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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 2, 2003)
Page 6 The INDEPENDENT, January 2, 2003 even a quillo. Thank you to all the eager bidders and hopeful shoppers. It gave the day a joy T h e ous lot of laughter. rains still The last business meeting of come, but we did 2002 was held after the dinner. Suggested changes in the By- h a v e Laws will be voted on at the s n o w January 2003 meeting, on the Tuesday 17th at 1:00 p.m., when the the 24th, new officers will be seated. Re ___________ on my way out of town at Top Hill. elected were President Ruth There was still a roadside trace Bell, Secretary Bernice Frey, of it when I came home mid-af and Treasurer George Gans, ternoon, but it was snow. and newly elected Vice-Presi dent Dave McCoy. Christmas dinner #1 Remember to renew or join Salmon, was well attended. The salmon was baked to a the Senior Center. $10.00 a turn. Thank you, Sir, for the gift. year. Each member in good It was the first taste of salmon standing (dues paid) has a vote of the year 2002 for many of us. (voice) in the business of the Just before dinner, while center. The center needs your munching the vegetable trays, ideas, help and imput to keep there was a Building Fund Auc us an active, acceptable entity tion, pictures, mirrors, doilies, in the community. We still have 2003 calendars potholders, afghans, laprobes, for sale. Monies go into the Building fund. There are two choices: Patriots or North American Wildlife. $3.00 each. Christmas Dinner #2, Turkey and all the trimmings was noon the 24th. I was out, but the Tuesday/Thursday girls are good cooks. Sorry I got the date wrong in the paper. The date was changed and I wasn’t advised until after news dead line. If you have been in the cen ter since Thanksgiving, you may have noticed we have been forced into the 21st centu ry, by putting up observation mirrors in the craft and thrift ar eas. It’s a sad day when a busi ness of our ilk has to admit that merchandise is just walking out the door, but you don’t see it go. We honestly prefer to trust our patrons, but times are Area women eligible for health screening to aid early detection of breast, cervical cancers Ten Columbia County resi dents lost their lives to breast or cervical cancer in 2001. These new statistics were just received by Columbia County Public Health. This is an in crease of five deaths from the year 2000, but a closer look at the statistics, show an increase in the survivor rate for 2001. “ It is true we had ten deaths, but we had 110 invasive breast or cervical cancers diagnosed," said Marcia Williamson, pro gram coordinator for the Colum bia County Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program (BCCP). “In 2000, we had 87 invasive cancers diagnosed with five deaths. That is an in crease in the survival rate by over four percent. To me, that il lustrates the annual screenings do work," said Williamson. Williamson urges people to schedule annual screening ex ams with their health care provider. ‘The best defense is early detection," she said. “De tecting breast or cervical cancer early offers the highest chance for successful treatment.” A woman’s health check, in cluding self-breast exam in struction, clinical breast exam, pelvic exam, pap test and mammogram is still the best way to detect cancer at its ear liest stages. Women who have no health insurance may quali ty for a free woman's health check by calling Columbia County Public Health at 503- 397-4651 or 1-800-244-4870, for information. The program has three lev els of service to women who are uninsured, low income or have high insurance de ductibles that keep them from getting annual screening. The first level prioritizes women 50 years of age and older, be cause the incidence of breast cancer increases with age. The second level serves women 40 to 50 years. Women in this age group are eligible to begin an nual clinical breast exams and get a mammogram baseline. Women 40 years and younger are served when family history or individual symptoms indicate a need for more screening. Some people, unaware that early detection saves lives, be lieve that cancer is always fatal. Others may understand the benefits of early detection, but lack access to screening due to financial or geographic barri ers. That is where the Colum bia County Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program comes in. “We want all women in Columbia County to know about our program ,” said Williamson. Since the program has been available, no Vernon ia women have used it. Williamson has the help of the Women's Health Aware ness Coalition of Columbia County to promote education and remove barriers that pre vent women from accessing health screening services. Koni Comfort and Cindy Pruett are co-chairs of the coalition. “The group was formed in March of 1997 to provide information so women can make good choices about their health screening and tests," said Comfort. The Coalition has done spe cial one-time events in the past, and is now working to obtain non-profit status. “We hope this will help us do more for the women of Columbia County," Comfort adds. Anyone interested in joining the Coalition may call Williamson at Columbia County Public Health at 503-397-4651. V e r n o n ia P h o to changing. Yes, the items we sell are given (donated) to us by those who no longer need or can use them. We, in turn, sell them at a minimal cost to pay expenses to keep our doors open for you. We’ve the same expenses as any other business, lights, phone, gas, heat, garbage and insurance and license fees and food expenses. Even helping your neighbor isn’t a free ride. Just a word to the wise. Next year, I will be having more yarns, materials and jew- lery plus hit the spot gift items for sale, but I, like everyone else, got inundated with too many irons in the fire and had to choose what was important to me, so the craft area had to take a back seat. I am serious ly looking for someone with a knowledge of knitting, crochet ing and sewing skills (who can answer questions, show or suggest alternative ideas to pa trons in search for help) to work in the craft area a couple of days a week. Contact Ruth, please. It is work, yes, but you meet nice folks with your inter ests in keeping hand made crafts alive. I drove around town the evening of the 23rd to see the Christmas spirit and was sad dened to see that not many this year had outdoor displays, but those that did were well appre ciated. Thank you for sharing the Spirit of Christmas, some were very ornate, some a sim ple, heartfelt statement. I’ll see you around the lake or at City Council meeting Jan uary 6, 6:30 p.m., Vernonia Cares meeting, January 14, 4:30 p.m., Vernonia Pioneer Museum, January 8, 7:00 p.m. They all need your imput and support in 2003. Look for our Big Yardage Sale at the end of January and if you know anybody who sews, be sure to tell them about it. I won’t see you in the fun nies. Happy New Year. From Senior Advocate, Karen Miller: As of the beginning of No vember, pharmacy providers across Oregon have been invit ed to participate in Oregon’s new Senior Prescription Drug Assistance Program. Qualifying seniors 65 and older can pur chase prescription drugs from participating pharmacies at the state Medicaid rate. Stop by or call our office for more informa tion. 503-429-9112. INFORMATION NUMBERS COLCO Transportation .......................... 429-4304 Senior Advocate.. 429-9112 Senior Center..... 429-3912 If you're a woman over age 50 who has no insurance... M ake i t yo u r N e w Year’s Resolution to get a Women’s Health Check Which can include: Blood Pressure Check ** Breast Exam ** Breast SelS-Exam ** Pelvic Exam Pap Test * Mammogram • Weddings • Family Portraits • Senior Portraits • Special Events • Passport Photos Call Columbia County Public Health 503-429-9273 Breast & Cervical Screening Cancer Program 5 0 3 -3 9 7 -4 6 5 1 or 1 -8 0 0 -2 4 4 -4 8 7 0 859 Bridge St., Vernonia
