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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2018)
february1 2018 free VERNONIA’S volume12 issue3 reflecting the spirit of our community www.vernoniasvoice.com A Look Inside Columbia 9-1-1 Communications District Jenesis Massage Offers Relief from Chronic Pain A recent tour of the Columbia County response dispatch center explained how the 9-1-1 system operates and the people behind this vital facility Massage Therapist Jennifer Hayes has a new practice in Vernonia By Scott Laird Whenever anyone in Columbia County is in trouble and calls for emer- gency assistance the first person they will speak with is a Communication Special- ist at the Columbia 9-1-1 Communica- tions District located in St. Helens. change throughout the year, depending on the weather, but our call volume stays pretty consistent.” Columbia 9-1-1 is considered a “Public Safety Answering Point” and is one of 43 such facilities in the State of Oregon. They receive the primary emergency calls and then contact any lo- cal responding agency that needs to be involved – ambulance, fire, police, state police, and sheriff. Other partner agen- cies that rely on Columbia 9-1-1 dispatch services include Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Department of Communication Specialists at the Columbia 9-1-1 Communications District answer calls and dispatch responders across Columbia County. Those “dispatchers” often deal with people in their worst moments and often have seconds to make quick and lifesaving decisions, all while maintain- ing a calm demeanor. “They are the folks on the front line,” said Columbia 9-1-1 Operations Manager Trish Hilsinger dur- ing a recent open house and tour of their facility. “They are the ones who are an- swering the telephones every single day, 24 hours a day.” While those Communication Specialists have an extremely important job, Columbia 9-1-1 does much more than handle emergency calls. “We average about 200-250 calls a day,” says Hilsinger. “The needs inside 5 9 10 barbee family benefit county veterans memorial expansion vhs winter sports Forestry, and Department of Health and Human Services, to name just a few. Columbia 9-1-1 Communica- tions District is a special district and is a government entity but does not fall under the jurisdiction, and is not regulated by, a specific local agency. “We definitely work closely with our Sheriff’s Office and local police and fire departments, but we have our own tax base and funding that allows us to operate independently,” said Hilsinger. She went on to explain that Columbia 9-1-1 is one of only three special districts that provide emergency dispatch services in Oregon; Tillamook and Kalamath counties are also set up continued on page 7 By Scott Laird A new massage therapist is now practicing in Vernonia and offer- ing relief for pain, stress and other ail- ments. Jennifer Hayes is a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) who opened her massage therapy practice, Jenesis, last March. She is currently sharing office space with Dr. Carol McIntyre’s naturopathic practice at 758 Weed Av- enue in Vernonia. Hayes is a 2014 graduate of Vernonia High School who worked as a receptionist at McIntyre’s Natural Path Health Services office immediately following her high school graduation, before enrolling in the East West Col- lege of the Healing Arts in Portland. “I really love doing massage because it allows me to help people and it also helps keep me physically active,” says Hayes. “I’m constantly learning, which is important to me. I get to work with people and help solve the puzzle of their bodies, their mus- cles, and their bones.” Hayes says that while study- ing at East West College she learned basic skills in Swedish and deep tissue massage, and learned about our body’s anatomy and physiology, and pathol- ogy. “Towards the end of our training we started diving into more special- ized things like eastern modalities, which helps point you in the direction you want to work in,” explains Hayes. “I definitely went more western with my approaches and took classes that focused on correcting postural distor- tions.” Hayes offers full body mas- sages for 30 to 90 minutes by appoint- ment on Mondays and Fridays; cost for a 60 minute massage is $45. She also offers convenient drop-in chair mas- sages for 15 or 30 minutes on Wednes- days, and other days and times if she is not scheduled for other appointments; cost is just $10 for a 15 minute session. Hours are from 3:00 to 8:00 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays, and 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on Fridays. A sign out in front of the office will let potential clients know when drop-in chair mas- sages are available. “There can be many reasons why people suffer from chronic pain, but a lot of people believe that postural distortions are often the most likely cause,” says Hayes. “I focus on finding people pain relief that will last. The approach that I take is different than a chiropractor who uses quick thrusting motions to get something to pop back into place. My approach is slower and may take more time, possibly over a few sessions, but it can also have a lon- ger lasting effect. By correcting these issues I’m hoping people can learn to be in their body in a new way that will keep them from having pain.” continued on page 3 Running Dogs Brewery: Lots of Taps, Lots of Choices Columbia County’s newest brewery offers 14 regional beers on tap and a welcoming atmosphere in St. Helens By Scott Laird Walk in the door of the Running Dogs Brewery taproom in Old Town St. Helens and you almost expect everyone to shout out your name, like they do at Cheers. This small and friendly estab- lishment, Columbia County’s newest and, right now, only brewery, feels like a place you can take off your coat and hat, grab a mug, and stay for a while. Owners Maggie and Jaron Clayton opened the doors of their tap- room in October and have already garnered a loyal following. Brewing their own unique and interesting beers Maggie Clayton and her husband Jaron are the owners of Running Dog Brewery. off-site in their home garage on a small one-barrel system, with four two-barrel fermenters, Running Dogs is having a tough time keeping their own beers on tap as they’ve grown in popularity. But with 14 taps total, there are always lots of other good choices; recent featured breweries included Lompoc, Double Mountain, Rusty Truck, Ashtown, Burnside, Old Town, Anderson Valley and Baumans ciders. “We don’t really have any flag- ship beers because we’re always brew- ing new stuff and that kind of sets us apart,” said Maggie Clayton during a recent visit to the taproom. “You’re al- ways going to find something different when you come in. Our problem right now is that whenever we put a new one of our beers on tap, it’s gone right away. People want our beer, we just have to produce it faster.” A great beer selection isn’t the only thing that makes Running Dogs a great neighborhood place. They have featured some live music along with other fun events like trivia and bingo nights, paint nights, beer and yoga during the day, and a tap takeover continued on page 8
