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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 2015)
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015 THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 9 Local Hospital holds community BBQ Turbo helps in meth arrest • St. Alphonsus celebrates five years in Baker City BY GINA K. SWARTZ Gina@TheBakerCountyPress.com A hospital is a staple of any community. St. Alphonsus took over St. Elizabeth’s, a pillar of the community for over 100 years, just fi ve years ago and with it many strides have been made to im- prove rural health care. April 10, 2010 was the offi cial acquisition date and the fi ve-year mark was celebrated last Friday with an open house that included tours and a free barbecue. Improvements to the health care system have not only included renova- tions and additions to the facility and equipment but personnel as well. In addition to the St. Alphonsus medical group that is housed at the medi- cal center, Baker Clinic was added in 2011 with Valley Medical Clinic being added in 2012. St. Alphonsus Medical Group provides Dr. Tylka, Gen- eral Surgery, who will be retiring in the fall. Dr. Zachary Bastain has been hired and will begin in August to fi ll the void. Dr. Sandefur and assistant Autumn Swiger- Harrell PA-C provide orthopedics and Dr. Leslie Jackson rounds out the group with her specialty in Rheumatology. Baker Clinic staffs Melissa Knutson, D.O. family practitioner, sports medicine and acupunctur- ist and Zach Allen PA-C. Valley Medical Clinic is Dr. Charles Hofmann, Internal Medicine, Bryan Braun PA-C and Kara Wil- liamson, MSN FNP-BC. Dr. Hofmann is looking at retiring in 2016 so a new physician will be hired to replace him. CEO Ray Gibbons, who came to St. Alphonsus in 2010 said, “Dr. Jack- son also sees patients in Ontario and La Grande by telemedicine.” With the closing down of the Long-term Care Center, the area that was the dining room for the facility has been redone into what is now called the Powder River Conference Room. “It’s set up to do video conferencing in here, web or phone conferenc- ing. One of the things we’ve found is by doing Gina K. Swartz / The Baker County Press St. Alphonsus—Baker City CEO Ray Gibbons with Sommer Sargent, who is an RN and nurse supervisor in obstetrics. a teleconference that can be a very effective way to educate. So instead of a lot of the staff or myself travelling up and down the road to attend meetings we can come in here have our meeting by video or phone and go back to work. This room has been a nice addi- tion,” Gibbons explained. There is also a deal in the works that could bring New Directions Northwest to the facility utilizing unused space that was pre- viously the care center. Another area recently constructed was The Gath- ering Place, which was unused space just beyond the Powder River Confer- ence Room. “It is an extension of our cafeteria, just additional space for families to come and have a nice place to sit. This space was made possible with a donation from NORCO,” said Gib- bons. Last May saw the unveil- ing of the newly remodeled lobby. “One of the fi rst the fi rst things I noticed the fi rst time I walked in was the lobby. I stepped in and took a step back. We have a nice lobby now. It’s comfortable now. People can come in and have a conversation. That’s been a big plus for the commu- nity,” Gibbons commented. In addition to the re- model of the lobby was the addition of a gift shop. At the same time the Mam- mography Women’s Suite was introduced. “Right across the hall is the ultrasound machine so if that is needed it can just be wheeled over very eas- ily. And we also have our new CT machine, well we have had it for two and a half years now but it’s still new,” Gibbons said. Approximately three years ago the medical center opened the Billie Ruth Bootsma Clinic. The clinic has proved valuable to many providing cancer treatments that before required out of town travel. The clinic also provides in- fusions, blood transfusions and wound care, and also treats Rheumatoid Arthri- tis, Multiple Sclerosis and Osteoporosis. In addition the Clinic staffs a dietician. Updates are