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BRIEFLY
Edited by Donald Sevener
DEADLY PICTURES
With his likeness painted on the side of a building, Dennis Rodman's tattoos stopped traffic on a Chicago expressway. But for hundreds of young people, tattoos can more likely mean stopping a bullet. Adolescents who were tattooed as part of an initiation into a gang at age 10 or 11 find that leaving that stigma behind as adults trying to get a job is as difficult as trying to remove the tattoos themselves. Often, they resort to scorching them off with burning spoons. There is a better way. Two separate but similar programs in Elgin and Chicago are trying to help former gang members leave the traces of their gang lives behind by removing tattoos with laser surgery. A plastic surgeon in Elgin, Dr. Jay Rosenberg, began the original program, called Operation Fresh Start, at St. Joseph Hospital in 1995. "We had over 1,000 calls the first weekend," says Patricia Affett, director of the Advanced Surgery and Laser Center at St. Joseph. Since then, the hospital has treated more than 630 patients who average two tattoos each. More than 4,000 people have called the hospital, and more than 2,000 remain on a waiting list, which is used to randomly select clients for the free procedure. "This program offers me a chance for a new beginning. I've learned, in life, people judge you by appearance, and when the first thing they see are tattoos, they get an impression that is not always correct," says one former gang member who is now a mother and working on a nursing degree. The Elgin program was originally restricted to gang members, but it has been made available to other people in the community for a fee. "One woman came to us desperate to have her newly completed 'cute' tattoo removed because she learned that it might be mistaken for a gang insignia," says Sandee Dragel of the laser center. And the woman's fear was not unfounded. The impetus for starting the tattoo-removal program was the shooting of a young man whose tattoo was mistaken for that of a rival gang. He was left a paraplegic. A similar program was started in February at Madison Family Health Center in Chicago, which is affiliated with Cook County Hospital. Held only on Saturdays at first, the program has been extended to four days a week, with more than 800 people on a waiting list. The center charges participants $25, but it is free to those who submit a receipt for a handgun that has been surrendered to the Chicago Police Department. (So far only one gun has been turned in; however, according to Officer Willis Shannon, the crime prevention division has had several calls. "Many who call are reluctant to have us come to their house to get the guns," says Shannon.) Dr. Rosenberg, as well as Dr. John Cox, a dermatologist, Dr. Andrew Kramer, a general surgeon, at St. Joseph's, and Dr. Tariq Butt, a plastic surgeon with Cook County, donate their time to the programs. The Elgin hospital has established the St. Joseph Hospital Foundation to continue funding for the tattoo-removal program. "There's a lot of demand for removing the gang emblems," says Affett. - Beverley Scobell
Yellow buses hit the road on info superhighway Do you still think Yahoo refers only to some brutes in Gulliver's Travels? Does the World Wide Web sound like a sequel to the 1990 film Arachnophobia? Does "http" look like something from a baseball box score? In short, are you "technologically challenged"? If so, you're in trouble. If you are a teacher, you're in big trouble. Today, kids have to be familiar with these matters, and school districts need to act now if they want to ensure feasible and usable (as well as affordable) access to the information highway. Bruce Barker and Robert Hall, professors at Western Illinois University, have prepared a 16-page booklet, "Long-Term Technology Planning: Laying the Foundation To Improve Illinois Schools," to help school board members and district administrators begin to grapple with these questions in a rational and systematic fashion. Published by WlU's Institute for Rural Affairs, the booklet lists the elements needed for a well-articulated technology plan, suggests steps to create such a plan, deals with such thorny issues as staff development and funding and discusses the relative importance of software and hardware. It also informs us that Stanford University's Yahoo site is one of the most popular sites on the World Wide Web. - Anna Merritt
8 ¦ June 1996 Illinois Issues
NEIGHBORHOOD RENAISSANCE
