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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 2021)
FROM PAGE ONE Thursday, OcTOber 21, 2021 The ObserVer — A5 MANDATE Continued from Page A1 alex Wittwer/The Observer Austin Hawks, a paraeducator with La Grande High School, helps students as they receive their lunches at La Grande High School on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021. LUNCH Continued from Page A1 “I’ll have to do a last- minute menu change and that’s sometimes hard — and sometimes impossible,” Corta said. “Its difficult and stressful, but we still get those kids fed.” From shortchanged orders to out-of-stock sta- ples and favorites, schools are making do with less. As well, the time it takes to order supplies has increased dramatically as filling the pantry now involves dealing with multiple ven- dors to fulfill ingredient requirements. Michelle Glover, busi- ness director at La Grande School District, said that creating orders once took little over an hour on Fri- days. That same order now takes as long as four to five hours to finish as kitchen supervisors scramble and broker with different sup- pliers to get ingredients shipped out in time for next week’s lunch. And even then, some supplies might be entirely out of stock, or orders arrive with less than was expected. “Our orders are not being fully fulfilled, and so that’s what’s caused the real challenges,” Glover said. “It looks like it’s coming and it doesn’t arrive. We don’t get any notice in advance, so they’re having to be cre- ative and on their toes with alternate plans in place.” Even though school districts uses different suppliers and ordering methods, the same issue has been affecting many local school districts, including Imbler. Corta said that each week is a struggle to get orders in for the Imbler schools. She now orders two weeks ahead of time, a method she employs to help dampen the effects of a supply chain that has been disrupted by worker short- ages at manufacturing and processing plants, truck drivers shortages, and delayed shipments from cargo ships. She’s not alone. Schools both big and small across Union County — and Eastern Oregon — have suffered similar supply chain woes. Those issues aren’t limited to just food. At La Grande High School, foam lunch trays have been particularly dif- ficult to procure, leading to lunches being served in plastic bags as opposed to trays. As well, the school has been shorthanded one kitchen staff member, meaning that lunches that once offered a variety of foods such as enchiladas or pizza have been diminished to sandwiches nearly every day of the week. “They are definitely struggling with the supply chain for food items so defi- nitely menu preparation (suffers),” Glover said. “If we’re planning on serving this and then product doesn’t arrive, or comes in short, and it’s not enough to cover all sites — we are having to be flexible in meal preparation.” Pendleton shared sim- ilar worries with regard to supply chain problems — though like other schools, the situation is varied as different districts broker with different suppliers for food. “We weren’t able to get hamburger patties for a while, and so we would substitute chicken nuggets or burritos,” said Suzanne Howard, director of nutri- tion services with Pendleton School District. “Or, we weren’t able to get pizza for a while, so again we would either not serve them that day if we had other options to serve, like at the middle school/high school we served more than one. And then otherwise we would just have to replace it.” Programs such as the Summer Seamless Option — which provides free lunches to lower-income students over the summer — were also hit by supply chain interruptions. Those programs will continue to operate and feed students, according to Howard. Still, the districts aren’t worried about having to deny students lunch just yet. “We’re not always able to serve what I have on the menu, but we always have a backup. I feel a lot more fortunate than what I’m hearing in other parts of the country,” Howard said. The hospital employs just under 800 employees, making it one of the largest employers in Union County. Grande Ronde Hospital released a statement that noted more than 99% of its employees will be remaining with the hospital, either having received the COVID-19 vaccine or by filing a valid exemption. According to the press release, the “greatest majority” of the employees are fully vaccinated. “While we support compliance with Oregon’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement in order to continue our mission, we have also respected our employees’ right to make the choice whether to vac- cinate or not,” the press release said. “We provided guidelines and policies to help our employees navi- gate that choice, including the process for exemp- tions, and have offered vaccine availability for those who chose to vaccinate.” The press release emphasized sadness over the loss of employees and thanked them for their service to the hos- pital. The 99% remainder of employees indicates that roughly 10 or fewer employees left the hospital because of the the vaccine mandate. Schools maintain majority of staff At the La Grande Fire Department, Chief Emmitt Cornford expressed his concern of losing employees in the months leading up to the deadline. According to Corn- ford, the department lost one full-time employee who chose to take a job in another state and one part- time employee who chose to resign. The department’s remaining EMTs and staff have either received the vaccination or filed an exemption. Cornford noted that employees will have to work extra hours to make up for the lost positions, but that the department will still operate at the highest standards. “Our service to the community won’t change,” he said. “When you’re short of staff it can make it a bit challenging, but the public shouldn’t notice any difference in our service.” Med Transport, Inc., an advanced life support ambulance service based in North Powder, has not seen much of an imme- diate impact from the deadline. According to owner Chris Arvidson, the privately owned service has flexibility with the mandate since Continued from Page A1 The renovation of the historic Liberty Theatre in downtown La Grande — shown here in its earlier stages — is about 75% complete, its supporters said in October 2021. employees are sent on jobs nationwide. “Our employees can pick and choose their assignments,” he said. “If their assignment requires a vaccine, they can get a different assignment if need be. We’re sending people throughout the country.” Arvidson noted that several employees on the medical services staff are currently in Louisiana, while a number of emer- gency service workers are aiding fire crews in California. The company provides medical transport ser- vices, contracts nurses and paramedics and holds multiple state licenses in order to assist in medical staffing across