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Complimentary to churches c9 //< c< ^ '<///</- f / ( //< /< < and community groups JHmnrfiy ©pportumftj Ncfris AOV 2730 STEMMONS FRWY STE. 1202 TOWER WEST, DALLAS, TEXAS 75207 VOLUME 7, NO. 3 March 1998 TPA (^ From tl^vt The Editor V -'N Chris Pryer Is the Arena Support referendum for " A Patient's Bill of Rights" on Democratic Primary Ballot a good deal? As managed health care contin •Full disclosure to all medical All of the hoopla is over now. No accoimtants." more of the slightly irritating whine of ues to grow and evolve, public out The Texas Medical Association options, not just the cheapest Sharon Boyd, treasurer and leading cry over the cold, business-like way it reports that 3.5 million Texans cur spokesperson for the If s A Bad Deal! is administered is increasing. Initially rently participate in managed care While health care maintenance campaign, babbling incessantly about touted as a more sensible and less plans and the number will exceed 5 orgaiiizations deny that they are dri why the building of a new sports arena expensive way to provide physidan million by the year 2000. - ven by the bottom line, close atten downtown would be a bad deal. No care for everyone ^by paying a little "The Patient's Bill of Rights will tion to that very bottom line would more smooth, glib, slick-as-Willie Sutton television appeals from Mayor Ron Kirk each month, provider members are help ensure that Texas families have seem to explain the lengthy and about how good a deal a new arena assured inexpensive health "mainte the right to choose the doctor they arduous procedure most enrollees would be for Dallas. The vote was cast nance," thereby* decreasing the want for the care they need; that must endure to get approval of a and the pro-arena forces, oulspending chances of falling into "bad" health medical decisions are made by med referral from an attending physician the anti-arena crowd by about 25 to 1, and the commensurate cost — man ical doctors, not insurance company to see a specialist. Of course, getting won by a sliver. aged care has metamorphosed into accountants; and that families have a referral in the first place isn't During the campaign, one of the an industry that seems more con the right to know all of their medical always easy, either. strongest appeals that Mayor Kirk made cerned with keeping down cost than was the claim of the aeation of 10,000 options, not just the cheapest," said MON is not advocating that jobs. (Or was it 10 million jobs? Whatev providing the best medical care for its White. "Our goal is simple — every health maintenance organizations er the amount, watch out for an influx of members. Texan deserves quality health care." have no apparatus in place to ensure l3"vurfvif i'iP'jAe' sltt^iofA^ir'n fai -tn^y this prbble^* by promoting a ''doctor components: * fiealth care to its rnembers. But there would be best served by voting yes, this one stood out the most. ' choice" referendum on the March 10 should be laws on the books that give The goal of most kinds of economi Democratic Primary ballot. Party •Right to choose your own doc the public alternatives and indepen cally-based municipal endeavors is to Chair Bill White, State Senate candi tor dence in their, interface with their create jobs. The number of people gain date Greg Underwood, State House •Access to comprehensive cancer health care provider. Voting "yes" for fully employed is most certaiiTly a prime candidate Sam Thorpe and Grayson care facilities A Patient's Bill of Rights is a good indicator of economic well-being. So the County Democrats recently unveiled •Assurance that physicians are first step towards achieving that dty of Dallas is willing to contribute $125 their plan for "A Patient's Bill of making medical decisions goal. million for 10,000 jobs. But will it really be Rights," a series of worth it? proposals designed Derrick Jackson, a columnist for the Boston Globe, dtes in his Feb. 23 columnto improve health some intriguing figures from a book pub care options for lished by the august Brookings Institu Texas families. The tion on sports stadium economics. The referendum gives lxK)k, Sports, Jobs and Taxes, looks at thmembee r families of expense incurred by dties building new health care mainte sports arenas and the resultant number of jobs they hope to realize. Then, using nance programs the simple math, it comes up with a cost per right to choose their job. own doctors. Baltimore's Camden Yards provided "Texas Democ jobs at a cost of between $127,000 and rats believe that $331,000 each. In Arizona, they built their every family major league baseball team, the Dia mondbacks, a new