LOCAL
SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2020
COUNCIL
HEALTH
Continued from Page 1A
Continued from Page 1A
Bell becomes new
police chief
Strope announced
Wednesday evening at
the conclusion of the city
council meeting that Lt.
Gary Bell of the police
department will be La
Grande’s new chief of
police.
“I was
excited with
the offer and
feel extremely
honored to
have the
Bell
opportunity
to continue to
serve our community in this
capacity,” Bell said. “The
support I have received
from inside the department
and from the community is
very humbling.”
Bell began working
as an offi cer with the La
Grande police 26 years
ago, rising to become the
second in command. His
work has included serving
as the media contact for the
department and now brings
him the opportunity to lead
the group of 31 employees.
“I’m looking forward to
strengthening already great
relationships with our pro-
fessional partners and with
stakeholders in our commu-
nity,” Bell said.
Strope did not announce
when Bell would start the
job. Bell said he does not
plan to make any drastic
changes to the department
but does hope to fi ll some
vacancies as soon as pos-
sible. He said he is excited
to bring lessons he has
learned as a police offi cer
and his core values to his
new position.
“I will continue to do all
I can to support our police
offi cers, 911 dispatchers,
and professional staff at the
department, which in turn
leads to our collectively
achieving mission suc-
cess and a safe community
where we can live, work,
recreate and raise our fami-
lies,” Bell said.
Bell will succeed
Chief Brian Harvey, who
announced his retirement
at the beginning of March.
Harvey served the last 11
years as police chief and
said it was time to take a
step away. Harvey’s retire-
ment is effective May 4.
“Chief Harvey is leaving
us in excellent shape, and
we have many really good
things happening at the
department,” Bell said.
“I will ensure we stay
the course and adhere to
our values, which will
help us achieve continued
successes.”
ODOT to
replace Whiskey
Creek Culvert
on Highway 244
Observer staff
LA GRANDE — The
Oregon Department of
Transportation announced
it plans to replace the
Whiskey Creek Culvert
under Highway 244 (Uki-
ah-Hilgard Highway). The
project is one of several
dozen transportation proj-
ects the state road agency
has planned along Eastern
Oregon highways this year.
Near mile post 45
(approximately 16 miles
west of La Grande), trav-
elers can expect lane clo-
sures,fl aggers and delays up
to 20 minutes once work is
underway later this summer,
according to ODOT. Crews
will complete work before
winter sets in.
The decades-old, 5-foot
diameter metal pipe will
be replaced with a 22-foot-
wide, pre-cast concrete
box culvert. The culvert
is undersized and does
not meet requirements for
fi sh passage or water fl ow
during high water events.
Conditions in recent years
have resulted in fl ooding
of the adjacent land and
roadway where Whiskey
Creek connects under the
highway to the Grande
Ronde River.
The new concrete box
culvert will accommodate
high water events and meet
fi sh passage criteria.
you are living alone, is not
always possible. This lack
of connection can cause
anxiety and heighten feel-
ings of loneliness.
“When we isolate from
others we tend to focus
more on our own thoughts,
stresses and challenges,”
said Aaron Grigg, mental
health coordinator at the
Center for Human Devel-
opment Inc., La Grande.
“Isolation can naturally
create negative thinking,
which leads to negative
beliefs about ourselves and
the situation we are in.”
Financial diffi culties
from possible job loss or
having to adapt to working
from home can compound
the stress.
If you’re not at home
alone, being isolated as
a household may create
added pressure to all mem-
bers of the family. Cabin
fever, lack of fresh air and
being confi ned to the house
can increase tensions.
With children now doing
“People who may not have noticed
symptoms of depression and
anxiety before the quarantine may
now be feeling the strain from lack
of connection and lack of physical
touch.”
— Meegan Harp, therapist
their school work at home,
another pressure has been
added for parents, Harp
pointed out. The change
is no easier on the stu-
dents who are adjusting to
learning in a new way.
While stress due to
COVID-19 can create or
exacerbate mental health
struggles, there are ways
to fi ght against these prob-
lems, with and without pro-
fessional help.
Promote positive
mental health
Grigg said one of the
most important actions
during social distancing is
to stay socially connected.
“When we do this, our
thoughts tend to become
more positive, we become
more hopeful for our
future, and we feel more
gratitude for what we
have,” Grigg said. “Now
that we are encouraging
people to social distance
in order to stop COVID-19
from spreading social con-
nection is a much greater
challenge, but is possible.”
Grigg suggested letter
writing, frequent phone
calls or video calls and
texting as ways to main-
tain social connection.
He shared a story about
his mother-in-law’s 80th
birthday being celebrated
through letters of appreci-
ation instead of a party as
a way of maintaining that
needed connection without
breaking social isolation
rules.
THE OBSERVER — 5A
For those who are not
isolating alone, such as
families, limiting screen
time and connecting with
one another is important.
Family walks and board
games are a great way to
stay connected, Grigg said.
Setting and sticking to
a routine is another way.
Grigg, Matteucci and Harp
suggested to maintain good
mental health.
“Flexibility and cre-
ativity will be people’s big-
gest strength right now,
along with the self-dis-
cipline to structure their
days,” Matteucci said.
“Determine what you want
your day to look like: get a
project done, watch Zoom
tutorials, play a board game
with the kids, have a virtual
chat with a friend or rela-
tive, write a thank-you note
... Create your own list of
positive activities and struc-
ture your day accordingly.