the country. Emergency services face minimal backlash LIBERTY The Observer, File alex Wittwer/The Observer, File Demonstrators against the vaccine mandate gather outside La Grande City Hall on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021. The foundation’s grant from the Wildhorse Foundation went toward installing sound and light equipment. At the La Grande Urban Renewal Agency meeting on Oct. 6, the city agreed to extend the loan agreement with the Liberty The- atre Foundation following delays due to COVID-19. The original hope was for the venue to be ready in some capacity before this year’s Eastern Oregon Film Festival, but supply shortages and spikes in prices during the Union County’s public schools also do not appear to have been impacted in a major way by the mandate. La Grande School District Superintendent George Mendoza said his district has lost four staff members, all non- teachers, because of the state’s COVID-19 man- dates. Mendoza said all the individuals resigned over the past six to eight weeks, “They all had concerns about the mandates,” Men- doza said. The La Grande School District has more than 300 employees counting substitutes and coaches and Mendoza said many steps were taken to help all of its staff meet the state mandate. He said he is happy that a very high percentage of his staff will be remaining with the school district. “I’m very thankful for the support we receive from our staff,’’ Mendoza said. The Cove School Dis- trict will be retaining all of its teaching and non- teaching staff, according to superintendent Earl Pettit. Still, the school dis- trict did suffer some losses — two coaches and four substitute teachers. One pandemic have delayed that vision. According to O’Toole, the opening will likely be delayed until next year. The 12th rendition of the film festival is set to start on Oct. 22, uti- lizing the McKenzie The- atre at Eastern Oregon University. The Liberty Theatre will eventually serve as the home base for the film festival and open its doors for live perfor- mances from local orches- tras, choirs, performing groups, and theater companies. “We are committed to a long-standing partner- ship with the film festival One solution for oxygen at home, away, and for travel Blazing Fast Internet! Introducing the INOGEN ONE – It’s oxygen therapy on your terms No more tanks to refi ll. No more deliveries. No more hassles with travel. The INOGEN ONE portable oxygen concentrator is designed to provide unparalleled freedom for oxygen therapy users. It’s small, lightweight, clinically proven for stationary and portable use, during the day and at night, and can go virtually anywhere — even on most airlines. Inogen accepts Medicare and many private insurances! Reclaim Your Freedom And Independence NOW! 19 . 99 $ /mo. where available 2-YEAR TV PRICE GUARANTEE 64 $ 99 MO. America’s Top 120 Package © 2020 Inogen, Inc. All rights reserved. for 12 Mos. 1-866-373-9175 MKT-P0108 EOU plans ahead for in-house deadline Employees of Eastern Oregon University are not impacted by the state mandate. However, Eastern has put a similar vaccination mandate in place, with a deadline of Oct. 22. Tim Seydel, Eastern’s vice president for univer- sity advancement, said EOU’s employees were asked to submit their plans regarding the uni- versity’s mandate by Sept. in any capacity possible,” O’Toole said. Offer ends 7/14/21. All offers require credit qualification, 24-month commitment with early termination fee and eAutoPay. Prices include Hopper Duo for qualifying customers. Hopper, Hopper w/Sling or Hopper 3 $5/mo. more. Upfront fees may apply based on credit qualification. 15. This was done to give the university a better idea of what to expect and to make it easier for it to plan. The process leading up to the Oct. 22 deadline has been smooth. “We have a good response. We have not had any issues,” Seydel said. State agencies retain bulk of staff The Oregon State Police, in addition to schools and health care providers, also fall under the umbrella of the state’s Oct. 18 vaccination man- date. A press release from the OSP indicates 93% of its employees have met the requirements of the mandate and that the remaining 7% have appli- cations for exceptions that are now being reviewed. Of the OSP’s employees, 78% have been fully vaccinated and 15% have been granted exceptions for religious or medical reasons. Nine- ty-six percent of the exceptions were granted for religious reasons. A total of four OSP employees in the state are known to have resigned in response to the state’s vaccination mandate. Each of the four cited the state’s mandate when they resigned, according to the press release. The Oregon Depart- ment of Transportation, another state agency affected by the mandate, also has a high employee mandate compliance rate. Katherine Benenati of ODOT said that as of the morning of Oct. 19, 95% of the agency’s employees had met the require- ments of the mandate. This meant that 4,406 of ODOT’s 4,627 employees had met the standard, Benenati said. “Real Food for Open the People” Fri-Sun Take-out Menu 5pm-8pm Updated Weekly www.tendepotstreet.com 541-963-8766 tendepotstreet@gmail.com Your home is only as smart as your Internet. AT&T Internet 40 $ /mo. when bundled, plus taxes & equip. fee. 12 mo agmt, other qualifying service (min $19/mo) & combined bill req’d. $10/mo equip. fee applies. Incl 1TB data/mo. $10 chrg for each add’l 50GB (up to $100/mo). † Cut cable internet and switch to AT&T Internet. Call now! • Plans up to 100 Mbps. ‡ • Free Smart Home Manager App 1 with Parental Controls. 2 • The bandwidth to power multiple devices at once. Number of devices depends on screen size/resolution. • Get a seamless whole-home Wi-Fi experience with AT&T Smart Wi-Fi. 3 Limited availability. 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The superinten- dent said this is below the number he believes the school district needs and that he will be trying to add to the district’s list of substitute teachers. The Elgin, Imbler, North Powder and Union school districts each also will be retaining all of its staff, the districts’ superintendents reported. Imbler School District Superintendent Doug Hislop said he is delighted that he will be able to keep all of his staff, noting that it will help maintain stability for the students. “We want to be as normal as we can be in an unnormal time,” he said. Union School District Superintendent Carter Wells also said he is delighted that his staff is still intact. “It would have been horrific to have lost staff because of the mandate,” Wells said. “Each and every staff member plays a vital role in our daily operations.” Wells said that his staff members, including non- teachers, build important relationships with students. “When you lose a trusted adult it has a det- rimental impact on stu- dents because of the rela- tionships built with them,” he said. He was co-owner of Countryside Kennels LLC, with his wife Molly.
