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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 22, 2009)
PageA 7 îlf< ^ J o rtla n b (Observer luly 22. 2 0 0 9 H ealth matters Digital Records Improve Health Care (A P )-- Baby Riley M atthews w heezed noisily on the exam table. "H e's belly-breathing," th e e m e rg e n c y -ro o m d o c to r said worriedly — Riley's little abdom en was markedly rising and falling with each breath, a sign o f respiratory distress. In m ost em ergency room s, the d o cto r w ould grill M om : H as he e v e r been X -ra y e d ? D o y o u r e m e m b e r w h a t it sh o w ed? B ut in the new all- d ig ital C h ild ren 's H ospital o f P itts b u r g h , d o c t o r s j u s t clicked on a C O W — a "co m p u ter on w heels" th at ro lls to e a c h p a t i e n t 's s id e . U p p o p ped every te st and X -ray the 6-m onth-old has ever had. T his is the eerily paperless hospital o f the future, what the "electronic medical record" that President Barack O bam a insists will transform what health care looks like. N o c h a rt fu ll o f d o c to rs ' scribbles hanging on the bed. No hauling around envelopes full of X-rays. No discharge with a p rescription slip. E ven the c la s s ic E R p a tie n t lis t h a s changed from the w hite-board o f TV -dram a fam e to a giant Dr. Max Rohrbaugh examines 6-month-old Riley Matthews as his mother watches at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh. It can take days for the results of diagnostic tests to wind up in a hospital's paper chart, while only hours later, Riley's test results and long note from a lung specialist popped up in his digital chart. (AP photo) com puter screen. By the best count, only 1.5 percent of the nation's roughly 6,0(X) hospitals use a com pre hensive electronic record. Even that statistic belies how hard it will be for health care to jettison its 19th-century filing sy stem by 2 014, the federal governm ent's goal — despite the $ 19 billion that the economic stim ulus package is providing to help doctors start. It took Children's seven hard years and more than $ 10 million to evolve a system that lets its doctors check on patients with a few mouse clicks from any where and use speedily up-to- date records in directing their care. S tu d ie s sh o w e le c tro n ic medical records can greatly im prove the quality o f patient care and reduce errors. But hospi tals w on't necessarily recoup their investment, because a pa tient w ho goes hom e sooner m eans lost revenue. So C ongress added a stick to th e c a r ro t o f th e s tim u lu s money: H ealth providers that aren't digital enough by 2015 will start losing M edicare dol- Study: Contraceptives Less Effective on Obese A new study p u b lish ed in the jo u rn al C o n tracep tio n has found that oral contracep tiv es m ay be less effec tiv e at p re v en tin g p re g n a n c y in o b ese w om en. T he stu d y s u g g e ste d th a t it takes tw ice as long for c o n tracep tiv es to reach the e ffe c tiv e b lo o d c o n c e n tra tio n in o b e s e w o m e n , w h ic h m a y leave them open to b eco m in g p re g n a n t. A bout 30 p ercent o f w om en in the U .S. are obese. F o r O r egon, that nu m b er is ab o u t 23 percent. T h e stu d y su g g e ste d th a t th e b asic p ro b le m w as th a t o r a l c o n t r a c e p t i v e s w e re te s te d o n p e o p le w ith a h ea lth ier body w eight, w hich has left a b lin d spot fo r d o c to rs w ho m ay n o t be aw are o f h o w th e d ru g a f f e c ts v ery o v e rw e ig h t p e o p le . In fact, som e d o cto rs m ay p rescrib e a lo w er d o sag e fo r o bese p a tie n ts, fe a rin g th a t a h ig h e r dose w ill p ut them at g reater risk o f d ev elo p in g blood clots that can lead to stroke of heart attack . H ow ever, th e stu d y noted th a t it d id n ’t h a v e e n o u g h data to m ake a rec o m m en d a tion for how ph y sician s m ight ch an g e th eir clin ical p ractice fo r the use o f oral co n tra c e p tiv es w ho are