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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2022
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APPEAL TRIBUNE
Coaching
for any size
business
Brandon Steinman
Chemeketa Small Business Development Center
Donated breast milk is pooled in containers before it is pasteurized and tested for nutritional content at
Northwest Mothers Milk Bank in Tigard. PHOTOS BY ABIGAIL DOLLINS/STATESMAN JOURNAL
Community steps in to help
during formula shortage
How to help
Whitney Woodworth
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
A nationwide shortage has left parents and care-
givers searching for formula or breast milk to feed
their babies — and those in the Salem area are not ex-
empt from the bare grocery store shelves and delayed
shipments faced by millions.
The crisis was triggered by the safety-related clo-
sure of Abbott Nutrition’s formula-making plant in
Michigan in February. Supplies dwindled and eventu-
ally led to federal intervention.
At one point in May, 43% of popular formula
brands were sold out across the country.
On Mid-Willamette Valley Facebook groups, moms
are pleading for leads on certain brands of formulas.
Others are offering their own pumped breast milk or
stashes of formula. One woman wrote of needing cans
of Neocate, a brand specially formulated for babies
with certain allergies.
“We were expecting our delivery on Friday, but due
to the nationwide shortage, it has been delayed,” she
said in the group. “It’s supposed to be processed to-
day, but I have no idea if we will actually receive it to-
day. We have about one-third of a can left.”
Others post pictures of grocery store shelves to
alert those in need of what’s available. Some offered
to donate hundreds of ounces of extra breast milk.
Pediatricians have advised against informal or in-
ternet-sharing of breast milk, citing concerns over con-
tamination or exposure to medications, but milk from
regulated donor banks is an option for some parents.
Several non-profits and public health agencies are
also stepping in to help families feed their hungry ba-
bies.
Northwest Mothers Milk Bank, the only nonprofit
human milk bank in the Pacific Northwest, reported a
surge in people wanting to donate during the formula
shortage.
“Our calls from moms interested in donating have
increased in the last month by about 300%,” said Jo-
anne Ransom, the clinical director of the Northwest
Mothers Milk Bank.
The organization accepts breast milk donations af-
ter donors pass health screenings and undergo blood
tests.
They then pasteurize and test the milk at their Ti-
gard facility before distributing it to hospitals and
families in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska.
They prioritize providing donated milk to vulnerable
populations such as premature infants.
Studies have shown that human milk can be vital
to keeping premature, low-birth infants healthy and
help prevent deadly complications like necrotizing
enterocolitis.
But despite trolls online urging people to “just
breastfeed” to avoid the problems with the formula
shortage, not every birthing person is physically,
emotionally or financially able to breastfeed.
Donor milk first goes to hospitals but is available to
parents and caregivers with a prescription for donor
milk.
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Donations can be made at Food Share's
office/warehouse at 1660 Salem Industrial Drive NE,
dropped in a donation barrel at one of several
Community Donation Partner sites or at their local
pantry.
A list and map of partner pantries is available at
marionpolkfoodshare.org/get-help.
Those wishing to donate or find out more about
Northwest Mothers Milk Bank can visit online at
donatemilk.org or call 503-469-0955.
Marion County WIC can be contacted at
503-588-5057 and online at
co.marion.or.us/HLT/PH/WIC.
Ransom said there was about a 40% increase in
hospital requests in the past month. Requests from
parents have gone up as well.
“Our hearts hurt with the families that are strug-
gling,” she said. “We really want to help if we can. We
are really just one small non-profit, but families can
reach out to us with any questions.”
With three times as many calls coming in, Ransom
said she is touched by the sheer number of moms
wanting to donate their time and hard-pumped milk
to those in need.
“That’s the silver lining ... that moms are realizing
they can help and they can do something about this
and they can help another family in their community,”
Ransom said.
Sam Tenney, spokesman for Marion-Polk Food
Share, said they are not actively sourcing or purchas-
ing formula for their partner pantries due to the risk of
compounding the shortage.
“Though baby formula is in high demand and our
pantries do offer it when it’s made available through
donations, most SNAP and WIC participants rely on
grocery stores and other retailers for their formula,” he
said. “We don’t want to worsen the shortage by asking
the community to donate formula.”
Instead, the organization is following Oregon
Health Authority and Women, Infants and Children
program guidance to advise that parents and care-
givers contact their pediatricians for recommended
alternatives that may still be available.
People who receive their formula through WIC can
use their WIC EBT benefits to purchase alternative
formulas during the shortage.
“For community members that would like to help
households with infants, we are encouraging that
they donate other high-demand items like baby food,
diapers, pull-ups, and wipes,” Tenney said.
Anybody that has unopened, unexpired formula
that they don’t need, including formula samples sent
in the mail, is encouraged to donate it either directly
to the Food Share or to their local pantry.
For questions, comments and news tips, email re-
porter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodworth@
statesmanjournal.com, call 503-910-6616 or follow on
Twitter @wmwoodworth.
Credit recovery
Continued from Page 1B
at risk of not moving up to the next grade should be
evaluated for special needs or remedial credit work.
