2B ❚ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018 ❚ APPEAL TRIBUNE
Flu season fills emergency rooms
Oregon Health Authority:
Two children have died
due to flu this season
Whitney Woodworth Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
With some emergency rooms at capacity and the
number of influenza-related hospitalizations climbing
each week, flu season is out in full force in Oregon.
Two children have died from the flu so far this sea-
son, according to the Oregon Health Authority. And
Central Oregon hospitals have been filled to capacity,
leaving patients stuck in waiting rooms for treatment.
All across the state, health agencies are reporting
increased emergency room visits, hospitalizations
and positive flu tests.
According to state health officials, 199 people were
hospitalized with the flu at Portland-area hospitals
during the week ending Dec. 30 — up 44 percent from
the previous week.
Statewide, the percentage of emergency room visits
for flu-like symptoms hit an all-time high of 5.1 percent
during the last week of December — the highest since
OHA began collecting the data in 2014.
"Each number has gone up rapidly each week," Dr.
Ann Thomas, a public health physician with the Ore-
Please take notice Ab-
solute Storage LLC –
Salem located at 2605
Hawthorne Ave. NE,
Salem, OR 97301 in-
tends to hold an auc-
tion of the goods stored
in the following units
in default for non-
payment of rent. The
sale will occur as an
online auction via ww
w.bid13.com
on
1/26/2018 at 12:00PM.
Unless stated other-
wise the description of
the contents are house-
hold goods and furnish-
ings. Morgan Hobbs
unit
#148;
Patricia
Mendoza unit #538,
Chelsciher "Chelsea"
Takis unit #631; Maria
Alvarado unit #642. All
property is being stor-
ed at the above self-
storage facility. This
sale may be with-
drawn at any time
without notice. Certain
terms and conditions
apply. See manager
for details.
Silverton Appeal
January 10 & 17, 2018
tional areas," such as waiting rooms.
The length and intensity of the flu season vary year-
to-year, with last year being Oregon's worst on record
for the number of hospitalizations, Thomas said.
"This year is looking a lot like last year," she said.
Flu cases began picking up in late November and
December.
Marion County Health Officer Dr. Karen Landers
said the season is close to peaking in Marion County.
Of the almost 2,000 cases tested in the Willamette Val-
ley from Dec. 24 to Dec. 30, including Salem Health
hospital, 806 tested positive for the flu.
Salem-Keizer Public Schools have seen a sharp in-
crease in absences recently. District spokeswoman
Lillian Govus said schools in the state's second largest
district reported 6,273 absences on Jan. 8 — an almost
50 percent increase from a pre-flu season school day
in October.
Health officials have warned that flu vaccines are
between 10 to 33 percent effective. Because the viruses
mutate so quickly — and because different strains can
be more dangerous — a mismatch between the vaccine
and the circulating strain can lead to a ramped-up flu
season.
Experts still encourage people, especially children,
those over 65 and pregnant women, to get vaccinated.
"It's not too late to get a flu shot," Thomas said.
Some studies have indicated vaccinated people,
even if they come down with the flu are less likely to
end up in the intensive care unit or face possibly dead-
ly complications, she said.
Those with a fever should stay home from work or
school, wash their hands frequently, consider seeking
anti-viral treatments and cover their mouths with
their sleeves when they sneeze or cough.
For questions, comments and news tips, email re-
porter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodwort@states-
manjournal.com, call 503-399-6884 or follow on Twit-
ter @wmwoodworth
According to state health officials, 199 people were hospitalized with the flu at Portland-area hospitals
during the week ending Dec. 30. JONATHAN BACH/STATESMAN JOURNAL
Get started by visiting jobs.usatoday.com
INVITATION TO BID
Contractors are invited
to bid on the construc-
tion of the Seismic
Retrofit (Project), lo-
cated at the Silverton
Fire District, 819 Rail
Way NE, Silverton, OR
97381. The Project con-
sists of seismic up-
grades
and
renovations/constructio
n work to the primary
Fire Station located at
the same address, per
District specifications.
Sealed bids will be re-
ceived by Bill Miles,
Fire Chief at 819 Rail
Way NE, Silverton, OR
97381 at or before 3:00
p.m., February 27,
2018.
Bids will be
publically opened im-
mediately
following
this closing.
This contract is for a
public work subject to
ORS
279C.800
to
279C.870 [or Davis-
Bacon Act 40 U.S.C.
276(a)], relating to the
payment of prevailing
wages.
No
prequalification
will be required for
this Project. A pre-bid
walk thru will be held
at 10:00AM January
23, 2018.
The terms, conditions
and specifications for
this Project (Project
Documents) may be
examined at Silverton
Fire District (District)
office located at 819
Rail Way NE, Silver-
ton, OR 97381, between
the hours of 9:00 am to
4:00
pm,
Monday
through Friday until
February 15, 2018. The
Project
Documents
will be available at
this location and are
downloadable from the
District website at ww
w .s il v e r t o n f i r e .c o m
from the date of this
Notice until February
27, 2018. Copies may
be obtained from the
architect for a non-
refundable fee of $75.
Please direct all inqui-
ries to Gene Bolante,
Studio 3 Architecture
503-390-6500 gene@studi
o3architecture.com.
