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2012 Year in Review
Januaiy 2, 2013
c o n t i n u e d f r o m page 5
Mental Health Crisis
Oct. 10 - With suicides on the rise in Portland, public and mental health
officials are stepping up to break its stigma and get more people the help
they need.
Violations Doom
LV’s Twelve 22
Charles Washington Remembered
Dec. 12 - Portland Observer Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Charles
H. Washington is remembered fo r carrying on the legacy o f his
mother Joyce Washington as publisher o f Oregon’s oldest minority
publication, and fo r being a mentor to his children and other young
people in the community after his death at the age o f 60.
OHSU Health
Benefits Expand
Following an extensive inter
nal review of health benefits
along with discussions with
transgender advocates, Oregon
Health & Science University is
increasing access to medically
necessary care for transgender
employees.
OHSU, Portland's largest em
ployer, joins several other no
table Oregon organizations in
making its employee health in
surance coverage more inclu
sive, including the city of Port
land, Multnomah County, Intel
Corp, and New Seasons Market
The change extends cover
age for care related to gender
transition. It also helps ensure
b a rrie rs are rem o v ed when
transgender individuals seek in
surance coverage for health
treatments related to, or unre
lated to, their transgender sta
tus.
"One of OHSU's core missions
is to be a diverse organization
that nurtures a community of in
clusion," said Dr. N orw ood
Knight-Richardson, OHSU se
nior vice president and chief
administrative officer. "Expand
ing se rv ic e s to in clu d e
transgender benefits affirms our
commitment to further enhanc
ing a diverse and inclusive envi
ronment at OHSU."
Oct. 17 — One o f Portland’s last remain
ing black bars is closing. LV's Twelve 22
owner LaVon Van implemented several
changes in attempts to make the bar a
more inclusive neighborhood business,
but drug activity around the bar’s
premises took its toll with too many
liquor license violations.
Hales
Elected
Portland
Mayor
Nov. 7 - Former City
Commissioner Charlie
Hales becomes Portland’s
mayor-elect by winning a
runoff election with State
Rep. Jefferson Smith o f
southeast Portland.
Home Vegetables Done Right
Have you ever wanted to eat veg
etables that you grew yourself? Mt. Hood
Community College is offering “Home
Vegetable Gardening Done Right,” a new
community education class that will touch
on the basics of creating and maintaining
your own home garden, both organically
and non-organically.
The class will be held Feb. 18-20,6:30
- 8:30 p.m., on the Gresham campus,
26000 S.E. Stark St.
Steve Schmidt, the class instructor,
has held an interest in horticulture for
nearly 40 years. In 1982 he started his
own business as a landscape gardener.
His love of gardening stems from the time
he spent with his parents as a child. His
parents felt that a garden was an essen
tial addition to their table, and taught by
example the importance of hard work and
the value of growing what you eat.
For questions about registering for
the class, call 503-491 -7572.
Improving Patient Outcomes
Being diagnosed with cancer can
be a terrifying experience. B ut a new
study from Portland State Univer
sity shows patients do better de
pending on how the doctor delivers
the news, and if they actively par
ticipate in their treatment decisions.
Those findings are from a two-
stages and w e’re catching this at a
good time,” he said.
Currently, only a few medical
year study by Jeffrey Robinson, a positive light, but they can be schools in the country offer specific
PSU professor of communications. trained,” said Robinson. He stressed courses in doctor-patient comm u
Greater patient satisfaction - and that presenting cancer news in a nication, according to Robinson.
the increase in hope - are positive positive light does not mean giving Most doctors don’t receive that
factors in a patient’s chances of false hope. A patient in the early training, he said.
survival, Robinson said
stages of the disease might be told
Robinson advocates more com
“A lot of surgeons don’t take “you are at Stage 2, and that’s good munication training for doctors, and
the trouble to frame the news in a news because cancer has four also for patients.