obese. O bese w om en w ho use oral c o n tra c e p tiv e s sh o u ld c o n su lt w ith th eir doctor, rec o m m ended the story. Finding your ‘Sole Mate’ this Summer Just because w e ’ve en tered the h o tte st d ays o f the su m m er d o e s n 't m ean you should h id e in an a ir - c o n d itio n e d room w hile your body steadily accu m u lates fat. You can get som e sun and stay h ealthy by taking m orning or late evening w alks. T he A m erican H eart A sso ciation has released a sum m er w alking guide, w hich can be found at s ta rtp d x .o rg . It in cludes stretch in g tech n iq u es, tips on w hat to wear, w hen and w here to w alk, and w hat to eat b efo re and after w alking. It’s best to estab lish a reg u lar tim e th a t you can stick to all su m m er long, p referab ly a tim e o th e r th a n a f te rn o o n Daily Activity for Health Providence health experts are reminding folks that adding just a little activity to your day can m ake a big difference in your fitness level. Clim bing stairs, weeding the garden, raking leaves, vacuum ing, doing dishes and m ow ing ( the lawn can all help add up to a m ore active lifestyle. In a d d itio n to h o u s e h o ld chores, try including activities that are m ore recreational and involve your kids as well. Tossing a ball around, play ing ca tc h w ith b e a n b a g s or w hen the sun is hottest. T he A m erican H eart A sso ciatio n reco m m en d s w alking at least 30 m in u tes a day. It co m b ats o b esity , w hich can ca u se a h o st o f o th e r p ro b lems. w orking on your Frisbee flings can all provide great motivation for adding fun activity. You can also try taking a 10- m inute w alk around the block as a family. Your fitness level will increase - and so will your family fun. " Portland Observer Call 5(|3-288-(W33 ads (<? port I in d o b serkcr.com 1 * C hanging F rom the Inside ( h it - Get to the root of your weight problem by identifying thoughts and feelings diat^iffcct your eat ing and activity patterns. In a group set ting, y ou'll leam new skills to overcom e em otional eating patterns. The class, o f fered by Providence, lasts 10 weeks and begins Sept. 8. Fee $ 195. Call 503-216-5641 fo r more information. C o nfidentC yclingforC om m uters - Leam to com m ute on a bike with more confidence in this free presentation. M a ste rin g W eight M a n ag e m en t - An 8- week program beginning Aug. 13 that inte grates a nondieting approach to healthy living and eating. Leam to take control of your food choices and activities and begin to feel better. Registration is required. Call 503-286-6816. Fee is $ 120 for Kaiser mem bers and $ 150 for nonm em bers. H elping K ids G et H ealthy and Fit - Provi dence is accepting registration for its fall 2009 Healthy n' Fit class, a pediatric weight m anagem ent program targeting children 8 to 15 years old. The 10-week program is led by a certified dietitian and exercise special- ist. Fee $250. To register, call 503-215-2233. M am m ography Screening - Early detec tion is a key factor in the prevention of breast cancer. Call 503-251-6137 to schedule your high-tech, soft-touch mammogram. Bereav em ent S u p p o rt G ro u p s --Free, safe confidential group m eetings for those who m edication, and then m atch the bar-coded dose to the prescrip tion. In the in ten siv e care unit, co m p u ter "dashboards" au to m atically graph patients' vital signs and other readings from m onitors and lab tests — let ting nurses spot at a glance a drop or spike that signals a pa tient about to get in trouble, in stead o f rifling pages o f a paper chart to tell. Can you “burn ”? The Miracles Club 4069 NE MLK.JR. Blvd W elcom es you to our "C ookout C o o k -o ff’ Show o ff your best “ribs” (burgers & steaks) Saturday A ugust 1.2009 $50 entry fee: 1 s t , 2nd , & 3rd prizes Come and bring the family and your appetite! Fun fo r all. Call 503-249-8559 Philadelphia CMB Church Pastor Roy E. Clay Sr. & Co-Pastor Lottie M. Clay liie s d a y : Women & Men M eeting 7PM Wednesday: