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The INDEPENDENT, July 15, 2004
Ryan White System offers HIV services
Are you HIV positive? Is a
family member HIV positive?
Do you need help getting med-
ical or dental care? Housing?
Transportation? Health insur-
ance? These are only some of
the services and referrals avail-
able in Columbia County
through the Ryan White Care
System.
The Ryan White System is a
group of agencies that receives
funds to provide services to
people who are HIV positive.
Many of these services are free
or low-cost. If you live in Co-
L
lumbia County, you qualify for
services if either you or a fami-
ly member is HIV positive and
meet the income limit.
Once you are in the pro-
gram, a case manager will work
with you to make a plan based
on your needs. For some
clients, the immediate need is
finding a doctor who knows
about HIV treatment options.
Clients who already have a
doctor may need gas vouchers
or bus tickets to get to and from
appointments. Others need
help paying for HIV medica-
eonetti’s
Pizza & Grill
Mon. - Fri. 5 a..m. - 9 p.m Breakfast til 11 a.m.
Sat. 6 a.m. - 9 p.m Breakfast til Noon
Closed on Sunday
Served in Air Conditioned Comfort
721 Madison Ave., Vernonia • 503-429-5018
tions. The purpose of the pro-
gram is to identify individual
needs and find ways to meet
those needs so that people
who are HIV positive stay as
healthy as possible.
The program is named after
Ryan White, who was 13 years
old when he was diagnosed
with AIDS in 1984. His strug-
gles to continue attending pub-
lic school and get needed serv-
ices made national headlines.
Ryan and his family worked
hard to replace the bigotry and
fear surrounding HIV and AIDS
with greater understanding of
the disease. A few months after
Ryan’s death in 1990, the Ryan
White CARE Act was passed
by Congress. His legacy con-
tinues today through the Ryan
White Care System.
To learn more about the
Ryan White Care System, HIV
and AIDS, or to be tested for
HIV, call Columbia Public
Health, 503-397-4651, or 1-
800-244-4870.
Health Notes
By Audeen Wagner
Judith Hargis, P.A.-C., is launching an ongoing
effort to inform the community about a variety
of health issues. So watch this column over the
coming months for some information of general
interest for better health.
This month’s topic is ALLERGIES. Any-
one suffering from this annoying condition
knows how uncomfortable it can be. And, it
is often hard to determine whether you are
coming down with a cold or flu, or if maybe
it’s just those seasonal allergies kicking in. The symptoms can be
deceptively similar: you may feel fatigue, body aches, even cough
and sore throat; these symptoms can be allergy-related.
Here are some “red flags” to look for when asking “Is it flu or al-
lergies??”:
- High fever, not relieved by Tylenol or other medication
- Persistent cough
- Extensive sinus pressure or pain
- Symptoms not improving after three or four days.
If these symptoms are present, you should be seen for evalua-
tion and possible treatment. If it is determined that it is allergies
that are bugging you, there are a number of remedies out there to
try. If symptoms continue despite medication, you might be re-
ferred to an allergy specialist for skin tests to find out exactly what
it is that is causing your reactions.
Unfortunately, antibiotics are NOT a treatment for allergies, and
antibiotics WILL NOT CURE your virus cold or flu. Taking antibi-
otics when they are not indicated or not needed may even harm
you. Overuse of antibiotics can create “stronger” germs, which
become resistant to the antibiotic; the medical community has
found in recent years that some germs are already becoming re-
sistant to common antibiotics such as penicillin.
There are many different kinds of allergies that plague patients
– some “seasonal” like the hay fever type that usually hits in the
spring with multiple symptoms of sneezing, runny nose, watery,
itchy eyes. Others are present year round, such as allergies to
house dust mites.
These few words barely scratch the surface of the world of al-
lergies; the subject is very complex and confusing. Providence-
Vernonia urges allergy sufferers to call for an appointment to get
help in managing this aggravating condition.
Next Mammovan Visit is August 18. Call 503-429-9191 for an
appointment.
Women’s Center will close doors
temporarily to clean and do repairs
Columbia County Women’s
Resource Center will be closed
for three weeks to clean and
paint starting at 5:00 p.m. on
Friday, July 23, and will re-
open at 8:00 a.m. on Monday,
August 16. Phone calls (503-
397-6161 and 866-397-6161)
will be forwarded to the Port-
land Women’s Crisis Line.
In order to get everything
done, the Center needs help
from the community. Volun-
teers with time and expertise
are needed for tasks that in-
clude cleaning windows, re-
pairing screens, tile work, gar-
dening or any number of
“household chores.” To volun-
teer – for a few hours or a
whole day – call Elizabeth at
503-397-7110.
Because of budget con-
straints, the Center is also
seeking help with cleaning sup-
plies, paint and other miscella-
neous materials needed for re-
pairs. Also needed are twin and
full size sheets, pillows, blan-
kets and towels. Constant use
and repeated washings wear
out these items quickly.
For more information, call
503-397-7110.