Portland observer., November 15, 2023, Image 9

November 15, 2023
Oregon’s Only Burn
Center Turns 50
Dedicated to
Burn Injury
Treatment
celebrates years
of service
Portland Water Bureau Chief Engineer, Jodie Inman
Head Engineer
Honored
DJC Holds
Women
of Vision
Ceremony
Portland Water Bureau Chief Engineer
Jodie Inman, P.E. was among honorees
at the Daily Journal of Commerce (DJC)
Women of Vision ceremony.
“I’m honored to receive this award,”
Inman said. “It’s important to bring an
equity-focused lens to the mission-driv-
en work of maintaining our reliable
water system. This award recognizes
our progress toward creating a diverse,
inclusive and well-managed workplace
for women and other historically under-
represented groups.”
Inman’s appointment in 2021 as chief
engineer—the second woman to hold the
role at the Water Bureau—helped blaze a
trail. Now, she is one of eight senior wom-
en leaders steering the bureau’s manage-
ment team.
“The Portland Water Bureau is proud to
be a leader in elevating women in water
utility work,” said Portland Water Bureau
Director Gabriel Solmer. “The expertise
of leaders like Jodie Inman are helping us
invest in a pipeline of future talent that is
more reflective of the city we live in.”
Since her appointment as chief en-
gineer, Inman has worked to integrate
inclusion in Water Bureau processes,
from updating project selection crite-
ria to centering equity considerations
throughout construction.
“Our projects and capital work provide
real opportunity to make a difference,”
said Inman. “Support of local women- and
minority-owned firms and the promotion
of living wage jobs for these historically
underrepresented groups is a key part of
leading with equity,” she said.
Inman was drawn to engineering
during her upbringing in the Tri-Cities
area of eastern Washington, where many
of her friends’ parents worked in the field.
“I always had a love of math and science,
and engineering seemed the perfect fit to
blend those interests and to contribute to
my community,” said Inman. “As my ca-
reer progressed, I realized that I wanted to
take what I had learned to make a differ-
ence, and my time at the Portland Water
Bureau has allowed me to do just that.”
Inman’s Water Bureau career began in
the engineering planning group, where
she supervised professional and technical
staff in support of project planning, asset
management and hydraulic modeling.
From there, she went on to work as an en-
gineering supervisor on special projects.
“I’ve worked on a wide array of proj-
ects that have allowed me to build rela-
tionships around the bureau and have giv-
en me a well-rounded perspective on how
this all plays together,” said Inman.
One project leveraging collaboration
was the Oregon Department of Transpor-
tation’s U.S. 26 Outer Powell Boulevard
safety improvement project. Jodie invest-
ed time reaching out to colleagues in dif-
ferent jurisdictions to build more collabo-
rative relationships.
“Inman’s collaborative approach has
led to solutions that better serve underrep-
resented communities, are fiscally respon-
sible and provide benefit to the communi-
ty while reducing the impacts of projects,”
said engineering design group manager
Ken Ackerman.
The engineering group’s work on cap-
ital projects, including a new drinking
water filtration facility and the recently
completed 12.4-million-gallon seismi-
cally reinforced underground reservoir
at Washington Park, add to the water
system’s resilience to potential drink-
ing water contaminants and to natural
disasters. A resilient water system can
handle emergency events with minimal
service interruptions.
The Legacy Oregon Burn Center
(OBC), the only burn center in Oregon
and Southwest Washington, is celebrat-
ing a half-century of providing ground-
breaking surgical, critical, and special-
ized wound and burn care to pediatric
and adult patients. Each year, the OBC
treats more than 400 patients from all
over the state and region. The physi-
cians and nurses receive over 1,400
calls a year from professional’s nation-
wide seeking advice on burn injuries.
“We are dedicated to burn injury
treatment, research, education, and
prevention,” says Dr. Nik Eshraghi,
the Legacy Oregon Burn Center's burn
surgeon and medical director. The
OBC is a national leader verified by
the American Burn Association, which
confirms the ability to provide optimal
care to wound and burn patients. It is
one of 123 self-designated burn care
facilities in the country and is one of
three verified burn centers on the West
Coast (Seattle and Sacramento are
the others).
Shaela Rivers spent three months
at the OBC in a medically induced
coma. In 2019, a neighbor pounded
on her door to alert her that her moth-
er’s house was on fire. Instinctually,
she ran into the burning house. For-
tunately, her mother was at work, but
Shaela sustained burns on 80 percent
of her body. Shaela is still connected
to the OBC through the burn survivor
program. The OBC provides aftercare
programs that continue after a patient is
discharged to help survivors heal from
the physical and emotional scarring of
burns (see attached photos).
Anne Scott, the aftercare coordi-
nator, is a burn survivor and a peer
supporter. “I sit on the unit and vis-
it patients, loved ones, and parents,”
says Scott. “I help them learn about
Dr. Nik Eshraghi
life after burns and our support pro-
grams. Sometimes, it takes a while to
consider what life as a burn survivor is
for them.” Right now, Scott is tracking
400 adult and pediatric survivors. The
Legacy Oregon Burn Center was es-
tablished in 1973 in the main hospital
with a few beds. Since then, the OBC
has moved to a separate building on
the Legacy Emanuel campus, which in-
cludes 16 intensive care patient rooms,
a large treatment room, a hydrotherapy
room, and laser scar treatment. A lot
has changed since 1973. Fewer patients
are severely burned thanks to safety
enhancements. Those burned are more
likely to survive. Also, clinical trials
and research programs play a signifi-
cant role in burn care. A study is under-
way seeking the effects of nitrous oxide
on pain.
The OBC also treats complex wounds
(from diabetes) and rare infections. It is
positioned for the future to face environ-
mental challenges like wildfires and so-
cial issues like homeless population-re-
lated burns and wounds. Dr. Eshraghi
says the OBC will continue to serve the
community with cutting-edge technol-
ogy, research, and the latest treatment
options. “We must give hope to our pa-
tients by providing compassionate care.
That is our today and our future.”
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