| January 19, 2004
WCRC NEWS
Money Makes the World Go 'Round...
The Board of Directors of the WCRC is looking for a woman
with a background in accounting/financial management/full
charge bookkeeping to become the Treasurer of our Board
of Directors. The work is dynamic, interesting and truly
makes a difference in the lives of women who have cancer.
The Board meets monthly and there is at least one additional
committee meeting each month. We have a great professional
staff who keeps our organization running smoothly with the
help of nearly 200 volunteers.
The Treasurer's job is to insure the financial reports
of the organization are prepared and accurately reflect
our financial position and to keep your colleagues on the
Board fully informed of our financial position. We also
have an annual outside audit of our finances. You will work
with the Executive Director, Bookkeeper and accounting firm
as our Treasurer; the job typically takes about 8 to 12
hours per month.
We are seeking someone with a strong accounting background
who has experience with non-profit fund accounting--especially
budgeting and working with grants. Please direct your interest
to our Executive Director, Mary Tunison at mary@wcrc.org.
It is the hardest volunteer job you will ever love.
LGBT Elders of Color
WCRC, in collaboration with Lavender Seniors of the East
Bay, invites you to join us on Saturday, January 17 from
11:00 am – 1:00 pm for a conversation focused on LGBT
Elders of Color and their needs. Anyone under 55 years old
is welcomed to participate. For more information, please
contact Peggy Moore at 510.667.9355 x115 or Peggy@lavendarseniors.org.
Refreshments will be served.
Retreat Space Needed
The facilitators of the African American Women with Cancer
support group are seeking a house in a peaceful setting
that would accommodate up to twelve women for two nights.
Our group has experienced the loss of five members since
October 1, 2003 and we want to get away to a nice quiet
place so we can nurture each other. This retreat will enable
us to heal and bring renewed energy to the group. The dates
in consideration are April 16-18 or April 30 – May
2, 2004. For more information, please contact Dolores @
510.420.7900 x112.
Doing Good and Driving Well or is it Driving Good and
Doing Well?
The WCRC has accepted a wonderful donation of a 2000 Saturn
automobile with the intention it be sold for cash to support
our work. It is a great run about car, with just about 30,000
miles, am/fm radio, air conditioning, automatic transmission
and in very good shape. If you would like to know more,
contact Mary at 510/601-4040 ext. 101 or at mary@wcrc.org
Volunteer facilitators needed for two WCRC peer-led support
groups:
- Lesbians with Cancer
- Friends and Family of Women with Cancer.
For the Lesbians with Cancer group, we are looking for
a lesbian who has completed cancer treatment to co-facilitate
the group for lesbians with various types of cancer. Group
meets 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month from 6 to 8pm.
For the Friends and Family Group, we are looking for someone
to co-facilitate who has had a loved one at some point in
their life who has had cancer. Group meets 1st and 3rd Thursdays
from 7-8:30pm. Please contact Emily for more information:
510-601-4040 x109 or emily@wcrc.org.
Daytime Support!
We have started a second Women with Cancer Support Group
on Mondays from 11:30am-1pm. It began with a great group
of women and more are certainly welcome! Please call one
of the facilitators before attending: Mary 510-685-7473
or Janet 510-524-6116.
Wish List
WCRC needs a larger screen TV (the one we have is 20"
and only picks up Laverne and Shirley reruns) for group
showing of movies and training materials to our clients.
If you have one in good working order that you no longer
need, please contact margo@wcrc.org or phone 510-420-7900
x111. Thanks!
TREATMENT OPTIONS AND RESEARCH
HEALTH
Drug Alert
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is taking steps to
remove phenylpropanolamine (PPA) from all drug products
and has requested that all drug companies discontinue marketing
products containing PPA. In addition, FDA has issued a public
health advisory concerning phenylpropanolamine. This drug
is an ingredient that was used in many over-the-counter
(OTC) and prescription cough and cold medications as a decongestant
and in OTC weight loss products.
Since companies continue to reformulate their products,
FDA is not maintaining a comprehensive, updated list of
products that still contain PPA. FDA is aware of emails
circulating widely that list many products allegedly containing
PPA. These emails, however, generally contain dated and
inaccurate information and should be ignored.
The FDA recommends that consumers read the labels of OTC
drug products to determine if the product contains PPA.
The Agency believes this to be the most accurate method
for determining the PPA content of OTC products rather than
providing an incomplete or out-of-date list of products
that may have already been reformulated and no longer contain
PPA.
More
information.
