Newspapers / What’s Happening (High Point, … / Dec. 17, 1971, edition 1 / Page 2
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Sickle Cell Anemia Predominant In Blacks First In A Series Drug Council Formed (Continued from Page 1) Sickle cell anemia is an inherited abnormal blood condition which oc curs predominantly in black people. In recent legislation, Congress ap propriated money for a comprehensive research program to study the disease and its cure. Meanwhile, it is estimated that one in every 400 to 500 black Americans has sickle cell anemia. Anemia is lack of hemoglobin, the red coloring matter in the blood. Hem oglobin supplies all of the body tis sues with oxygen. There are two forms of the sickle cell disorder. When the red blood cells contain an abnormal substance called Hemoglobin S, the cells take on an irregular shape resembling a sickle. These “sickled” cells have a much shorter life span than normal cells be cause they are destroyed. The rate of destruction exceeds the rate of pro duction and thus anemia results. Symptoms of the disorder are fre quent pains and chronic fatigue. Sickle cell anemia, which is not con tagious, can be treated. Tests to de termine whether a child or an adult is a carrier or a victim can be made. “What’s Happening” will carry a short series on sickle cell disorders for the next few issues. Meanwhile, Model Neighborhood residents who believe they might have this anemic disorder can be examined and treated free of charge at the Con solidated Health clinic, 508 Elizabeth Street. All patients who come to the clinic may receive this examination upon request. tional Rehabilitation. Civic organizations such as Junior Women, Junior League, Council of Jewish Women and Jaycees, are also supporting the further development of the council. DETOXIFICATION One program which will be under taken within the next month is a detoxification cycle for addicts of her oin and other opiates. Dispensed at High Point Memorial Hospital, the program is funded by the state De partment of Mental Health and co ordinated by the Drug Action Council. The Drug Action Council is working with other organizations in develop ing and carrying out an addictive drug abuse program. As the addictive drug abuse pro gram (ADAP) expands, the Drug Ac tion Council office hopes to reach the entire community with education, pre vention, treatment, and rehabilitation through out-patient clinics, rap houses and other means. This week a seminar for High Point parents on the legal, medical, and social factors of drug abuse was con ducted by a consultant firm, United Health Services of North Carolina. The seminar was sponsored by the Drug Action Council. Nunez, who is in charge of staffing the administrative office, said that ex addicts are needed to work with the ADAP. He can be reached at the United Community Services office, 113 Gatewood Avenue. When the Drug Action Council of fice is in full swing, Ralph Nunez hopes it can change the direction of drug abuse in High Point. “We hope to add an element of planning and community input into the shaping of drug programs,” he said. “Something must be done, and were just fitting all the pieces together.” Only Ten Of Its Kind In U. S. Central Office Helps Displaced Families High Point’s Central Relocation Agency is the only one of its kind in the Southeast. Other cities have relocation services. High Point’s centralized office, how ever, is the only one set up by Hous ing and Urban Development guide lines within the city go\’crnment. Instigated by the Model Cities Com mission, the Central Relocation Agen cy (CRA) handles the relocation of any person or family who is displac ed because of government action. This service means that if a house is found substandard, is condemned, or is bought to make way for another building or redevelopment project, the family in it is entitled to help in finding another home. For the city government in a com munity to take on a social service such as relocation is a relatively new con cept, according to Grace T. Hodges, the city’s human resources admini strator. Only ten such centralized re location offices exist throughout the country. Usually, relocation is handled through a city’s redevelopment com mission. Until the inception of the CRA in March, the local redevelop ment commission did indeed provide aid to families displaced because of their projects. Likewise, the Housing Authority made its own relocation arrangements when buildings were to be torn down to make way for new housing projects. REFERRED TO CRA Now all cases are referred tp CRA, who contracts with both those agencies as well as Model Cities to relocate families in suitable homes. The City of High Point bears the administrative cost of the office, located in City Hall. Grace Hodges and her staff of three work particularly with families within the Model Neighborhood who are re quired to move because of code en forcement regulations, and those whose homes