Page 8
November 2023
Be Ready to Understanding
Save a the Life
2 Steps of Hands-Only CPR
Every year, 350,000 people
die from cardiac arrest in the
United States. However, hands-
on emergency intervention like
cardiopulmonary
resuscitation
– or CPR – from a bystander can
make the difference between life
and death in sudden cardiac arrest
emergencies.
In fact, immediate CPR can
double or triple a cardiac arrest
victim’s chance of survival,
according to the American Heart
Association. During the first
few minutes an individual is
suffering from cardiac arrest,
chest compressions can help
keep blood flow active and push
remaining oxygen through the
body to keep vital organs alive,
which extends the opportunity for
a successful resuscitation once
trained medical staff arrive.
CPR, or Hands-Only CPR, is
recommended for use by people
who see a teen or adult suddenly
collapse in an out-of-hospital
setting such as at home, work or
in a park.
“By equipping people with
Hands-Only
CPR
training,
we are empowering them to
spring into action if a loved one
needs help, as the majority of
cardiac arrests occur at home,”
said Dr. Anezi Uzendu, M.D.,
interventional cardiologist and
American Heart Association
volunteer.
As part of the World Restart a
Heart Day initiative, the American
Heart Association aims to increase
awareness about the importance of
bystander CPR through its Hands-
Only CPR campaign, nationally
supported by the Elevance Health
Because 88% of cardiac Foundation, and offers these two
arrests – electrical malfunctions simple steps:
in the heart that cause an irregular
1. Call 911 (or send someone
heartbeat (arrhythmia) and disrupt
to do that).
the flow of blood to the brain,
2. Push hard and fast in the
lungs and other organs – occur at
center of the chest of the
home, it is often a friend or family
individual experiencing
member who witnesses a child,
cardiac arrest.
spouse, parent or friend going
into cardiac arrest. As survival
can depend on how quickly CPR Using the beat of a familiar song
is started, compression-only with 100-120 beats per minute,
Oregon Kicker 2024 “Largest in state history”
Story by Milo Van Elder
Salem OR - The Oregon ‘kicker’ is
anticipated by Oregon taxpayers, who
benefit when the state collects more than a
certain amount of State tax revenue. $5.61
billion in revenue surplus for the 2021-
2023 biennium has been confirmed by
the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis
(OEA). That’s pretty good news.
State officials claim the surplus is the
“largest in state history”. Most Oregonians
will receive a record-high kicker amount.
Eligible residents can also claim the kicker
as a refundable tax credit when they file
state tax returns for 2023.
The Oregon kicker rebate is only possible
once every two years. There is no credit
offered when there isn’t a surplus in state
revenue and so there are no guarantees for
claiming a credit in 2026.
So, you if you qualify, here’s what you
need to know about claiming the kicker in
2024 and how much you might expect.
The 2023 Oregon kicker credit is to
be claimed in 2024 and is based on the
2022 tax year. The requirements are pretty
simple. You must have filed a 2022 Oregon
state tax return and you must file a 2023
Oregon state tax return, even if you are not
required to. If you had tax due on your 2022
state return before any tax credits were
applied, then you should qualify.
This means some Oregon residents may
not qualify for the 2023 kicker. If you paid
no tax or received only non-taxable income
in 2022, you cant claim the Oregon kicker
credit in 2024.
The kicker rebate for Oregon taxpayers
is 44.28% of 2022 state taxes owed before
credits were applied. Higer wage earners
will have higher state tax liability and
receive a larger credit than those with
lessor tax liability. Taxpayers with no 2022
state tax liability cannot claim the credit.
It’s simple enough to calculate your kicker
credit by multiplying line 22 of your 2022
Form OR-40 by 44.28%.
For some taxpayers the kicker amount
may be less than calculated because
Oregon can use part or all of the kicker
amount to pay certain state debts. This can
include:
Child support
State tax debt
Some types of student loans
Court fines
It may be noted that the entire 2023
Oregon state tax refund amount is subject
to offset for the above debts, not just the
kicker amount.
State tax refund amounts will be higher
this year for many Oregonians with the new
Oregon child tax credit for 2023. This fully
refundable credit is known as the Oregon
Kids Credit, worth up to $1,000. There are
strict income limits for claiming the credit,
so not all families will qualify.
Umpqua Valley non-profits
receive $15K in grants from
Pacific Power
such as “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee
Gees, can help you stay on pace Douglas County — Pacific Power
on Wednesday, October 25,
with the necessary compressions. announced
2023, more than $100-thousand in grant
“Being able to efficiently perform
Hands-Only CPR in the moment
can mean the difference between
life and death, and by following
these two simple steps we can
increase someone’s chance of
survival from cardiac arrest,”
said Shantanu Agrawal, M.D.,
board
certified
emergency
medicine doctor and chief health
officer at Elevance Health. “As
a longstanding supporter of the
American Heart Association,
we remain focused on working
together to improve health
inequities in our communities by
expanding access to training and
increasing the number of people
who learn and feel confident
performing Hands-Only CPR to
save lives.”
money is set to be dispersed across three
states, and non-profit organizations in the
Umpqua Valley are getting cut.
The Pacific Power Foundation is
donating a total of $112,000 in grants
to serve affordable housing access, job
training and rural economic development
to ecosystem preservation, trail restoration
and nature-based education.
The grants are apart of a four grant
cycle offered by the foundation. The
foundation says this round of grants are
focused on community enhacement and
environmental respect.
“These organizations lift up our
communities and protect our natural
surroundings for future generations,”
said Sam Carter, Pacific Power regional
business manager. “It is an honor to
support their inspiring work and help
build communities where everyone can
flourish.”
The following two grants totaling
$15,000 were given to local Umpqua
Valley organizations:
Crater Lake Electrical Joint
Apprenticeship & Training Trust to
expand its electrician pre-apprenticeship
program for high school students to rural,
minority and traditionally underserved
communities and develop a mobile
education unit that can take the technical
classroom directly to rural schools.
Rural Development Initiatives to
support Main Street Economic Vitality
Hubs that help build networks of rural
leaders and revitalize rural economies
through training workshops, participant
stipends, technical assistance and
coaching.
A Twist on a Classic Pie
While apple pie is a traditional seasonal dish, you can add unique flavor
with this skillet version. Simply toss Honeycrisp apples with brown sugar,
cinnamon and lemon juice then spoon between two pie crusts simmering
in a thin layer of brown sugar and cinnamon then drizzle with caramel
sauce for a deliciously gooey evening treat.
Skillet Apple Pie with Caramel Sauce
4
1/4
1 1/2
1
6
large Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored and sliced
cup sugar
tablespoons cinnamon, divided
tablespoon lemon juice
tablespoons butter
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