Local News
Party
continued from page 1
want to interview all day long,” says Moreno.
“I’m not sure if it will necessarily be the same
this time around.”
Romney has the last laugh
While there may not be as much buzz as
four years ago, Moreno is still excited about
the new possibilities for his coverage this
year.
He says there will be a lot more technolo-
gy at his disposal. In 2008, he says reporters
were tied to a media room. Moreno’s laptop
was always plugged into an Ethernet cable.
This year, media representatives will be able
to file reports from anywhere, mainly with the
help of smartphones.
Moreno will be providing a variety of con-
tent, including traditional news stories, photos,
videos and live streaming. He will also be
plugged into all of the major social media out-
lets to provide updates.
At the Democratic Convention, Moreno
looks forward to talking with attendees about
how they feel about the President today com-
pared to 2008. He says a lot of Democrats that
Catch live coverage at
www.TheSkanner.com
received invites to the convention have backed
out and he wants to get a sense of why the level
of enthusiasm has changed.
At the Republican Convention he will be
seeking out the few Black and Hispanic dele-
gates to see why they support the Republican
platform. Moreno will also ask delegates about
issues affecting communities of color in partic-
ular, including voter ID laws and immigration
policy.
Out of everyone, Moreno says he is most
interested in speaking with Artur Davis, a
former Democrat who had nominated
President Obama in 2008 and is now a
Republican. He wants to know what about
the President’s performance has caused
Davis to make such a drastic turn.
Moreno says he would have a hard time
setting up that interview formally, which is
why he appreciates the setting of the con-
vention.
“Most of the time when we want to get an
interview with an elected official we have to
reach out to their press secretary,” he says. “At
the convention, there’s as good of a chance as
any that you might just bump into an Artur
Davis.”
Race
continued from page 1
women raised $900 to pay for the Brothers’ entry fees and
team uniforms.
Leonard Lambert, a driver with the Soleful Brothers said
their achievement made history. “They’re just thinking
about walking, but it is good and it’s sending a message.
This is the world’s largest relay race and every state in the
country is represented, as well as other countries.
“It is exciting. I’m excited.”
Both teams want to raise awareness of the health dispari-
ties that affect African Americans. And they aim to inspire
all of us to take improve our health through healthy exercise
habits.
“We’re trying to bring awareness to our community,”
Pierce says. “We’ve got to start helping ourselves. African
Americans are more likely to battle high blood pressure,
diabetes and a lot of other health issues. This is one way to
start taking control of your life and do something about it.”
All athletes, the Brothers thought walking would be easy.
But they soon found out that speed walking is not for the
faint of heart. “These brothers, they are doing a 10-minute
mile,” said Georgeanne Pierce, team leader for the Broth-
ers’ companion team, The Soleful Strutters. “They are ath-
letes. They are in college. They do track and field. They are
committed.”
“They have a new respect for walking,” Pierce says.
The Soleful Strutters came together nine years ago and
the group has been growing ever since. From May to
August the group trains for the Hood to Coast. But they also
train year round and take part in everything from the Port-
land Marathon and Half Marathon to the Bridge Pedal, as
well as volunteering with the African American Health
Coalition’s Soul Stroll and Wellness Village events.
“If you have a team you are more committed to partici-
pating,” Pierce says, “because now you are accountable.”
Pierce says everyone in the group has seen health bene-
fits. One woman has lost 40 pounds, she says.
“It’s kept my weight down and it’s kept my stress level at
a minimum. And I’m a highly strung person.”
Three years ago, Doris Jones, who is 73, came in second
in her age group in the Portland Marathon at a pace of 13 -
14 minutes per mile. Jones trained with The Soleful Strut-
ters.
“We’re doing things we’ve never thought about doing,”
Pierce says. “We do not play.”
The Soleful Strutters welcome everyone in the communi-
ty to join their training sessions. Last week 40 people turned
out to Jefferson High school for a yoga session, for exam-
ple.
“We make our training available to everyone, so they can
get fit too,” she says. “If you need help we are here to help
you. Whatever the community needs we are here to help.”
The Soleful Brothers posed after the race
Soulful Strutters -- who inspired the Brothers
Care
continued from page 1
be certified Sept. 1. The CCOs will deliver
healthcare services across the state, first to
the 650,000 adults and children insured
through the Oregon Health Plan.
“Our goals in creating CCOs are really
simple,” said Bruce Goldberg, director of
Oregon Health Authority, Aug. 8.
“How do we promote better health for
people on the Oregon Health Plan? How do
we create a better health care experience for
everyone who uses –or works in — the
healthcare system? And how do we do that
at an affordable level?”
If you’re on the Oregon Health Plan you
don’t have to do anything special. You will
automatically be enrolled in the new sys-
tem, which will include medical, dental and
mental health care.
The CCOs were set up to serve Medicaid
patients, but in future years they may also
be opened up to other people seeking health
insurance through the Oregon health care
exchange.
If you’re uninsured you will be able to
buy insurance on the exchange. By October
2013, uninsured people and small business-
es will be able to shop on the new health
exchange for care plans that will start in
2014. And the plan will be open to larger
businesses in 2016.
Cutting Costs
While Expanding Services
Oregon received a waiver to opt out of the
national Medicaid and Medicare system.
Instead, the state asked health providers to
form CCOs and figure out a better system.
CCOs are not tied to the traditional
fee-for-service
payments,
so
providers will have freedom to work
together to cover patient needs in
whichever way works best.
The federal government has a major
stake in the outcome because they pay
65 percent of Medicaid and Medicare
bills, Goldberg said. And they plan to
give Oregon $1.9 billion over the next
five years to launch the new system.
“They are doing that because we believe
that we can save them that money and then
some,” Goldberg said. “After paying back
the $2 billion, we believe we can save 9 bil-
lion over 10 years.”
Too Many Specialists and Not Enough
Primary Care
Jeff Heatherington, CEO of FamilyCare,
one of the first CCOs to be certified, said
that the United States spends 18 cents in
every dollar on healthcare. That’s not
affordable, he said, especially as America
ranks 39th in health outcomes, and the
countries that do better also spend far less.
Heatherington said one problem is that
too few medical providers choose to offer
basic care services. Most choose to become
where at least 50 percent of practitioners out
there are in primary care.”
Community-Based Health Workers Sup-
port Prevention Efforts
Studies have shown that a small propor-
tion of healthcare users account for the bulk
of healthcare costs. These high-need
patients use Emergency Rooms, and other
services, because of chronic health prob-
lems such as: asthma, diabetes, heart dis-
ease, mental illness and alcohol and
drug addiction. About 25 percent of
patients enrolled in the Oregon
Health Plan account for 83 percent of
its costs.
If we want to cut costs, we have to
do a better job of prevention,
Heatherington said.
That’s behind a move for CCOs to
hire community health workers.
Community health workers will
work with high-need patients to prevent
problems. Asthma, for example, is a serious
illness that can send children to the emer-
gency room over and over. Yet with good
preventive care, it can be brought under
control – improving the children’s health
dramatically and also cutting costs.
A small proportion of
healthcare users account for
the bulk of healthcare costs
specialists because it pays more. That has to
change, he said.
“The truth of the matter is that some peo-
ple are not going to make as much revenue
as before,” he said. “We have an overabun-
dance of specialists, and we don’t need as
many as we have today. We need a system
August 29, 2012
The Portland Skanner Page 3