B2
Columbia Gorge News
Wednesday, June 9, 2021
www.columbiagorgenews.com
Making history: How the Gorge community is
coming together to distribute the COVID vaccine
Bankman
■ By For Judy
Healthy Gorge Initiative
Ashley Bailey receives a vaccine from Kathy
Schwartz, and Maddie Dollarhide receives hers
from Chris McNall, both of NCPHD.
Photos courtesy of NCPHD
The Gorge has always been a leader when
it comes to taking care of one another. Since
COVID-19 hit last spring, we have been
seeing less of each other face to face — but
that doesn’t mean we have stopped working
together or supporting those who are most
vulnerable. Since the COVID vaccine became
available, countless organizations, made
up of community members, have worked
tirelessly to get the vaccine into people’s
arms as quickly as possible. And we wouldn’t
have been able to do this without our key
ingredients: Strong existing relationships and
willingness to collaborate.
In Klickitat County, collaboration among
clinics from Goldendale to White Salmon
has made the vaccine more available
throughout the region. Since the begin-
ning of the COVID pandemic, staff at the
Klickitat County Health Department have
been meeting regularly with Klickitat Valley
Health in Goldendale, Skyline Hospital, and
NorthShore Medical Group in White Salmon.
Relationships strengthened, which meant
that when it came time to vaccinate, it was
easy to work together.
Klickitat Valley Health (KVH) purchased a
freezer for the Pfizer vaccine when it became
available several months ago. The clinics on
the west side of the county began receiving
the Moderna vaccine, but it wasn’t enough
— so KVH started sending its Pfizer vaccine
to the west side clinics. When the Johnson
& Johnson vaccine was paused, affecting
a vaccine clinic NorthShore had already
scheduled, it was the Klickitat County
Health Department’s turn to provide enough
Moderna doses so that community members
didn’t have to cancel their appointments.
In a collaborative effort with Mercer
Ranch, nurses with the Klickitat County
Health Department have given vaccines
to farmworkers in the eastern part of the
county. Mercer Ranch secured space for the
clinic at the Alderdale fire station and put
the health department in touch with other
ranches in the area who had employees and
staff interested in getting the vaccine. As a
result, in one day, 250 vaccines were given at
farms and vineyards.
“Everyone is cooperating and working very
well together,” said Kristi Ridgeway, Clinical
Division manager at Klickitat County Health
Department. “[It’s about] really just wanting
the best for the county and getting the shots
in people’s arms.”
Cooperation is happening on the Oregon
side, too. North Central Public Health
District (NCPHD), serving Wasco, Sherman,
and Gilliam counties, has been hosting
regular vaccine clinics at the Readiness
Center in The Dalles. NCPHD partners with
Mid-Columbia Medical Center, who helps
staff a Wednesday clinic, as well as the Wasco
County Medical Reserve Corps, which has
provided about 1,700 volunteer hours at
vaccine clinics as of the third week of May.
NCPHD’s Friday Night Lights vaccine event,
which had music, free pizza, and snacks, was
spotlighted by the Oregon Health Authority
for its success and creativity in getting the
vaccine to 16-17 year olds.
Hood River County Health Department
has also hosted multiple large vaccine events
and has prioritized farmworkers because
of the disproportionate impact of COVID
on this community. In Hood River County,
about 46% of COVID cases have occurred
in the non-Latino community, with 54% of
COVID cases occurring among Latinos, even
though Latinos make up closer to 30% of the
population. This inequity occurs because
Latinos more frequently hold higher risk
jobs, do not have paid vacation or sick days,
and less access to health care or linguistically
and culturally appropriate health informa-
tion, among other barriers. We have also
seen this play out on a national level.
“Our partners were so amazing and
critical, they were such a big part of getting
our farmworkers signed up,” said Sarah
Franklin at Hood River Health Department.
“I have a representative from Oregon Child
Development Coalition in one of my meet-
ings who would sit down with her families
and sign each of them up on the online
system. She had a direct route with me if she
needed any help. And she was able to reach
families we might not have been able to
reach otherwise.”
Heart of Hospice has been another pro-
active community partner in distributing
the vaccine, at first via home visits to its own
patients, and later to the community at large
through multiple pop-up clinics in Cascade
Locks, Hood River, and for local orchards.
“We reached out to our health depart-
ments, Mid-Columbia Center for Living, all
the doctors we work with, and just said, ‘Hey
everyone, going into people’s homes is the
name of our game. Now we can give COVID
vaccines and would love to help service this
population that’s difficult to reach,’”said
Jessalyn Fey, a nurse at Heart of Hospice.
By the middle of May, Heart of Hospice
had given roughly 900 COVID vaccines.
Through a partnership with The Next
Door Inc. and Columbia River Inter-Tribal
Fish Commission, One Community Health
(OCH) hosted multiple vaccine events at
Celilo Village throughout the winter and
spring. Its staff created a fact sheet in plain
language detailing facts about the vaccine
and conducted in person outreach at Celilo
Village and the local in lieu fishing villag-
es, helping Native American community
members sign up for the vaccine. If someone
didn’t have transportation, OCH staff worked
with MCEDD, which provides free transport
to vaccine appointments.
Because OCH was part of a pilot program
through the Oregon Health Authority, it was
able to offer the vaccine to farmworkers and
tribal community members before they were
eligible according to federal guidelines. This
expedited and improved access to commu-
nities that have been disproportionately
affected by COVID.