The abandoned, boarded up apartment building on North Keeler Avenue in Chicago no longer attracts gangbangers and drug pushers. Now it attracts families with children. That's because the building has been transformed by seven months of renovations, which created six energy-efficient three-bedroom condominiums, the first in the area. Now the brick exterior has been acid-washed and the yard landscaped with a wrought-iron fence bordering a grassy front lawn. Inside, the apartments were gutted and outfitted with new wiring, plumbing and heating, walls and floors, and kitchen appliances. Creating this type of affordable housing in a high-crime area — West Garfield Park has one of the city's worst murder rates — took the combined efforts of grass-roots organizers, developers and government officials, as well as the initiative and backing of local utility companies. Energy-related expenses are a critical part of maintaining a home. For that reason, Commonwealth Edison, the local supplier of electricity, devised a program to turn once-vacant buildings into homes affordable to low- and middle-income people. The project, called Renaissance Illinois, starts with vacant properties acquired by the city of Chicago through its Abandoned Property Program. That program allows structurally sound buildings to be transferred to developers who will convert them to affordable housing. ComEd and Argonne National Laboratory, run by the U.S. Department of Energy, work with developers to ensure energy efficiency in lighting, insulation, windows and air sealing, with a goal of saving homeowners 50 percent on their energy bills. The Keeler Avenue condos, started last year, are the first of four projects to be completed. Nine projects are slated for renovation this year and another 12 next year. - Beverley Scobell
WEB SITE OF THE MONTH
Summer's (almost) here and the living should get easier. It's time to take to the road for a family vacation, a weekend getaway or just a day-long jaunt far from anything that keeps you occupied Monday through Friday. It's time, in the words of the state office of tourism, to get "A Million Miles from Monday." Fortunately, you don't have to go a million miles to do it. Just tune in to the World Wide Web at http://www.enjoyillinois.com/ for a guide to vacations or getaways to fit your budget, your schedule, your interests and your energy level. As the office of tourism advertises: "Whatever you're looking for — world-class culture, magnificent shopping, historical points of interest or a nature trek, it's waiting for you and your family in Illinois." The web site links you to such features as "attractions," "events," "food," "golf," "outdoors" and "where to stay," and makes it easy to customize your excursion with a handy trip planner. There also are links to new travel destinations, a calendar of events and maps. So pack your bags and get a million miles away — right here in Illinois. - Donald Sevener
Legislative update Who says this was a do-nothing spring for Illinois lawmakers? Before calling it quits May 24, they managed to nail down a $33.8 billion state budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 — and approve a few substantive measures, along with some feel-good measures — before hitting the campaign trail. They passed, and the governor signed, a measure designed to regulate corporate hog farms (see April Illinois Issues, page 16). The new law sets standards for livestock waste lagoon construction. It requires the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to investigate complaints about waste management, and it requires owners to document their financial ability to clean up the facilities. Lawmakers also approved, for a second time, and the governor signed for a second time, a measure to bolster the fund used to clean up leaking underground petroleum storage tanks (see October, page 6). The funding will be provided by an increase in the fees paid by the petroleum industry. An earlier version was overturned because the court ruled lawmakers could not include it in legislation with unrelated matters. Legislators agreed to allow downstate counties to cap property taxes (see May, page 30). The option applies to government units without home rule status and would need voter approval. Lawmakers approved legislation specifying a 48- to 96-hour hospital stay for newborns (see May, page 27). The so-called "drive-through delivery" bill is designed to prevent too-early discharge of women and their babies. - Brian Lee Illinois Issues June 1996 ¦ 9 BRIEFLY
Farmers try erosion control with willows Shakespeare's Desdemona sang a song about willows and reflected on how they expressed her fortune. Now the ancient riverbank twig that inspired Desdemona is coming into favor again with state conservationists. And it might express the fortune of some Illinois farmers. The willow is a natural stabilizer for creeks and streams that suffer erosion from violent rains, runoff and floods. The state is awarding grants totalling $112,547 to 15 soil and water conservation districts that will use willows to attempt to restore eroding streambanks. Willow cuttings are planted along eroded banks and, as the plants take root, they bind the soil together. The foliage of the fast-growing trees also slows floodwaters that might otherwise aggravate bank erosion. "Many tons of topsoil can wash off a field in one rain," says Myron Richter, resource conservationist for the Ogle County Soil and Water Conservation District. "It's been a frustrating problem for farmers for years, and they're hopeful this demonstration project will solve part of the problem of erosion. - Beverley Scobell Judge not laughing about appeals delays This