The Miami Herald from Miami, Florida • 25

1 WWW.HERALD.COM FLORIDA MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2004 3B MIAMI-DADE COMMISSION Rolle leaves meeting after being silenced County Commissioner Dorrin Rolle walked out on a committee meeting last week after fellow Commissioner Natacha Seijas refused to let him voice grievances about a recent court ruling striking down a WATCHDOG minority REPORT set-aside DANIEL A. program. RICKER Rolle watchdogreportl wanted to know what percentage of a contract was allocated to black firms. After county legal advisors warned against discussing the matter, Rolle protested: "We are talking about black folks getting some work." Seijas, who chairs the government operations committee, shot back, saying: "No, sir, that is not what we are talking about. It is a lawsuit, sir." She added that the ruling did not affect only blacks, but also Hispanics and women.

MORE ONLINE Daniel A. Ricker is publisher of the Watchdog Report e-mail newsletter. You can read this week's complete Watchdog Report online starting Tuesday by clicking on the Miami-Dade link at www.herald.com/news. Past Watchdog Reports are also on the website. Seijas urged Rolle, one of four black commissioners, to meet privately with county legal advisors for a briefing.

But Rolle grew angry and accused Seijas of trying to muzzle him. "Why can't I talk without you cutting me off?" he asked. After Rolle left the meeting, Seijas forbade further discussion, saying she was only trying to "protect my fellow commissioners." She expressed regret that Rolle "misinterpreted" her motives. Show real market savvy. Sponsor online stock quotes.

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Experience A Great Deal. Experience What Excites You. EXPERIENCE FOR THE EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME A product of Publishing BROWARD COUNTY Pain center helps patients cope with chronic illness Memorial Regional's Sickle Cell Day Hospital, the only treatment center of its kind in Florida, helps chronically ill patients avoid the emergency room. BY DARRAN SIMON Candace Davis jiggled her legs as a distraction from the pain, and massaged her aching fingers. Then she pushed the button on her intravenous line, and a dose of morphine began to ease the pain.

"If you're not strong, it'll kill you," said Davis, who suffers from sickle cell disease, a blood disorder that causes severe pain in the joints. "If you're not strong, you'll go crazy." Davis, a mother of two teenage girls, spent several hours last week at Memorial Regional Hospital's Sickle Cell Day Hospital. Modeled after facilities in Atlanta and New York, it opened in May 2003 and remains the only treatment center of its kind in Florida. Eligible patients can bypass the emergency room for quick intravenous fluids and pain relievers that enable them to return home sooner. No referral is needed.

The day hospital takes Medicaid, but uninsured patients are welcome. "Coming to the day hospital gives me more time with my family," said Davis, who used to spend up to two months at a time hospitalized three to four times a year. The number of patients has more than quadrupled to 91 since May 2003. Most are discharged after several hours, said Lanetta Thorpe, director of sickle cell services at the Memorial Cancer Institute. "The purpose of the day hospital is actually to treat acute pain crisis," said Dr.

Lyle C. Feinstein, an oncologist and hematologist at Memorial Regional Hospital. The hospital, in a fifth-floor room at Memorial Regional in Hollywood, also offers a monthly support group for patients and their families. Thorpe said they intend to expand next year to a larger location with a consultation room. Eventually, it could be a 24-hour operation, she said.

"The day hospital is one of the better things that has happened in South Florida for people with sickle cell disease," said Thomas Brookins, 49, a retired Miami-Dade corrections supervisor who was told he wouldn't live past his teens. Sickle cell disease is the most common genetic disorder in the United States, afflicting 70,000 people nationwide. That figure represents 1 in 400 blacks and 1 in 1,400 Hispanics. SMART BOX SICKLE CELL AWARENESS MONTH ACTIVITIES Sickle cell screening, 10 a.m. Saturday, Carver Ranches unit of the Boys and Girls Club of Broward County, 2205 SW 44th Carver Ranches; free; 954-985-3435.

Walkathon fundraiser, 8 a.m. Oct. 2, Rev. Samuel Delevoe Park, 2520 NW Sixth Fort Lauderdale; 954-524-4920. A gene mutation causes red blood cells to become sickleshaped and hard, rather than round and pliant, usually when patients are dehydrated, exposed to extremes in temperature, over-exerted or stressed.

The "sickled" cells block blood vessels and cut off oxygen to organs and joints, resulting in pain, swelling, strokes and other complications. There is no cure, but children with the condition can take a daily pill to reduce the pain, and researchers are A TASTE OF JAMAICAN FARE LILLY STAFF Joseph Smith, owner of and Feeding Tree Jamaican restaurant in Hollywood, was among the vendors who served up jerk chicken, pork and fish Sunday at the third annual Jamaican Jerk Festival at C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines. The festival also included cultural heritage exhibits and arts and crafts. Canned goods were also collected for Caribbean islands' residents affected by Hurricane Ivan.

Torn between a Caribbean cruise and river rafting! Find Travel Solutions in Sunday's Herald. The Miami Herald 10438 SMART SOLUTIONS exploring promising avenues. The average life span for those born with sickle cell disease is 42 years. Organizations are trying to educate the public about the disease during September, which is Sickle Cell Awareness Month. The U.S.

Postal Service is issuing a postage stamp this month that calls attention to sickle cell disease. But the face of the disease is changing in the United States and abroad. It afflicts growing numbers in the Middle East, Europe, South America and Latin America. "Sickle cell has been stigmatized for so many years that only blacks have it, and that's not a fact. It affects all races," said Bloneva Bullard, a registered nurse and outreach coordinator for the Sickle Cell Disease Association of Broward County.

About 1,500 to 2,000 people in Broward have sickle cell disease. Davis and her family have learned to live with the disease. Her daughters Caceta, 19, and Calandra, 16, rub her back and legs to ease her pain, but that's not always enough. Before her recent visit to the day hospital, Davis had been awake with pain since 4 a.m. "It's like a whole different world that you live in," she said.

MIAMI-DADE Slaying of girl, 16, in a trailer investigated BY SOFIA SANTANA 7890 MAICAN VAL Herald Writer The white trailer in Northwest Miami-Dade County where 16-year-old Dilcia lived and was found dead was dark and empty Sunday. The aluminum awnings that hung over some windows were pulled down, curtains were drawn tight, and the screened-in front porch was locked. Dilcia's family, spending most of the weekend away from home, is praying for answers surrounding the teenager's apparent murder. She was found dead in her bedroom by her stepfather Friday morning, relatives said. Miami-Dade police were investigating, but no arrests had been made by Sunday evening, the family said.

The Miami-Dade medical examiner's office was conducting an autopsy. "We don't know anything, nothing," said Vilma Iriarte, Dilcia's aunt, who also lives in the trailer park. "We don't know how the forensics have come out or when we'll be able to arrange the funeral." Dilcia, who turned 16 on Sept. 12, was a sophomore at Miami Beach High and a few days before her death was suspended for being involved in a fight, said school officials, who added that, aside from that incident, Dilcia was a good student and stayed out of trouble. She had many friends at school and in her neighborhood, where it seemed that everyone was still in shock Sunday.

She lived with her mother, also named Dilcia, and her stepfather, Raul Mata, who works at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach. "This is really scary, because maybe it was someone she knew, or maybe it wasn't," said Francisco, 17, who didn't want his last name printed. He lives in the trailer park and said he often spoke with Dilcia. "She was a smart girl, and she would've fought back," Francisco said. "Whoever hurt her is probably walking around with scratches or bruises." Anyone with information about Dilcia's death can call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

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