June 1994
Page6
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Smoke Signals
Gangs threaten neighborhoods, tradition, cultural values
By Frank King, special writer
It is happening in Portland, Salem,
Eugene - and Grand Ronde.
"The gang phenomenon affects
all children, no matter if they are
young or older, if they live in the
city, the country or on a
reservation," John Fraser, the
Grand Ronde tribal foster home
care coordinator, said.
He said that some tribal young
people living in cities tend to join
Hispanic and Black gangs.
' ' We also have a criminal clement
on the reservation that fosters
the growth of gangs," Fraser said.
"Gangs suck in the kids from 1 1 to
12 years old. We have seen gang
graffiti painted in the area and
other evidence of activity."
Most kids join gangs because they
see it as promise for wealth or
recognition.
He said that the gang youngsters
believe that the only way they can
make good money is by selling
drugs.
Other motivations include peer
pressure, attention, protection from
other gangs or individuals, and to
escape abuse at home. Many youths
seek recognition and acceptance
they do not get from their family.
What is a gang?
A little effort around the house could
save your child's life
Most childhood injuries could
be prevented with a little
forethought. Accidents kill nearly
8,000 children under age 15 each
year. And for every fatality, 42
more are hospialized. These deaths
and injuries can be avoided by
taking some preventative measures.
Turn down the water heater to
120 degrees Fahrenheit. Scalds
account for more than 50 percent of
burns among chidren.
Buckle up your child in the car.
Each year, over 3,000 children
under age 16 are killed and 56,000
crippled in car crashes.
Make sure your child wears a
bicycle helmet. Each year hospitals
treat more than 400,000 children
for bike mishaps, and about 500 of
them die.
Lock up all medicine. This is one
of the most frequent accidents
among children under the age of
13. Hospitals treat more than one
million children for ingesting
medicine every year.
Check you child's playground.
Injuries related to playground
equipment both at home and in
A group that forms an alliance
that excludes others for the
common purpose of engaging in
violent, unlawful, antisocial or
criminal activities. Pacific
Northwest gangs include hate
groups, white supremacists,
Hispanics, Blacks, Asians,
motorcycle gangs and others.
Fraser said the most visible are
street gangs, because their ventures
are most public.
However, the violence and anti
social activities of the less
visible gangs should not be
underestimated.
Who joins?
New gang members are in their
teens, from all levels of society.
Leaders can be young adults, not
older that 25. Gang recruits have a
poor self image, low self esteem,
little adult participation in their
lives, misdirected racial pride and
have poor records in school.
"Many young people are not
actively discouraged from joining
gangs,' ' Fraser said. ' 'Often parents
do not realize that their
children are engaged in gang
activity."
Hard core gang members need
and thrive on gang activity. They
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UL-J-iueZL
Tracy Hubbel, CHR, talks
about different poisons to the
Head Start class.
public account for more than
267,000 hospital visits every year.
Put away your firearms. This is
the third leading cause of death
among children ages 10-14.
These are just a few of the
precautions your can take as parent
to keep your child safer.
(condensed from Prevention
Magazine.)
are the leaders, the most violent,
street wise and law savvy. They
direct gang activities.
The associates wear the identifying
clothing, attend the functions
and wear tatoos. Generally, they
are the most active, visible and
violent as they strive to build a
reputation and impress the hard
core members.
Aspiring gang members, called
"wanna-be's," wear the gang
"Parents and relatives
of gang members live
with a double fear-for
their own safety and for
the gang member son
or daughter. "
John Fraser
Let's Talk Teeth...
By Linda Mann, RDH
This month, since there are so
many people suffering from
allergies, I would like to share the
following article with you taken
from "Air Currents" newsletter
published by Allen and Hansbury's
Respitory Institute.
"It hurts to bite down on that
side," he says to the dentist before
sticking his finger inside. The
dental exam shows no sign of of a
problem; however, a visit to his
physician reveals a sinus infection.
Dentists encounter this more often than you might think. This is
because the roots of the upper molars and back teeth lie just below the
floor of the maxillary sinus. Sinus congestion or infection increases the
pressure of the sinus cavity, irritating the roots of the teeth below.
Increased pressure from chewing stimulates the sensitive nerve endings
further, and a toothache is born.
Sinus-related tooth pain is often mistaken for tooth decay. How can
you tell the difference? When something is wrong with a tooth, the pain
usually increases within a short period of time. Pain is most often
localized to one tooth, with constant throbbing and intense pain.
On the other hand, a sinus-related toothache tends to come and go over
longer periods of time. Most of the time, it seems to affect a more general
area rather than just one tooth. The pain may increase or decrease when
you stand up.
Sinus-related toothaches are treated with antibiotics and decongestants.
A hot compress, warm tea and rest may also help.
clothing , trying to attain status, but
are have not yet acquired full gang
membership.
Fraser said that Native American
youths tend to join the Black and
Hispanic gangs.
How do gangs function?
Gang power resides in
commanding the group with
violence, intimidation, control of
money and resources.
Most members are proud of their
gang and freely admit membership.
They readily use and display their
affiliations.
Gangs usually adopt a name that
shows they are from a
neighborhood, street or region.
Most members adopt a nickname
or street name. They wear gang
symbols on clothing, use the a sports
team emblem, a certain brand or
color of clothing to indicate gang
membership.
Gang members use graffiti to mark
their turf, or territory, to announce
the gang's status, power and
allegiance.
Graffiti is vandalism and sends
the message that citizens are not
in control of their neighborhood.
Effects of gangs
"Gangs can extract a terrible toll
from everyone who comes in
contact with them," Fraser said.
' 'Parents and relatives of gang
members live with a double fear -for
their own safety and for the
survival of the gang member son or
daughter."
Non-gang friends are cast aside
and soon the youth's only friends
are gang members.
Gang membership is a temporary
phase for most youths, but that time
shapes their future. They stop goi ng
to school, start building police
records and many will be killed,
injured or become addicted to
alcohol and drugs.
Gang violence can ruin a
neighborhood by intimidation,
graffiti, property destruction,
burglaries, robberies and shootings.
Resident live in fear of violence and
insurance rates escalate.
What you can do
- Report all crime and gang
activity.
- Organize a block watch.
Be visible. , , .
- Paint out graffiti.
- Get involved with young people.
- Become aware and informed.
Confirmation numbers
given to members
Contract Health Service (CHS)
has been giving out confirmation
numbers for all pre-authorized
medicalhealth services since April
4 of this year. This new system was
designed to help members know for
certain their medicaldental
services were preauthorized. Every
time a person visits a doctor or
dentist, they will need to call CHS
to receive a confirmation number.
It will be helpful to have a pen and
a piece of paper ready to write down
the number. So far, everyone has
been pleased to receive a
confirmation number and seem to
think it is a good idea.
Remember, if you have any
questions regarding payment of
medical or dental services, please
call 1-800-775-0095 or (503)879
2002 and speak to Barbara Steere,
Jackie Provost, or Teri Holsclaw.
If you want to be the picture of
health,you'd better have a happy
frame of mind.