ENVIRONMENT
ACTION ALERT
CALIFORNIA HEALTH CARE: CRISIS, IMPACT, AND REFORM
Seven million Californians, uninsured for health care.
Another eleven million, underinsured. On Wednesday, January
21, eight community organizations will present a forum focused
on this rapidly growing dilemma, at 7:00 PM, in the Mt.
Diablo Unitarian-Universalist Church, 55 Eckley Lane, Walnut
Creek.
Sponsors include the League of Women Voters, Diablo Valley;
the Mt. Diablo Peace Center; the Community Clinic Consortium
of Contra Costa; the Health-in-Action Committee of the Interfaith
Council of Costa County; the American Civil Liberties Union
of Contra Costa/Mt. Diablo; the Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO;
and Not-In-Our-Town/Contra Costa.
Forum speakers include Dr. William B. Walker, Director
and Health Officer, Contra Costa Health Department, who
will comment on the impact of the health-care crisis at
the County level, and Terri Waller, District Coordinator
for Assembly member, Loni Hancock, a co-sponsor of SB 921.
Ms. Waller will discuss the future of SB 921, California's
reform initiative. La Clinica has also been invited to provide
an additional speaker.
Other topics that audience members can raise, may include
the future of employment-based health insurance, the problem
of cost-shifting, and the single-payer alternative; the
future of government health-care programs, in the wake of
state-funding reductions; and life "in the trenches,"
as an uninsured health-care statistic.
The forum is a unique opportunity to ask questions and
discuss issues in a lively, informed, non-partisan setting.
For more information, call 925-283-2235, or 925-962-0379,
or check www.lwvdv.org.
EVENTS
Lesbian Health Salon Series Announced by the Lesbian
Health Research Center
New Salon Series Brings Lesbian Health Information into
the Community. Each Salon in the series will include a meet
and mingle hour followed by an informal, interactive discussion
on a selected topic led by LHRC medical and research leaders.
There is no charge to attend. At each event the question
of how lesbian health differs from women's health in general
will be briefly addressed. Timeframe for each Salon is 7:00
PM - 8:30 PM. For details on salons and their locations,
contact Betty Sullivan: LHRCenter@aol.com or 415-861-1637.
Schedule of Salons
Thursday, January 22 - Comparison of Same-Sex Couples
in Civil Unions and Their Lesbian/Gay Friends without
Civil Unions and Their Married Heterosexual
Thursday, February 26 - Heart Disease Risk Among Lesbians
Thursday, March 25 – Mental Health Issues Among Lesbians
The Lesbian Health Research Center (LHRC) is specifically
and uniquely concerned with the health and wellbeing of
lesbians, bisexual women, transgendered individuals and
their families; and with the health care available to them.
We believe that every lesbian has the right to be fully
informed about her health, health care should be sensitive
and relevant to lesbians and lesbian health research is
critical. LHRC has begun to bring
lesbian health information out of the closet and into the
hands of community members and health care providers through
its on-going activities and services. For information, visit
http://www.lesbianhealthinfo.org;
or e-mail: info@lesbianhealthinfo.org.
SAGE has issued a "call for proposals" for
its 2004 Conference, which will be held on June 18-19,
2004 at NYU. The site is accessible http://www.sageusa.org/images/events/sage-appl.doc
and will have low cost accommodations. If people have any
problem with the "call" or need other information,
they should call me, Sandy Warshaw, at 212-741-2166.
SAVE THE DATE!
"Unite for Change: New Approaches to Pesticides
and Environmental Health"
Please join us for the 22nd National Pesticide Forum in
Berkeley, April 2-4, 2004. The forum will be filled with
workshops, national and international speakers, and plenty
of time for networking with other pesticide and environmental
health activists from North America. There will be a lunch
or dinner devoted to California issues and campaigns.
Location: University of California, Berkeley
Date: Friday, April 2nd through Sunday April 4th, 2004
Sponsored by Pesticide Action Network North America, Beyond
Pesticides, and Californians for Pesticide Reform. More
information or contact John Kepner at 202-543-5450,
jkepner@beyondpesticides.org.
Urban IPM Conference
Save the date: the 8th Annual San Francisco Urban IPM Conference
will be on January 27th, 2004 from 8am to 4pm in San Francisco.
The conference will include a general Urban IPM session
plus two breakout groups focusing on vegetation management
and vertebrate management. $35 includes lunch, free for
SFCity employees. For details and registration information
visit SF Environment at www.sfenvironment.com
or call
415-355-3700.
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