You will feel accomplished,
loved, and perhaps fi nd
new, more effective ways of
coping with normal anxiety
and depression.”
Practicing self-care
is another effective
way to manage mental
health during quarantine.
Allowing time to refl ect
and assess your emotional
state can be a good way to
restore balance, Harp said.
Matteucci agreed.
“Consider reaching
for things that have been
steady in the past, like
some relationships, your
favorite book, your faith,
exercise and hobbies,” he
said. “Try to fi nd time for
these things and other self-
care activities, even if it
doesn’t feel good in the
short term.”
Help is available
If attempts such as
these to alleviate feelings
of depression and anxiety
are not effective, profes-
sional help remains avail-
able. In-person counseling
is limited to emergencies,
but the Center for Human
Development, Blue Moun-
tain Associates and Grande
Ronde Recovery and Still
Waters Counseling con-
tinue to provide services
through calls and video
chat. Do not hesitate to
reach out.
Wallowa County offi cials
talk up COVID-19 prep
By Ellen Morris Bishop
EO Media Group
ENTERPRISE — Wal-
lowa Memorial Hospital
collaborated with the
Wallowa County com-
missioners and the Wal-
lowa County sheriff this
week to produce and post
an 8-minute video sum-
marizing the state of
COVID-19 preparations in
the county.
The video features hos-
pital nursing and emer-
gency preparation coor-
dinator Stacey Karvoski,
Commission chairman
John Hillock and Sheriff
Steve Rogers.
In the video, Karvoski
notes Wallowa MemorialH
began preparation and
planning for COVID-19
in February, and the
local incident command
team meets twice daily
for updates on corona-
virus developments state-
wide as well as nation-
ally and globally. They
have a plan for meeting
demands on care that may
be imposed if there is a
surge in COVID-19 cases
and have an adequate
supply of personal protec-
tive equipment.
To date, the hos-
pital has administered
18 COVID-19 tests, with
15 negative results. The
remaining three have not
been returned. The hos-
pital is screening all vis-
itors for temperature and
self-reported illness.
Hillock said helpful
information about fi nan-
cial support for businesses
during the COVID-19
fi nancial storm is available
on the websites of Oregon
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden,
and Oregon U.s. Sens. Ron
Wyden and Jeff Merkley.
Hillock urged small busi-
nesses to contact the Wal-
lowa County Chamber
of Commerce for more
opportunities for aid.
Hillock recognized
Senior Meals on Wheels
and Community Connec-
tion for delivering food
and company to home-
bound adults, as well as
the schools for delivering
breakfast and lunches to
students. He noted this
week, supplies that Kar-
voski requested will arrive
at the hospital, like other
rural counties in Eastern
Oregon. Hillock also said
he expects the National
Guard will deliver addi-
tional medical supplies
from federal stockpiles
next week.
Rogers said the depart-
ment is doing criminal
fi ngerprints only and is
not processing applica-
tions of renewals for con-
cealed handgun permits.
The sheriff’s offi ce also
will not take action until
June on criminal cases
involving concealed carry.
Screen shot from Wallowa Memorial Hospital Facebook page
Wallowa County offi cials produced a public service an-
nouncement to report on the local preparations for the
COVID-19 outbreak.
Oregonians assemble 10,000 masks for health care workers
By Andrew Selsky
The Associated Press
SALEM — Hospital
workers in Oregon are
astounded at the commu-
nity response to an effort
to provide those on the
front lines of the corona-
virus fi ght with protective
masks.
Oregon offi cials have
been disappointed in the
response by the federal
government to its requests
for protective gear. They
requested 1 million N95
masks and received about
70,000. Of 1 million sur-
gical masks requested,
287,000 have been
received, according a state
report. Much of it is past
expiration dates.
Some masks have
faulty elastic and conse-
quently are not being dis-
tributed to Oregon health
care workers, said Charles
Boyle, Oregon Gov. Kate
Brown’s spokesman.
Other expired equip-
ment, some dating back
to the H1N1 outbreak of
2009, is unsuitable for
surgical settings, Boyle
said. However, the Trump
administration did deliver
all 140 ventilators that
Oregon asked for.
Faced with shortages,
Salem Health, which runs
two hospitals and sev-
eral clinics in and around
Oregon’s capital city,
announced on March 26
it would hand out kits for
people to make masks.
So many cars lined up
to receive the kits that a
traffi c jam ensued. People
had to be turned away
because the response was
so great. All the kits —
with enough material
to make around 10,000
masks — were handed out
the fi rst day.
The people returned
Andrew Selsky/AP photos
In this March 26, 2020, fi le photo, people from Salem Health Hospitals & Clinics, hand out kits to make surgical masks
causing a traffi c jam in Salem. Hospital workers in Oregon are astounded at the community response to an effort to
provide those on the front lines of the coronavirus fi ght with protective masks. By Friday, April, 3, 2020, the last day
for drop-off, 10,942 assembled masks had been returned. “It’s incredible to see the community come together and
put in their time and effort to protect our health care workers during this time,” said Elijah Tanner, a Salem Health
spokesman.
home and began assem-
bling the blue masks using
cutting boards and sewing
machines.
Then they began drop-
ping them off this week.
By Friday, the last day for
drop off, 10,942 assem-
bled masks had been
delivered.
At right, a man waiting on
his bike wears a bandana
to protect himself from
the coronavirus waits to
receive a kit for making
surgical masks from
Salem Health Hospitals &
Clinics in Salem.