
V incent M edical C enter and the Am erican
Red C ross have joined forces to create the
first in-hospital resource center providing
books, printed m aterial, com puter access
and m ore for individuals and fam ilies deal
ing with cancer. The center is open M on
day through T hursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
C hronic Pain Support (¡rou p - meets the
first W ednesday a, 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and
the third W ednesday o f each month, from
7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. For more information, call
503-2564000.
M aternity W ater W orkout - Helping new
m om s regain m uscle tone, strength, and
flexibility, all in the support and freedom of
the water. Call 503-256-4000for more infor
mation.
C holesterol Profiles - Calls helps you
keep an eye on your cholesterol and other
indicators o f heart health; educational
m aterial provided. For more inform ation,
call 503-261-6611.
People are not all that
d if fe r e n t th a n th ey
w ere 3 0 y ea rs ago.,
W hat has changed is
ho w an d w h ere w e
live,” said M ary Lou
H e n n ric h o f th e
O r e g o n ’s
P u b lic
H ealth Institute. “ It is
too easy to find high-
calorie, low -nutrition
fo o d a n d w ay to o
G oldberg
easy to be sedentary
at w ork and at home. We need to
get to w ork an d m ake h ealth y
choices the easy choices.”
C h a n g in g th e e n v iro n m e n ts
w here O re g o n ia n s liv e , w o rk ,
study and play is a high priority
o f the report by the O regon Task
Force for a C om prehensive O b e
sity Prevention Initiative.
state to add m omentum to the push
for reform. In Oregon, most o f the
uninsured are working.
Families USA Executive Director
Ron Pollack says the lack of insur
ance is not just a temporary situa
tion.
H ealth W atch
O steoporosis Screening -- An ultrasound
bone density screening with personalized
education; fee $30. To schedule an ap
pointment, call-503-261-6 6 1 I.
Leg Alert Screening — Check for periph
eral arterial disease with this safe, simple
screening using ankle and arm blood pres
sure. The fee is $40. T o schedule an ap
pointment, call 503-251-6137.
Smoke-Free Support ( ¿roup - meets Mon
days, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. For inform ation, call
503-256-4000.
M anaging C hronic H epatitis C -- Third
W ednesday o f each m onth a, 5 p.m. The
inform ative session is led by a registered
nurse to help you m anage side effects of
m edications and dosage preparations and
adm inistration; doctor referral required. To
register, call 503-251 -6313.
H ear, Talk Support ( ¿roup m eets - on the
second M onday o f each month; from 6
p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, call 503-
251-6260.
C ardiac-R ehab Exercises — A m edically
supervised exercise program for people
dealing with heart conditions. For inform a
tion, call 503-251-6260.
Lead Poisoning Prevention -- Lean, how
to protect your family from lead poisoning.
Ideal for folks in live in older hom es with
children or pregnant wom en. Qualified
participants receive a free kit o f safety and
testing supplies. Call 503-284-6827.
Senior A erobics — A low -im pact workout
geared specifically tow ard seniors. Call
503-449-0783 forcurrent schedule.
Family C aregiver Support ( ¿roup -- This
topic-oriented group offers a safe place to
discuss the stresses, challenges and re-
T he report states that for the
state to even begin to stem the
tide o f obesity, we m ust invest in
a com prehensive prevention and
education program , bring physi
cal activity and nutritious food
back into o u r sch o o ls and our
daily lives and m ake the healthy
choices the easy choices.
The report also recom m ended
policy changes in the areas o f land
u se an d tr a n s p o r ta tio n , an d
changes in school, w orksite and
h e a lth ca re se ttin g s: “ C h o ice s
about how active we are and what
we eat are em bedded in our so
cial, cultural and physical environ
ments. Changes in these environ
m en ts cau sed the o b esity e p i
dem ic. C hanges in these environ
m ents are critical to ending the
obesity epidem ic.”
"One of the significant things to
understand about this is that the
overwhelming majority of these I. I
million Oregonians. 75.8 percent -
more than three out o f every four -
w ere uninsured for at leas, six
months." Pollack said.
w ard so fp ro v id in g ca re to an older relative
or friend. M eets the first Thursday o f each
month at 3 p.m. at Legacy G ood Sam aritan
Hospital.
Tenderfoot C are -- T reat your feet with a
soak, nail trim, buffing and massage from a
licensed nurse at one o f six clinics or at
your home. Call 5 03 -2 5 1 -6303 form orc in
formation.
Stimulus to Feed
Low Income Seniors
H unger is an often overlooked side effect to a
poor economy. But help is on the way thanks to
$ 1.2 million from the American Recovery and R e
investm ent Act to provide m eals to low income
senior citizens.
‘T h is m oney com es at a tim e when an estimated
12 percent o f Oregon families d o n ’t have enough
food on their shelves, when Oregon ranks as the
third hungriest state in the nation, w hen food
stam p applications are increasing and when local
food banks are being flooded," U.S. Sen. Ron
Wyden o f Oregon said.
W yden and O re g o n ’s o th e r U .S. S en. Je ff
M erkley, said$8(X),(XX) of the federal m onies will
be used for meals at senior centers and other lo
cations and $400,000 will go to m eals on wheels
program s
“The funds are a literal lifeline for O regon se
niors w ho could not ge, by w ithout these pro
gram s, said M erkley. “Helping our m ost vulner
able seniors through this difficult tim e is a critical
com ponent o f getting our nation back on track.”
In addition to providing meals, the m oney will
also restore nutrition services that have been cut
and restore positions w hich may have been elim i
nated or reduced.
Join Us!!!
Full Harvest Fellowship Ministries
As We Present
Spiritual Enrichment Class
Saturdays
7:00 PM
Biginning Saturday, May 2™'
Free Body Basics -- This physician recom
m ended class is appropriate for all ages
and health conditions. Plan to attend this
one-session class and learn the simple
guidelines for safe exercises, including
stretching. Call 5O3-256-4(XX) to register.
Bereavement Support (¿roups - Free, safe
confidential group m eetings for those who
have experienced the death o f a loved one
offered on various nights and locations.
For inform ation and registration, call 503-
215-4622.
P aren tin g C la sses -- N ew borns d o n 't
com e w ith in stru ctio n m an u als but p a r
ents and p are n ts-to -b e can learn about
a variety o f to p ics from pain and c h ild
birth to b reastfeed in g to infant CPR and
m uch m ore. F or a sch ed u le o f ev en ts,
c a ll
5 0 3 -5 7 4 -6 5 9 5
or
v is it:
p ro v id e n c e .o rg /c la s s e s .
Powerful Tools For Caregivers - 6-wcek
educational series designed to help family
caregivers take care o f them selves while
caring for relatives or friends with chronic
illness. Class size is lim ited, and registra
tion isrequired. Call 5O3-4I3-8O18.
75 NE Wygant ( Between Rodney & Cleveland)
For More Info Contact
Gregory or Martha Thomas
At 971-533-2800
For Directions Visit our secure website
Fullharvestfcllowship.vpweb.com
I m ust work the w orks of him that sent me, w hile it is day:
the night com eth, when no man can work. John 9:4