How does credit recovery work?
There may be several options for a student looking
for a second shot at a class they couldn’t complete and
who needs help to graduate, including an in-person,
online or a blended learning approach.
Some schools offer credit recovery through their
district programs. Other providers, like community
colleges, also offer similar programs. A big benefit of
credit recovery is the variety and flexibility they offer.
Students can work during normal school hours, after
school, during school breaks and at night in school
computer labs.
The most common credit recovery option is sum-
mer school. Additionally, the pandemic caused some
students to fall behind, so taking a summer class has
the bonus of keeping adolescent brains ready to learn
in the fall.
How can parents help their students?
• Wednesday publication deadlines the Wednesday prior
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Parents can help their children be successful with
credit recovery by researching options and being sup-
portive. Before your family is ready to sign up for any
credit recovery classes, talk with your student’s coun-
selor to ensure the course will earn credit for their high
school transcript.
The business environment is rough right now: in-
flation, supply chain problems, changing policies
and the war on talent just to name a few.
In the talent marketplace, a lot has been discussed
about hiring the right candidates, and justly so, as it
is difficult to find good productive talent.
But what about retaining your employees?
Retaining is an often overlooked yet vitally impor-
tant part of having a successful business.
When you are thinking of ways to keep your em-
ployees, personal and professional growth can be a
great incentive for an employee to stay with you.
But who has the time or resources to worry about
developing your employees in the chaos of business?
I would recommend a simple approach to coach-
ing.
This approach can be done quickly and with mini-
mum preparation, but the impact can be huge.
Focus on two questions: What are you doing well
on the job and what are you working on improving?
The most important part of coaching is to listen
and be supportive.
Let your employee share openly and encourage
them to be honest about what they believe they are
doing well and where they would like to grow and
learn.
The important work for you to do to prepare for a
coaching conversation is to remember your employ-
ee’s previous responses and after asking the ques-
tions, let them steer the conversation.
The steps for a successful coaching session and
items to consider would look like this:
h Share with your employee that you are interest-
ed in their professional growth and would like to start
coaching them.
h If they agree, tell them what they share is impor-
tant to you and that you will be supportive.
h Create an open and friendly atmosphere where
your employee feels safe to share what they are
thinking.
h Ask them what they believe they are doing well
on the job. Tone matters! Make sure they understand
this is not a threatening question where they must
defend their job performance, but rather an opportu-
nity for them to consider the work they do and what
they believe they are good at.
h Make sure to listen. Listening, by which I mean
shut up, deserves its own step in coaching. You
should provide affirmation as your employee is shar-
ing such as “Tell me more” or “I agree” or “You are
great at that!” Arguing about whether what they do is
good or not will kill the positive impact of coaching.
h When your employee is done sharing what they
do well, follow up with a question like “What are you
working on improving” or “What would you like to get
better at” or “What work skill would you like to im-
prove.”
h Once again, let them lead the direction of the
conversation. Only provide direction if they share a
skill growth goal totally off the wall like juggling while
riding a unicycle.
h Throughout the process, refrain from providing
judgment. Coaching should be a positive experience
for everyone involved, and it can only be positive if
you approach the interaction with a positive mind-
set. We all start at different levels of competence, so
even if your employee says they do a task well that
you know they actually struggle with, keep encour-
aging them!
Coaching can lead to the growth of your employee,
retention of key talent, and impact your bottom line.
I have found great success in coaching employees
and I hope you do, too!
Brandon Steinman is a Business Adviser at the
Chemeketa Small Business Development Center. The
Small Business Adviser column is produced by the
center.
Questions
can
be
submitted
to
sbdc@chemeketa.edu.
The most important part of
coaching is to listen and be
supportive.
When evaluating credit recovery provided by the
school district or any alternatives, parents should
check reviews from other families and find out if the
programs are certified. Not all online programs are the
same, so parents should ask if instructors are avail-
able to answer questions and offer accountability.
There’s often been a stigma attached to these
courses, especially during the summer, leaving stu-
dents feeling ashamed. Parents should emphasize to
their children that struggling in one area doesn’t make
them a failure. Instead, focus on how brave they are
and what they can learn from this experience.
What are the benefits of credit recovery?
Credit recovery empowers students to continue
their education and graduate. In addition to picking
up lost credits, these classes often expose students to
new ways of learning.
For students struggling to stay in school, a positive
credit recovery experience might increase self-es-
teem, improve academics and also be a turning point
in their attitude toward learning.
Taking credit recovery classes during the summer
or at night during the school year doesn’t sound like
fun, but getting a high school diploma opens doors for
young people. Students considering credit recovery
this summer might think about Robert Frost, valedic-
torian and “class poet” of his high school graduating
class. Frost put it best; “Education is hanging around
until you’ve caught on.”
Brye Murphy is a Math Teacher at Willamette Con-
nections Academy, which is now enrolling for the
2022-23 academic year. Visit WillametteConnections
Academy.com or call (800) 382-6010.