is a joke without a punch line. "A very bad joke," is how U.S. District Judge Milton I. Shadur characterized the state's response to his order to produce a plan to cut the backlog of appeals in the State Appellate Defender's Cook County office. But last month, the Cook County Judicial Advisory Council announced an emergency plan under which 100 attorneys from as many as 10 Chicago law firms will file briefs and argue appeals for indigent defendants. Some indigent defendants who wish to appeal have to wait more than two years before briefs are filed, meaning, in some cases, that they serve their sentences before their appeals are heard. Shadur found the situation unacceptable. However, everyone sees the plan as a stopgap measure. Only an increase in funds for the office can cure the problem. Still, an officer of one of the law firms, quoted in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, is looking on the bright side. He noted that this is a fine opportunity for young lawyers to get firsthand experience that would otherwise not be available. He said he will supervise the neophytes' efforts. - F. Mark Siebert
SAVING LIVES
Poland's infant mortality rate has dropped by half during the past five years. That's due in part to an assist from Illinois docs. The University of Illinois at Chicago teamed up with the Karol Marchinkowski Medical University of Poznan in an effort to improve perinatal and neonatal care in Poland. For the past five years the two universities have pooled information and staff resources. Polish doctors have received intensive training in neonatology at UIC. At the same time, medical, nursing and administrative staff from the university traveled to Poland to run training programs and to help design a perinatal care system for pregnant mothers and newborns modeled after the one in Illinois. "We have a regionalized system of perinatal care in Illinois," says Fran Jaeger, the administrator of the UIC Perinatal Network. UIC, one of 10 perinatal networks in the state, coordinates education for professional staff, physicians and nurses and has created a transport system for high-risk mothers and sick infants who need to move from one hospital to another. "In Illinois, we have hospitals designated to provide a certain level of care," says Jaeger. "If you coordinate services, and you get the right patient to the right level of care, it will have a beneficial impact on infant death rates and maternal death rates. A regional delivery system can have a positive impact on the health of both mother and infant. It's the same kind of model that's been adopted in Poland as a result of our partnership." In mid-June, Dr. Dharmapuri Vidyasagar, professor of pediatrics and director of neonatology at UIC, will lead a delegation to Poland to participate in sessions on organizing and running a regionalized perinatal program. Other UIC faculty and staff will join the delegation. The Chicago-based Polish National Alliance has provided funding to offset some travel costs and other expenses associated with the exchange of personnel between the two countries. While in Poland, Dr. Vidyasagar will receive the University of Medical Sciences' highest scientific title, "Doctorat Honoris Causa," in recognition of his work to improve the health of mothers and children worldwide. - Debi Edmund 10 ¦ June 1996 Illinois Issues
HIGH TIDE
Mother Nature's torrential strike last month left many folks throughout Illinois soggy and hardly in a celebratory frame of mind for Mother's Day. April and May produced a bumper crop of news accounts and heartrending pictures of families making hasty evacuations from approaching floods. While the human drama of the flood victims captured attention, state officials have been waging a behind-the-scenes battle that is frequently just as compelling. Using the experiences gained during and after the massive floods of 1993, the Illinois Department of Public Health (with a hand from other agencies and organizations) has compiled a coping manual, entitled "Emergency Preparedness Manual /After the Flood." The manual, presented in a loose-leaf notebook, concerns public health and safety issues that may arise after a major flood. It lists resources and programs that may help flood victims start the process of recovery. Separate sections deal with safety and injury control; food, water and hygiene; the potential for disease; and pests such as mosquitoes, flies, rodents and snakes. A section on rebuilding and flood-proofing advises those whose homes were damaged or destroyed but who decide to remain in the area on ways to protect themselves and minimize future damage. Readers interested in the more general issue of climate change — which some have linked to increased precipitation — might also want to obtain a copy of the June 1996 report of the Task Force on Global Climate Change, "The Illinois Response to Climate Change," available from the Department of Natural Resources. - Anna Merritt Illinois Issues June 1996 ¦ 11 |
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Sam S. Manivong, Illinois Periodicals Online Coordinator |