in the works for the Birthing Center, in fact new glider rockers have been ordered with plans for additional rockers being added in the future. All birthing suites have state of the art equipment that simply hides away in closets and drawers when not needed providing a calm, comfortable envi- ronment. Aside from the bed for “Mom” there is an additional bed in the room for the birthing coach. All rooms except for one have Jacuzzi bathtubs and the one that does not has a walk in shower for women that required a caesarian section. That room also has a different type bed to provide comfort since women that have caesarian deliveries usually require a longer hospital stay. Although the birth- ing center doesn’t have a traditional nursery, new mothers are encouraged to keep newborns with them, there is all the necessary stabilization equipment available for newborns. The birthing center also has extreme security to ensure safety, doors are locked at all times and either a code is required or you must contact a nurse by phone to gain entry. Gibbons pointed out fl yers on the walls that highlighted some of the ac- complishments the last fi ve years have brought though out the facility in areas such as Heath Information Management, Radiology, Physical and Occupational Therapy and Clinical Cod- ing. Gibbons stressed “Stan- dard of Care” being a main focus, the idea behind that being you could go to any Trinity Health Care facility and expect to see the same practices at the same level being exercised. One thing Gibbons said he has seen implemented and would like to see grow is what they call the LEAN program. “It is a new pro- gram, the concept is to get the people involved that do the work. Empower them to fi nd ways to improve, fi gure out how to imple- ment improvements and replicate it across our sys- tem. The more standard- ized we can get the better things are for everyone. The more we can take some of these back offi ce type things and make them more effi cient, lowest cost we can then we get to really focus on the people service. The best people to know how to make things better are the ones who do the work,” he said. Five years have seen a many changes and from the vision it does not ap- pear to be slowing down. BHS honor roll announced Baker High School re- cently announced its honor roll for the third quarter of 2015. The students included are: Seniors: *Kate Averett, *Aria Carpenter, *Rebekah Compos,*Grant Ermov- ick, *Elizabeth Hardy, *Matea Huggins, *Mi- chelle Lehman,*Levi Mansuetti,*Ashley McMurray, *Anna Payton,*Madison Richards,*Zachary Tomac,Michael Brady, To- bin Brown, Zarom Bruce, Angelee Calder, Elizabeth Calder, Bridger Cook, Skye Crabill, Brooke Duby, Austin Folkman, Celina Fuzi, Clayton Lea- Master, Farrell Linscott, Micah Mespelt, Tatiana O’Neal, Kaitlyn Sandefur and Elijah Witham. Juniors: *Makenna Bachman, *Samuel Baxter, *Ame- lia Bott, *Megan Burk, *Christopher Conant, *Madison Elms, *Melissa Foltz, *Kassidy Hertel, *Sierra Mastrude, *Han- nah Myers, *Hollis Robb *Morgan Scilacci, *Braden Staebler-Siewell, *Hannah Wilson, Cody Bingham, Lena Bowers, Stella Bow- ers, Dylan Chaves, Raelin Davis, Isaac Farber, Jayden Freeman, Rachel Free- man, Dusty Gyllenberg, Koby Hansen, Jennifer Hoernschemeyer, Nathan- iel Illingsworth, Ashley Knoll, Lindsay Livingston, Gracie McCarrell, Danielle McCauley, Mackenzie Patterson, Megan Pin- tok, Jacob Rilee, Emily Sandefur, Rory Scilacci, Bryson Smith, Brandon Stairs, Hunter Stone, Te- ancum Taylor, Marco Vela, Autumn Weideman and Savannah Wirth. Sophomores: *Micah Bradford, *Jo- sephine Bryan, *Kourtney Lehman, *Marcus Plum- ley, *Elizabeth Rea,*Erik Ruby, *Ryan Schwin, Erin Blincoe, Katrina Bott, Boston Colton, Brooke Conklin, Thomas Dunn, Jace Hays, Kirsten Hebner, Tyler Joseph, James Maz- zagotte, Shane McCauley, Jared Miller, Kayley Point- er, Elizabeth VanGaasbeck and Kirsten White. Freshmen: *Katya Brown,*Kaylee Burk, *Emily Carter, *Carson Lien, *Mason Tomac, Josie Ash, Kylie Callaway, Ashlie Chastain, Augustena Cook, Jackson Cutler, Kyra Davis, Isa- bella Evans, Kaeli Flana- gan, Samuel Hamilton, Jesse Johnson,Vicky Ortiz, Khiana White, Tiger Lily Wilhelm and