FROM PAGE ONE
A6 — THE OBSERVER
TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2022
STRATEGY
tives available, infrastructure
and workforce absorption. Incen-
tives through the city’s urban
renewal district and business park
could be much more impactful
for a small-scale manufacturer
with roughly 10 employees, as
opposed to larger-scale manufac-
turers typically locating in larger
cities with more monetary incen-
tives available.
A larger manufacturer coming
to La Grande would also likely pull
employees from other local enti-
ties to the new company, weak-
ening the overall local workforce.
On the other hand, if a large-scale
manufacturer were to relocate its
workers to La Grande, challenges
with housing availability would
come into play. Bishop also noted
that local small-scale manufac-
turing can stabilize and reduce
supply chain issues.
Another emphasis of the plan
as a whole is making use of
underutilized space throughout the
city. Small-scale manufacturers
are capable of utilizing already
available space and the existing
infrastructure.
“We think there are more folks
that need perhaps 2,500 square
feet rather than 25,000 square
feet,” Bishop said. “That allows
us to focus our energy at the busi-
ness park and some of those large-
lotted parcels for a business that
really does need a larger space,
but allows us to still be active in
recruiting and identifying new
opportunities by focusing on ten-
ants that can potentially re-purpose
and re-use some of these smaller
existing spaces. That produces
a more infrastructure-effi cient
approach.”
With the utilization of spaces
throughout La Grande comes the
idea of fostering a productive, bus-
tling downtown area, which con-
tinues to be a focus of the city’s
economic development plans. The
2022-24 economic development
plan emphasizes creating more
retail opportunities to encourage
increased foot traffi c in downtown
La Grande.
“There certainly is a desire
stated in this economic develop-
ment plan and within La Grande
Main Street to really see down-
town become more of a retail
hub,” Bishop said. “Some of that
includes continued eff orts to look
at downtown housing, creating a
24/7 downtown experience.”
I think what was missing is that we
needed to make people aware that
they’re available,” he said.
One of the major points of
the campaign is to highlight that
everyone has an HIV status,
whether they’ve been tested or not.
“We all have an HIV status, and
we should all be tested for HIV at
least once, if not more frequently,”
said Joseph Fiumara, director for
Umatilla County Public Health, in
a press release. “I’m thrilled to see
this campaign launch here to con-
tinue building healthier communi-
ties in our part of the state.”
EOCIL provides HIV preven-
tion and case management services
in Baker, Gilliam, Grant, Harney,
Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Wasco
and Wheeler counties. Among
those counties, 222 people are
living with HIV, according to the
EOCIL press release.
As well as raising awareness
with the intent of improving the
number of tests administered in
rural Eastern Oregon, Toombs
said reducing stigma associated
with the virus is paramount, and
advances in medicine and tech-
nology have made living with the
virus easier.
“It’s night and day from 30
years ago,” he said. “We’re coming
up on the anniversary of the
passing of Ryan White (Compre-
hensive AIDS Resources Emer-
gency Act), and so it makes us
look back at where we were 30
years ago, and where we are now.
Science is just amazing, and (with)
the medical care that people are
getting now — we’re living longer
and healthier lives.”
Those medical advances include
PrEP, a prophylactic drug that
reduces HIV transmission rates by
99%, according to medical studies.
Therapy drugs HIV-positive indi-
viduals use also can completely
eliminate the transmission of HIV
if the virus is undetectable by tests,
through a process called Unde-
tected = Untransmittable.
“We shouldn’t have to fear
having an HIV test or getting
treatment,” Toombs said, “or
having access to prevention tools
that are available to us.”
TRANSPARENCY
Continued from Page A1
The full economic development strategy
can be viewed on the city’s website,
www.cityofl agrande.org (posted in the
April 6 agenda of both the city council
and the Urban Renewal Agency). Upon
garnering approval at the April council
meeting, councilors agreed upon
updates from the La Grande Economic
Development Department at least once
every six months to track the progress of
the strategy.
of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We really are still in a recovery
mode, trying to move back
toward a more resilient economy,”
Bishop said. “Finding that balance
between retention, resiliency and
recruitment is really the balancing
point.”
Noticeable emphasis
Another similar balance the city
is working to achieve is recruiting
new business into the area while
also continuing to promote local
entrepreneurship. One of the goals
of the strategic plan details eff orts
to support local organizations in
developing a skilled workforce —
the partnerships include the La
Grande School District, Eastern
Oregon University, Blue Mountain
Community College and Work-
Source Oregon.
Bishop noted that the city is
aiming to create the tools and
resources necessary to foster a
skilled workforce, while adjusting
to how the pandemic has shifted
employee-employer relationships
and workplace environments.
A noticeable emphasis in the
HIV
national physician groups rec-
ommend that everyone be tested
for HIV at least once. But most
adult Oregonians have never been
tested for HIV. People in more
rural parts of the state are even
less likely than people living
in urban areas to be tested in a
timely manner.
Toombs said testing and aware-
ness are especially important
because of the increase in positive
cases in Eastern Oregon.
“It’s almost quadrupled,” he
said. “Even though the num-
bers are low, we’ve gone from
Continued from Page A1
The kits contain STEM
projects, materials, instruc-
tions in both English and
Spanish, snacks and give-
aways. Students received
catapults kits, engineering
kits and gravity racer kits.