Bible Study 7PM S unday S ch ool 10A S u n d ay M orn in g S ervices 11 :30 AM 238 NE Mason ST For more information contact Pastor Clay at 503-309-6320 Northwest Voice For Christ Ministries “A Community Church” Bishop H. L. Hodge, PhD Pastor/Teacher/Revivalist Advertise with dive sity in "The Voice Speaks” Worship Service: Sundays- 8:00 A.M. Seminars: Bible Themes- Wednesdays- 6:00 P.M. “God, The Father"; “God, Die Son"; and “God, The Holy Spirit" Bishop Hodge and Congregation invite you to join us at our appointment with Jesus. We Reach, Teach, & Preach in Jesus’ name!!! ______________________ H ealth W atch lars. Children's m oved from a de ca d es-o ld b u ild in g to a new hospital in May, a final step in its digital journey. One wing is inpatient, the other houses o f fices for specialists' outpatient c a r e , a ll lin k e d by th e "eRecord." Some 4,(XX) computers line the halls. N urses sw ipe patients' w ristbands with bar-code scan ners to see when it's tim e for have experienced the death o f a loved one offered on various nights and locations. For inform ation and registration, call 503- 215-4622. S en io r A e r o b ic s-- A low -im pact workout P aren tin g C lasse s-N e w b o rn s do n 't come with instruction m anuals but parents and parents-to-be can leam about a variety of to p ic s fro m p ain a n d c h ild b ir th to breastfeeding to infant CPR and much more. For a schedule of events, call 503- 574-6595 or visit: providence.org/classes. bone density screening with personalized education; fee $30. To schedule an ap pointment, call 503-261-661 1. P ow erful T ools F o r C a re g iv e rs - 6 -week 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 is required. Call 503-41.3-8018. Is it A D H D ? - Kaiser Permanent offers a medical evaluation process that can help determi ne i f your chi Id’s behavior problems are due to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The Aug. 5 forum includes re sources and support. Registration is re quired by calling5O3-286-6816. Feeis$20for Kaiser couples and $25 for nonmember couples. B e tte r B re a th e rs — An asthm a educa tional support group m eets on the 1st Tuesday o f the month from 1:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. at Adventist M edical Center. For in formation, call 503-251 -6830. S tro k e A lert S creen in g - Check your carotid arteries with a painless ultrasound to assess your risk. Fee $40. T o schedule a screening, call 503-251-6137. geared specifically tow ard seniors. Call 503-449-0783 forcurrent schedule. O steo p o ro sis S creen in g — An ultrasound C a rd ia c-R eh a b E x ercises - A medically supervised exercise program for people dealing with heart conditions. For inform a tion, call 503-251-6260. Location: 4800 NE 30th Ave. Portland, Oregon To inquire about our Church or Ministry call 503 863-6545 or email hodgehspks@msn.com Platinum Fade S A L O N R ed C ro ss C o n tin u in g E d u cation - The Oregon Trail Chapter Red Cross now of fers credits to helps professionals m ain tain licensing or certification. F o racu m u - lative list, visit pdxinfo.net. C an cer R esou rce C en ter - Providence St. Vincent M edical Center and the American Red Cross have joined forces to create the first in-hospital resource center providing books, printed material, com puter access and more for individuals and families deal ing with cancer. The center is open M on day through Thursday, 9 a m. to 4 p.m. C hronic Pain S u p p ort ( iro u p - 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. to8:30p.m. For more information, call 503-256-4000. M aternity W ater W orkout - Helping new moms regain muscle tone, strength, and flexibility, all in the support and freedom of the water. Call 503-256-4000for more infor mation. We have the Best Barber & hair Stylist in Portland and we do Razor Line Cuts, Weaves, Relaxers and Cuts 5 0 1 0 N E 9 th U n it A , P o rtla n d , O re g o n 9 7 2 2 1 503-284-2989 Hours o f operation: M-F Sat Sun 9 am - 6 pm 8 am - 9 p m 11 a m - 6 p m «