Ericka Wirth. * Denotes a 4.0. On April 13, 2015 Baker City Police received informa- tion that three local individuals, two of which were want- ed for probation violations, were involved in drug activity and would be driving a vehicle to a local residence during the morning hours. At about 10:55 am Baker City Police Offi cers observed that vehicle with multiple occupants. At about 10:57 am Offi cer Shannon Regan initiated a traffi c stop near the intersection of 10th Street and Broadway Avenue, after recognizing one of the occupants was a subject wanted in relation to a probation violation. Subsequent to the traffi c stop and arrest of two subjects from the vehicle for probation violations, BCPD’s drug detection dog Turbo was deployed on the vehicle. Turbo alerted to the scent of illegal narcotics and a search was conducted. A controlled substance was found in the vehicle and the driver, Heather Govern, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance (Methamphet- amine). At that time the search ended and the Baker City Police wrote and obtained a search warrant to continue the search. Additional evidence was found. Arrested were: - Heather Nicole Govern (01/15/1990) 3670 9th Drive, Possession of a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine); - Loren Dean Alexander Prevo (11/05/1992), 2355 Carter Street, Probation Violation (Detainer); - Andrew Jay Culley (01/04/1989), 1519 10th Street Probation Violation (Detainer). This investigation will be ongoing and additional ar- rests are likely. Alice Trindle, SVRR receive awards EUGENE, Ore. – April 13, 2015 – The Oregon Tourism Commission (dba Travel Oregon) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2014 Travel and Tourism Industry Achievement Awards, presented at the 2015 Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Eugene, Ore. The annual awards recognize people and organizations across the state that go the extra mile to enhance the trav- el and tourism industry in Oregon. The award recipients are outstanding examples of professionals who, by virtue of their vision, perseverance and dedication, are a credit to Oregon’s tourism and hospitality industry. The state’s most prized recognition is the Governor’s Tourism Award. This year’s award was given to Alice Trindle, Executive Director of the Eastern Oregon Visi- tors Association. A tireless worker with an uncanny knack for building partnerships, Trindle has led the way in placing the great expanse of Eastern Oregon in the eyes of visitors. “It’s an honor to recognize Alice for her passion and de- cades of service to Oregon’s travel and tourism industry,” said Todd Davidson, CEO of Travel Oregon. “She has an incredible ability to accomplish great undertakings with a limited budget. She is also a champion of building local partnerships to help Eastern Oregon achieve much more than any one person or entity could do on their own, all while ensuring that the region maintains its unique char- acter and charm.” The Oregon Heritage Tourism Award recognizes out- standing incorporation of Oregon’s authentic cultural or natural history as a way to draw visitors to the state. One of only two mobile historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Sumpter Valley Railroad was named the winner of this year’s award. Volunteers from across the state pitch in every summer to continue the restoration and operation of the railroad. Many of these volunteers share the history of the railroad and the important role it played during the region’s early timber and mining heyday with visitors. Salem man killed in crash Oregon State Police (OSP) troopers are continuing the investigation into Sunday morning's fatal traffi c crash on I-84 near milepost 274 - 12 miles west of North Powder in Ladd Canyon. Shortly after 3:00 a.m., a white 2002 Chevrolet Ex- press Van, with seven occupants rolled over at milepost 274. One passenger, a man from Salem, was pronounced deceased at the scene. One man was transported by air ambulance, and the fi ve remaining were taken by ground ambulance. Troopers report icy conditions in the area, which may have been a factor in the crash. Find us on Facebook at www.theBCPress.com