stadium. The cost per deserves health care job was alxjul $700,000. A proposed new they can count on stadium in Manhattan for the New York and a health care Yankees would provide the local econo-' system that puts my with 440 new jobs — at $1.8 million family health first," per gig! said White. "We Let's see. The cost of a new arena want to ensure that here will be approximately $230 million, meaning those 10,000 jobs will cost about Texas families have $23,000 each. Relatively cheap, by big dty the right to choose standards, wouldn't you say? But what their own doctors are we buying? Not a bunch of $650 an and that medical hour vending jobs, I hope. Can't raise a decisions are made family on that. Mayor Kirk. by physicians, not MON insurance industry fWrn.im^.gy=:rvrg^torite<yci^. Q tn^ go IT^m^TmF LETTERS... Need a New Auto Be It New Or Used Cover story Hotel Atrocities Tired Of The Run Around, 16 A Tale of Two Cities I would like to comment on Ms. CallTheMan Wearing The Hat, (Cheryl) Smith's December 1997 col Billy L, Cammack, At Toyota Of Irving umn, "Local Hyatt Hotel insults media Local (972) 258-1200 Features group." Ms. Smith slates that "it has 08 ...Q&A with Terdema Ussery always been [her] contention that in the Metro (972) 256-5544 Ext, (115) 26 Reconciliation Outreach absence of ownership by African Amer Daily From 9am - 9pm icans, black people must find institu For More Info. And To Set Up An Editorials tions that are dearly interested in devel oping relationships and supporting their Appointment, Credit Problems 02 Patient's Bill of Rights community." Properly Addressed. As members of a national black pro Billy L. Cammack "I Can Make A Difference." Columns fessional organization (National Associ New & Used Sales Proressional 02..... Editor's Comments ation of Black Journalists), it is this writer's contention that we, African 05 Community Pulse Americans, must provide these institu 07 Pen on Fire tions ourselves; for too long we've 14 Ethnic Notes looked to other groups to support our 28 ..„, Proprietary Information community. I can't count the number of 29 Fairy Street Mama times someone in a Black organization 30 Book Review has shared their atrocities v«th me about 31 Entertainment hotel treatment. If every Black organization in the 33 Living country would forgo one annual con 34 Personal Finances vention, the millions saved would be 35 ..Real Estate enough to build an African American 36 Spiritual hotel. According to Ms. Smith, the Dal las/Fort Worth Association of Black Reairring Communicators and the National Asso 03 Letters ciation of Black Journalists have spent 04 Viewpoint over a million dollars Vtrilh Hyatt hotels. KMr. Buford L. Kemp Jr> M^^i iMglMiMJM 10 In The News The only Black hotel in the country, ^ ^^.^ ^^ --^^ .^p. 13 Around The State Howard University Hotel in Washing 19,22 SWB Community Calendar ton, D.C., closed in 1996. 37 Career Opportunities Even if there were only one Black hotel in the country, every Black.organi- zation in the country should hold its convention there. Until Black folks own their own hotels. Black organizations will continue to share hotel atrocities if with each other. Willie Pryor, Jr. l]l^> i!— "r' Dallas rjjl J(H*j'Mii3PWR'.'l!ilir)t3l/:A»« O :S)ra.-?f.'^' iKi%'-X^.''^hK Letters Policy Chairman Emeritus Jim Bochum Publisher MON welcomes the letters of its ST. JOHN BAPTIST CHURCH Thurman R. Jones readers. We reserve the right to edit Contributing Editor all letters for the sake of clarity or Jason Webster space. Editorial Department Letters should contain full name (972) 606-3890 and address and daytime phone Salei/Marketlng Department number so we can reach you for clar (972) S06-7351 ification or confinnation. Shorter let Editor , Chris Pryer A»ilgnm«nU Editor .C^efyl L Williams ters have a better chance of being Denny D. Davis, Senior Pastor Contributing Wrlttr Kamron L Barton published. Ctmtrll>utlngWrlt»r Clenda Williams Goodson Contributing Writer ." lOuise Gordon please send all correspondence, 1701W. Jefferson SL-Grand Prairie ,TX 75051 Contributing Writer .Torrya L Johnson attention editor, to: (972) 264-1483-Office • (972) 263-5955 - Metro • (972)264-9861-Fax Columniat.'. Thomas Muhammad Columnitt -Cheryl Smith Account R«p i<athleen Goolsby Minority Opportunity Neivs Production Kevin F^nell Sunday Worships Schedule Photogripher. .Wallace Faggetl 2730 Stemmons Frwy Vbl. Community Publicist Charlotte Deny First 7:00 A.M. Vol. Community Publicist Rita Whits Suite 1202 Second : 9:00 A.M. Third 11:00 A.M. Minority Opportunity Mews assumes no responsibility for ' DaUas,TX 75207 unsolK^ited material and reserves the riQhl to edil and Sunday School...." 9:30 A.M.