“At the last [vaccine] event, I heard a
gentleman I’ve known since I was a girl
talking about how beautiful it was for him to
be a farmworker and for him to be vacci-
nated first,” said Gladys Rivera, Preventative
Services manager at OCH. “The fact that
we’re first means a lot.”
Many farmworkers have now received the
COVID vaccine, in large part due to educa-
tion and outreach provided by The Next Door
Inc., and clinics held by One Community
Health. In December, Kathy Nishimoto at
Duckwall Fruit conducted a survey among
employees to see who was interested in a
vaccine.
“At that time, only 40% were willing to do
it,” said Nishimoto. “We’re up to 72 % vacci-
nated right now.”
Throughout the pandemic, whenever
Nishimoto received information from The
Next Door, she would print it off and share
it with her employees. Through word of
mouth, vaccine acceptance slowly spread.
So when One Community Health reached
out to Duckwall, Nishimoto was eager to get
the clinics started. The first clinic vaccinated
growers in addition to employees, and the
second clinic vaccinated about 600 agricul-
tural workers.
These are just a handful of examples
of how the community has been working
together to offer the COVID vaccine. There’s
still more to do, but the strong relationships
among health departments, non-profits, and
local businesses have enabled us to do this
challenging work more effectively, and do it
together.
Billboard
BUSINESS CARD
Billboard
F U L L C O L O R BUY 11 MONTHS GET THE 12TH FREE!
email sales@gorgenews.com or call 541-296-2141
Kim Dunn
Gorge Bookkeeping &
Payroll Services, LLC
541-354-1151
541-490-0832
2495 Cascade, Hood River, OR 97031
ERICK REYES
541.705.0516 CCB# 231232
OWNER
ERICK.REYES.0789@GMAIL.COM
G orgeous TURF
OR CCB #234564
Columbia Hills Construction LLC
SIT BACK, RELAX AND ENJOY THE VIEW
• Weekly Lawn Maintenance
• Spring & Fall Clean-up
• Tree Pruning
• And so much more...
Jeff Burns
Offi ce 541.386.1227
Cell 541.399.3360
services@hrpropavers.com
gorgeousturf@gmail.com
*FREE ESTIMATES*
1767 12th St. #276 Hood River
lanesexcavation@gorge.net
Jeremy Lane, Owner
541-490-2633
Bonded & Insured CCB# 185807
Professional Pavers & Construction
Jeff Burns
ʽ
¹¼±«¸ ¾«¸¶¯Ã ·³¾² «¼¸¯Ã ʧ
¯·¬¯¼ ʧ
Debra Lutje CMT, LMT
541-296-9303
avalonbiossage@gmail.com
AVALONBIOSSAGE
Site Prep • Sealcoat • Land Clearing
Striping • Utilities • Demo
Kimberly Cowan
M O T O R S
CODY WALKER
Sales Consultant
Cell: (541) 980-2664
walker_c@schultensmotors.com
ʽ 2017 ¹¼±«¸ ¾«¸¶¯Ã ·³¾² «¼¸¯Ã ʧ
¯·¬¯¼ ʧ 1596709
https://fa.morganstanley.com/michael.schock
2400 West Sixth Street, The Dalles, Oregon 97058
Tel: (541) 296-6191 Tol Free: 1-800-934-9835 FAX: 296-6290
HOOD RIVER | THE DALLES | WHITE SALMON
ʽ
¹¼±«¸ ¾«¸¶¯Ã ·³¾² «¼¸¯Ã ʧ
¯·¬¯¼ ʧ
Columbia Gorge News
Jill Guenther
OREGON BROKER
541.490.3156
2495 CASCADE, HOOD RIVER, OR 97031
“Helping people find their place”
columbiahillsconstllc@gmail.com
AVALON BIOSSAGE
1767 12th St. #384 Jeff Burns
Hood River, OR 97031
Offi ce 541.386.1227
OR CCB #215531
Cell 541.399.3360
WA
#PROFFPC831L7
services@hrpropavers.com
Asphalt
& Paving • Excavating
• Road Building
Offi ce 541.386.1227
Cell 541.399.3360
services@hrpropavers.com
1-541-965-9426
OR LJC. #3393
Asphalt & Paving • Excavating • Road Building
Site Prep • Sealcoat • Land Clearing
Striping • Utilities • Demo
Hood River, OR 97031
Painting . Tile Work . Flooring . Doors . Drywall
Kitchens . Baths . Decks . Fencing . Gutter Cleaning . etc.
AVALONBIOSSAGE
H A N D Y M A N S P E C I A LT Y
Asphalt & Paving • Excavating • Road Building
Site Preparation • Utilities • Foundation
Site Prep • Sealcoat • Land Clearing
Striping • Utilities • Demo Excavation • Septic Systems • Stump Removal
Hood River, OR 97031
(541) 490-2942
30 YEARS EXPERIENCE
Niki Piacente Digital Ad Director
541-296-2141 ext. 101 | cell 503-866-9874
nikip@gorgenews.com
P. O. B ox 1 9 1 0 , Th e D a l l e s, OR 9 7 0 5 8
kimcowan@gorge.net
541-296-4200
312 Federal Street
The Dalles, OR 97058
INDIVIDUAL HEALTH
GROUP HEALTH
MEDIC ARE SUPPLEMENTS
MED ADVANTAGE PL ANS