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POWDER VALLEY CRUSHES ST. PAUL, ADVANCES TO FOOTBALL STATE TITLE GAME |
SPORTS, A7
TUESDAY EDITION
November 23, 2021
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Temporary employee
program not open to
local pharmacies,
however
By JAYSON JACOBY
Baker City Herald
LA GRANDE — The Oregon
Health Authority is off ering to
pay pharmacies $35 for each dose
of COVID-19 vaccine they give,
a move that possibly could help
pharmacies hire employees to
deal with the growing workload
that has resulted in long lines in
La Grande and across the state.
The program, which launched
this month, also is intended to
boost vaccination rates and to
ensure that vaccines are available
to all residents, said Rudy Owens,
a public aff airs specialist for the
Oregon Health Authority.
To qualify for the payments,
pharmacies must meet cer-
tain standards for “vaccine
equity,” including such things
as off ering multilingual signing
for COVID-19 vaccinations,
“expanded vaccine-related coun-
seling aimed at boosting vac-
cine confi dence,” and “a plan for
ongoing evaluation and contin-
uous improvement to ensure equi-
table access,” according to a fl yer
from OHA.
The agency’s other pro-
gram more directly addresses
the staffi ng shortages that have
plagued pharmacies, as the state
will pay temporary pharmacists
to bolster workforces.
However, Owens said the
temporary staffi ng program is
available only to independent
pharmacies. Corporate-owned
pharmacies, including the three
in La Grande— at the Safeway,
Walmart and Rite Aid stores —
are not eligible for the program,
Owens said. The larger chain
pharmacies are eligible for the
vaccine payments.
Owens said OHA doesn’t have
data yet on how many pharmacies
have applied for the supplemental
payments.
He said the pharmacy staffi ng
shortages have been exacerbated
by the closure of more than 35
Bi-Mart pharmacies, including
the one in La Grande, earlier this
month.
See, Help/Page A5
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Sydney Gleeson, food service manager for Community Connection of Northeast Oregon, preps a turkey at the Union County Senior Center’s kitchen on
Friday, Nov. 19, 2021. Thanksgiving represents one of the busiest times of the year at the senior center as more than 600 meals are prepared during the
days preceding the feast.
Busiest time of year
Union County food service program volunteers are always welcome to help with the work load
By DICK MASON
INSIDE
The Observer
LA GRANDE — With
Thanksgiving just two days
away, the food service staff
at the Union County Senior
Center is busier than ever pre-
paring such tasty items as
turkey, ham, stuffi ng, cranber-
ries and sweet potatoes to feed
hundreds.
“Thanksgiving week is
always our busiest of the year,”
said Sydney Gleeson, the
Union County food services
manager for Community Con-
nection of Northeast Oregon.
Gleeson said her staff pre-
pares more than 600 meals
during the three days before
Thanksgiving, about double
what it normally does during a
normal Monday to Wednesday
period at the senior center in
La Grande. Gleeson likes the
challenge of preparing addi-
tional meals in a compressed
time frame.
“I enjoy having the oppor-
tunity to do more for people in
The COVID-19 pandemic is putting
a crimp in plans for holiday meals in
Wallowa County, Page A2
need in the community,” she
said.
Dianna Douglas, a volun-
teer cook at the Union County
Senior Center, said the greater
her work load is, the happier
she is.
“The more people I help
feed, the better I feel,” she
said.
The volunteer said that pre-
paring meals Thanksgiving
week and throughout the year
is a joy.
“I love to cook and feed
people,” she said. “If I couldn’t
do it here, I would do it out of
my kitchen.”
Douglas worked for Com-
munity Connection’s food ser-
vice center in Wallowa before
moving to La Grande earlier
this year. She still assists in
Wallowa, going there at least
twice a month to help when
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Paula Webb, a member of the kitchen staff at the Union County Senior
Center, cuts slices of bread for stuffi ng on Friday, Nov. 19, 2021. Meals from
the senior center include turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, cranberries, mashed
potatoes and gravy, fresh baked bread, green bean casserole and pie. Many
of the meals will be delivered through the Meals on Wheels program.
the staff is shorthanded.
Douglas has a fi rsthand
understanding of the demands
of holiday season meal prepa-
ration. She was the head
cook for the Wallowa Senior
Center’s Thanksgiving and
Christmas programs from
DRIVERS NEEDED
Sydney Gleeson, the Union County
food services manager for Com-
munity Connection of North-
east Oregon, said drivers are still
needed to help deliver meals on
Nov. 24. Anyone who is interested
in delivering meals are asked to call
541-605-5556.
See, Busy/Page A5
The show goes on at the OK Theatre
Historic Enterprise site being renovated
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — The
show must go on.
That’s Darrell Brann’s
intention and his plan is to
reopen Enterprise’s historic
OK Theatre next spring.
Right now, the building’s
facade is covered with scaf-
folding in anticipation of its
restoration.
“I’ve had people ask,
‘Are you tearing it down?’
Well, we’re tearing it back
to the good stuff and then
rebuilding from there,”
Brann said.
Inside, much of the
venue has been gutted in
preparation for other work,
such as retail spaces, a bar,
remodeling the foyer and a
See, Theater/Page A5
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
WEATHER
INDEX
Classified ......B2
Comics ..... B6,B7
Crossword ....B3
Dear Abby ....B8
The facade of the OK Theatre
in Enterprise is undergoing a
major refurbishment as part
of work to restore the theater
and prepare it to reopen next
spring, said co-owner Darrell
Brann on Friday, Nov. 19, 2021.
Home .............B1
Horoscope ....B3
Lottery ...........A2
Obituaries .....A3
SATURDAY
Opinion .........A4
Sports ............A7
State ...............A6
Sudoku ...B6, B7
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Wednesday
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GRANTS HELP KEEP DENTAL CLINIC AFLOAT
CONTACT US
541-963-3161
Issue 137
3 sections, 36 pages
La Grande, Oregon
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observer.com.
More contact info
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Online at lagrandeobserver.com