8
Wednesday,June9,2021
Columbia Gorge News
COVID-19 economic
needs assessment
identifies key issues
COVID-19
State goals 'well
within reach'
Continued from page 1
snacks.
Jason Bradley, One
Community Health site man-
ager, walked the governor
through the process, from
check in to shot, and gave
her a tour of the clinic's new
mobile vaccine unit, provid-
ed by the Center for Disease
Control.
Oregon’s statewide mark
stood at 66.2 percent on
Wednesday. OHA Director
Pat Allen said that if the
current pace continues, the
mark would be hit about
June 21.
“This is not a slam dunk,”
Allen said.
Allen said that the June
30 deadline set earlier in the
year by the governor was well
within reach.
“It will take a lot of work by
a lot of people to get it done,”
Allen said.
Lifting restrictions would
include:
• Ending the risk level
system for counties of lower,
moderate, high and extreme.
• Ending a state require-
ment for masks and face
coverings in almost all
settings. Exceptions would
be airports, public transit,
and health care settings
that follow federal agency
guidelines.
• End requirements for
individuals to show vacci-
nation verification in public
venues and businesses.
• Allow K-12 students to
attend school in-person, full
time, five days per week.
K-12 guidance is being
revised to support schools in
safely delivering in-person
instruction throughout the
school day.
Current health and safety
standards, including indoor
mask requirements, will
remain in place in work-
places, schools and child
care settings. Colleges and
universities can make their
own decisions on protocols
after considering guidance
from the Centers for Disease
Control.
Brown said the move
would not mean the pan-
demic was over in Oregon.
She will re-examine whether
or not to lift her emergency
order that gave her a wide
latitude on public health
decisions.
“The pandemic will not be
over,” Brown said.
To try to increase the vac-
cination rate toward the goal,
many pharmacies will extend
hours to reach out to more
people who want shots.
“Some people are not
vaccine resistant, but vaccine
inconvenienced,” Allen said.
Brown also reiterated
www.columbiagorgenews.com
Jackson DeBorde, 14, sits for a vaccine shot by Sandy Chilate during a vaccine clinic at One
Community Heath in Hood River for youth ages 12-14. Below, Gov. Brown speaks to a television news
reporter.
Mark B. Gibson photo
plans to give away $1 million
to a vaccinated Oregonian,
along with $10,000 to a
vaccinated person in each of
the 36 counties. Scholarships
worth $100,000 are also be-
ing offered to lucky vaccinat-
ed youth.
Brown and OHA officials
said it was time to push past
the current levels of inocu-
lation as medical evidence
and state statistics show
the impact of the virus has
separated residents into two
groups with very different
likely futures.
Those with vaccination
are almost completely free of
infections, severe illness and
death.
But the pandemic is still “a
shadow” across the state for
those who are not inoculat-
ed. OHA said nine out of 10
deaths are currently among
people who have no record
of vaccination.
Children, immunocom-
promised and those who
have not been able to get
vaccinated must still be con-
sidered when communities
Gorge communities need
small business support,
critical community infra-
structure, workforce support
and increased regional
resilience, according to a
2021 needs assessment by
Mid-Columbia Economic
Development District
(MCEDD).
Early this year, MCEDD
conducted a COVID-19
economic needs assess-
ment across the five-county
bi-state region (Klickitat,
Skamania, Hood River,
Wasco, and Sherman
counties) to determine local
needs and priorities for
recovery, understand the
impacts from the COVID-19
pandemic and identify
opportunities for future
collaboration around these
issues.
The assessment was de-
veloped in partnership with
six economic development
districts across Oregon with
support from University of
Oregon’s Institute for Policy,
Research and Engagement.
In the Gorge, MCEDD
conducted 17 interviews
with 25 stakeholders across
the region. Interviewees
were chosen to reflect key
industries and community
organizations that support
economic and workforce
development.
The goal of the assessment
was to apply a “listen to
learn” framework to discover
what community leaders feel
are priority concerns and
what actions will be needed
to support an equitable re-
covery, according to a press
release from MCEDD. The
report summarizes those
findings and makes recom-
mendations for future action
through existing and new
partnerships.
The project uncovered
needs in the following four
key areas:
• Small Business Support:
Support small businesses as
they recover and grow. Focus
on those most impacted.
• Critical Community
Infrastructure: Collaborate to
expand broadband capacity,
attainable workforce housing
and improved transportation
networks.
• Workforce Support:
Increase access to afford-
able, accessible childcare
and workforce development
initiatives that will help our
residents get back to work
and increase skills.
• Regional Resilience:
Leverage the robust re-
sponse to the pandemic to
build resiliency planning
networks to prepare busi-
nesses, organizations, and
residents for future econom-
ic shocks and disruptions.
To learn more about these
core areas and potential
opportunities to address
them, visit the MCEDD web-
site to read the full report at
www.mcedd.org/mid-co-
lumbia-covid-19-econom-
ic-needs-assessment-proj-
ect.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Virtual tea benefits HR History museum
decide what steps to take.
“There are still Oregonians
who need to take extra
precautions to feel and stay
safe,” Brown said.
Those battling cancer,
immunocompromised
Oregonians, and organ do-
nors were among those still
needing protection, to name
a few. There are also many
Oregon kids who are not yet
eligible for a vaccine.
“So, it will remain incredi-
bly important for Oregonians
to continue making smart
choices,” Brown said.
OHA will continue to
monitor the global pandemic
and provide assistance and
resources, but will increas-
ingly advise local officials on
measures to take.
OHA and CDC are expect-
ed to issue more guidance
in coming days as the state
nears the 70 percent goal.
Mark Gibson of Columbia
Gorge News contributed to
this report.
HOOD RIVER — The History Museum’s afternoon tea
celebration is back for its fourth year and is going virtual.
Enjoy savories and sweets and sip tea from the comfort of
your home.
The guest of honor is Elizabeth Woody, former Oregon
Poet Laureate and director of the Museum at Warm Springs.
Woody is known for her poetry and as a visual artist, educa-
tor, and community leader. Proceeds support the museum’s
mission to celebrate and preserve the unique history of
Hood River County and the Mid-Columbia River region.
Ticket price includes savory and sweet treats, tea, and a
free museum admission pass; $35 or Tea for Two for $60.
Lecture only is $15.
Food and tea can be picked up between noon and 2 p.m.
at Spirit of Grace Church, 1140 Tucker Road, Hood River. For
more information, call the museum at 541-386-6772 or visit
www.hoodriverhistorymuseum.org.
ODOT project list available
Oregon Department of Transportation has released its
2021 Projects Map for Northwest Oregon. This map lists all
major projects under way this summer and can be found
onile at www.oregon.gov/odot/Regions/Documents/
ODOTSummerConstruction2021WebFriendly052521.pdf.
Water advisory lifted
THE DALLES — Certain customers of the City of The
Dalles water system were notified on June 3 to boil their
drinking water before consumptive use such as drinking,
preparing food and baby formula, brushing teeth and mak-
ing ice. Water mains have since been repaired, tests show
no bacteria in city water and the advisory was lifted June 6.
The affected area was generally limited to that east of Lewis
Street to Thompson Street, from E. Ninth to E. 19th streets.
The water main has now been repaired, the system has
been flushed, and test results indicate that the water is safe
to drink. If you live in the affected area, please throw away
any ice that may have been made by automatic ice makers
after June 3.
Lucian Burns, 14, is vaccinated by One Community Health staff
Sandy Chilate as Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, in back third from left,
looks on. To Brown's right is One Community Health Site Director
Jason Bradley.
Mark B. Gibson photo
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