The organization partnered
with Sodexo food services
to include two snack items
per box.
The STEM kit event
came about last year during
the peak of the COVID-19
pandemic, when at-home
learning was at the forefront
for students. The GO STEM
Hub upped the total number
of kits from 2,000 to 2,300,
making adjustments to this
year’s kit based on teacher
feedback.
“We learned a lot from
last year,” Melville said.
“We really liked the idea of
it and just wanted to keep
doing it.”
‘Pivotal point’
The GO STEM Hub
works with students as
well as providing resources
for teachers, taking their
input and needs into high
consideration.
“Working in this position,
we see that it means a lot to
teachers when their voices
are heard,” GO STEM Hub
Program Director Stefanie
Holloway said.
During last year’s
event, the organization tar-
geted fourth grade students
after their age range and
older were sent home for
at-home learning due to the
pandemic.
“It’s a pretty pivotal
point,” Melville said of
fourth grade. “It’s a great
point in time where students
transition from learning
to read to then having the
opportunity to learn and fi nd
their own interests.”
This year’s kits included
several upgrades and alter-
ations, such as paper straws
economic development strategy
is recruiting small-scale manu-
facturing to La Grande, utilizing
the infrastructure and space avail-
able in the city. Bishop stated that
small-scale manufacturers are a
good match with La Grande’s cur-
rent assets.
The plan stresses small-scale
manufacturing over large-scale
for several reasons, such as incen-
MORE INFORMATION
Continued from Page A1
STEM
Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group, File
A man rides down Adams Avenue on a one-wheeled skateboard during Crazy
Days in La Grande on Saturday, July 17, 2021. The La Grande 2022-24 economic
development strategy emphasizes several key points, including promoting
increased foot traffi c in the downtown area to benefi t local retailers.
For more information about HIV testing,
prevention and treatment in Oregon,
visit www.endhivoregon.org.
three cases to almost, I believe,
12 cases. And so that’s quite a bit,
and that’s defi nitely made us take
a look at what needs to happen
around raising awareness and
making tools available.”
The campaign will utilize radio
ads, billboards and newspaper ads
to raise awareness about testing.
Toombs said testing already is
available, but awareness has been
lacking.
“We have the tools available, but
for the gravity racer kit.
Another new element was
a partnership with Amazon
Web Services. Amazon’s
philanthropic branch cov-
ered the $46,000 project in
its eff orts to reach young
learners in rural counties.
The kits were funded by
Oregon Community Foun-
dation last year, through a
grant specifi c to COVID-19
relief. Organizers at the GO
STEM Hub were thrilled to
partner with Amazon, uti-
lizing their resources to help
spread STEM education in
Eastern Oregon.
“The folks at Amazon
Web Services are very pas-
sionate about investing
in education in Eastern
Oregon,” Holloway said.
“They’re very innovative
and forward thinking.”
region can utilize to acquire
supplies for experiments
and activities. The library
includes a catalog which
teachers can order from
and have the items shipped
directly to their schools.
As the GO STEM Hub
looks to further grow its
footprint and emcompass
more students and teachers
in Eastern Oregon, the to-go
STEM kits served as a pro-
ductive way to bring STEM
opportunities to young
learners.
“We serve seven coun-
ties, so we want to make
sure everyone knows who
we are and what we can
off er,” Holloway said.
“We’re able to visit the
schools by sending them
things like this.”
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Growing footprint
The partnership has
spawned numerous future
possibilities, including a
mobile maker space that is
in the works — the vehicle
would serve as a STEM
classroom on wheels,
allowing the GO STEM Hub
to bring resources to schools
around the region.
“That’s kind of our
answer to the regional
spread dilemma, because we
can bring the STEM class-
room all over the region,”
Holloway said. “We’re
hoping to identify our
smallest communities that
are lacking in resources to
bring these opportunities to
them.”
The GO STEM Hub
hopes to continue providing
learning opportunities for
rural students, some of
whom may not have access
to STEM education. Another
big point of emphasis is
providing teachers with
resources necessary to pro-
vide STEM education, as
well as off ering professional
development opportunities.
The organization houses
a free lending library, which
teachers from around the
Grande Ronde Hospital & Clinics proudly welcomes
Andrew Oh, MD—Neurologist
“Some of us seem to face more than our fair share of life's challenges.
Having a neurological condition is certainly a challenge, but having a
neurological condition is also more common than you might think. Worldwide
about 1 in 6 persons suffer from at least one neurological disorder. Although
I'm a specialist, I specialize in problems that are widespread among us.
My goal as your neurologist will be to find the underlying cause of the neurolog-
ical symptoms that bother you, and do whatever possible to ameliorate their
effects. Not all neurological conditions are treatable but I always focus on trying
to find the treatable ones and minimizing their effects.”
Dr. Oh’s Professional interests: Migraine, dizziness and vertigo,
general neurology, neuroimaging.
Dr. Oh’s Personal interests: Family time, dogs, cats,
and tinkering in the shed.
Please help us welcome Dr. Oh and his Family to our Community!!
GRH Neurology Clinic
GRH.org — 700 Sunset Drive — 541.963.1919