Notice of Self
Storage Sale
FINDING WORK SHOULDN’T BE WORK.
SILVERTON
FIRE DISTRICT
gon Health Authority, said Wednesday.
And they're still climbing, she warned.
Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Pre-
vention estimates that influenza has caused 140,000
to 710,000 hospitalizations and 12,000 to 56,000
deaths in the United States each year since 2010.
Locally, emergency room visits have been up mod-
erately at Salem Health hospital, said Dr. Joshua Wal-
terscheid, medical director of emergency department.
In the week ending Jan. 6, an average of 327 patients
visited the ER each day. By comparison, during the
first week in September, the emergency department
reported an average of 282 visits a day.
The number of ER admissions is also up year-over-
year, a trend consistent with the increase in patient
volume the hospital has seen in the past 10 years, Wal-
terscheid said.
He said respiratory illnesses like the flu, pneumonia
and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease account
for the largest portion of increased volume during the
winter months.
As of midnight Thursday, the hospital had 70 in-pa-
tients with some type of respiratory virus or illness,
said Julie Koch, Salem Health infection prevention
manager.
The entire Salem Health system has seen a massive
spike in flu cases since mid-November.
From Nov. 19 to Nov. 25, 54 patients were tested for
the flu. Four tested positive.
By the week ending Jan. 6, the number of patients
tested swelled to 361, 130 of whom tested positive for
the flu.
Salem isn't the only city seeing a surge in ER visits.
The Bend Bulletin reported that hospitals in central
Oregon have been pushed to capacity, filling all 349
hospital beds in Bend, Madras, Redmond and Prine-
ville.
One-third of patients were being treated for the flu.
And many new patients have to be seen in "nontradi-
National pot legalization
could generate billions
Silverton Appeal January 17, 2018
PUBLIC NOTICE
The City of Silverton is seeking volunteers inter-
ested in serving on several City appointed Com-
mittees. Currently, there are positions availa-
ble on the Planning Commission, Environmen-
tal Management Committee, Tourism Promo-
tion Committee and the Historic Landmarks
Committee. Terms for each Committee vary
from three to four years.
Owner Sam Elkington, who said he plans to switch from a medical marijuana dispensary to a recreational
model, works at Track Town Collective in Springfield, Ore. on Nov. 29. The rise of recreational marijuana
since Oregon voters legalized it has dramatically changed the economic landscape for cannabis statewide.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jonathan Bach Salem Statesman Journal
Please visit the City website at www.silverton.o
r.us/committees for information about each
Committee and applicant requirements.
Applications must be submitted online and re-
ceived by midnight on Wednesday, January 24,
2018 at www.silverton.or.us/volunteerapp.
If
you have any questions please contact Lisa
Figueroa, City Clerk, at 503-874-2216 or via e-
mail at lfigueroa@silverton.or.us.
Silverton Appeal January17, 2018
PUBLIC NOTICES
POLICY
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USA TODAY NETWORK
If marijuana were legal across the U.S., federal
treasury officials could expect $131 billion in tax reve-
nue, according to a new report.
The report, by Washington, D.C.-based cannabis
analytics firm New Frontier Data, comes less than a
week after U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions landed
a blow against legal marijuana markets like Oregon's
by rescinding Obama-era protections for states that
have legalized weed.
In the report made public Jan. 10, New Frontier at-
tempts to estimate the economic impact of nation-
wide legalization.
For instance, a 15 percent federal sales tax on legal
weed sales between 2017 and 2025 would generate
$51.7 billion in new revenue for the U.S. Treasury, ac-
cording to the report.
A nationally legal marijuana industry would create
a total of more than 782,000 jobs, with that figure in-
creasing to 1.1 million by 2025, the report also con-
cludes.
Marijuana opponents were unimpressed by the re-
port.
"This piece of research is like reading about health
advice about cigarettes from R.J. Reynolds," said Kev-
in Sabet, president and CEO of Smart Approaches to
Marijuana, an anti-legalization group. R.J. Reynolds
Tobacco Company is one of the biggest tobacco com-
panies in the U.S.
Sabet says down-the-road costs, from car and
workplace accidents to mental health problems, far
outweigh any tax and revenue benefits. "Every $1 in
revenue costs $10 in social consequences."
The New Frontier report, offering a positive eco-
nomic portrait of America with legal marijuana,
comes as a rebuke to the decision last week by Ses-
sions to rescind the so-called Cole memo, which di-
rected the Justice Department to generally leave
states with legal weed alone.
Sessions, a staunch marijuana opponent, an-
nounced the policy change during a push by congres-
sional lawmakers — including U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden,
D-Oregon — to remove marijuana from a federal list of
illegal substances.
Presented with some of the report's findings, Wy-
den's spokesman, Hank Stern, told the Statesman
Journal it's becoming clearer and clearer that legal
marijuana creates jobs and revenue for small busi-
nesses.
"Those economic benefits are certainly key rea-
sons to continue the fight for federal cannabis policy
that accurately reflects 21st Century science," Stern
said.
"Sen. Wyden ... will pull out all the stops, working
with colleagues in both parties to win that battle."
Reach staff reporter Jonathan Bach by phone at
503-399-6714 or by email at jbach@statesmanjour-
nal.com.