are acquired to make way for the new Multi-Purpose Serv ice Center and open-space project in Southside. Currently, their work load has ex ceeded 200 cases. Some of these fam ilies were living in substandard hous ing which the owner has agreed to re habilitate. In many instances, the family is required to move during the remodeling, and temporary housing was needed. Problems arise in situations like this, because the realtor may raise the rent to include the cost of upgrading the house — and price the family right out of a home. In other cases, the realtor may choose not to rehabilitate (repair) the house, leaving the family homeless. It is these people that CRA helps. As soon as the city building inspector finds a structure substandard, he con tacts the CRA office. Within the next day or so, a CRA representative calls on the family, gets information about size, income, social problems, prefer ences, etc., and informs them of their benefits. These benefits range from actual moving expenses to rent subsidy up to two years. In cases where home owners are required to move, CRA will help pay the difference between the cost of his old property and the average cost of new property. Finding new homes for displaced families is one of the most difficult tasks facing Mrs. Hodges and her staff. Because of HUD standards, the CRA may not place a family into a new building that has inadequate bedroom space. Many times the family’s income will not permit them to move into a home the size they need. RENT ASSISTANCE About 25 j)ercent of a family’s in come is used as a base for determining the price of housing it can afford. If more than 25 percent is needed, CRA can help in rent assistance to make up the difference. Or, a family can take smaller, less expensive housing at its own discretion. Twenty units in the new High Point Housing Association project, London Woods, are reserved for displaced per sons. Even with these homes, CRA is still swamped with families with no place to go. Public housing provides room for fewer than five new families a month. Although displacees within the Model Neighborhood have top priority for re located housing, Mrs. Hodges said that all the CRA resources still cannot pro vide decent, safe, sanitary housing at this point for all their clients. It is important, however, that a fam ily wait until they have been notified by the CRA to move. “Anyone in a Model Neighborhood house that has either been condemned or declared substandard, or told they have to move should not move until we contact them,” said Yvonne McCall, relocation director. “If they move with out our referral, they won’t be en titled to our benefits.” CRA’s clients so far, she said, have been very receptive. Despite the short age of housing in High Point, a num ber of displaced families have been moved into homes meeting their size, needs, and income. And the CRA is working constantly to see tliat that number grows. Coronary Care Unit Gets Commission Nod The Model Cities Commission has taken a coronary care unit under its wing. Approval for the sponsorship of a heart unit at High Point Memorial Hospital came at the December meet ing of the commission. With Model Cities endorsement, federal funds to finance $150,000 worth of sophisticated equipment are con sidered more likely. Model Cities ap proval will give the hospital higher priority for the money. Dr. Ronald L. Cox, local cardiolog ist who represented the hospital at the meeting, said that the new equip ment would vastly increase the life- saving capabilities of the hospital in the treatment of heart attacks. The entire expansion is expected to cost nearly $350,000. The hospital re ceived an earlier allocation of $100,000, to match $100,000 raised locally. Model Cities will give no funds directly to the new eight-room coron ary unit. Last year the commission al located $179,000 to the establishment of a catherization laboratory at the hospital. The next step in setting up the ex panded heart care facilities is apply ing to the Department of Health, Edu cation and Welfare. No indication has been given as to the availability of such funds at this time. WHAT’S HAPPENING is published bimonthly by the Model Cities Com mission of High Point, North Carolina, William S. Bencini, Mayor; Dr. Otis E. Tillman, Commission Chairman; Don J. Fomey, Director; Cecil A. Brown, Information and Evaluation Specialist. Offices of the agency are located at 609 S. Main St., High Point, N. C. 27260. Telephone 885-8214 or 882-9924. The preparation of this magazine and its free distribution were financially aided and made possible through a federal grant from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development under Title I of the Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Act of 1966. Editor Emily Hedrick
What’s Happening (High Point, N.C.)
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Dec. 17, 1971, edition 1
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