Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 5, 2017)
REGION Thursday, October 5, 2017 East Oregonian Page 3A Umatilla County Health review shows strengths, weaknesses OHA finds documentation problems By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian A review of Umatilla County Public Health by the state described “excellent work” in many areas but also provided a list of needed changes to nine of the 14 categories analyzed. The Umatilla County Commission voted to accept the triennial report from the Oregon Health Authority Wednesday. James Setzer, the county’s public health director, told the commission most of the compliance findings were “documentation issues” that had already been corrected since the review was completed in July. “Here in the last three years in Umatilla County, as we know, we have under- gone a lot of transitions and changes and turnover in positions at all levels within our department,” he said. “I would say as a result of that a number of things that we should have been doing better fell through the cracks.” Setzer took over the department in November 2016. There were seven findings by the state in the administrative category, including a lack of policy for quarantining outdated or damaged drugs, lack of written job description on file for some positions and a lack of separate medication log outside of records kept on patient charts. Those issues have since been corrected, according to the report. There were no non-com- pliance issues found for the categories of civil rights, communicable disease, health officer, tobacco prevention and vital records. In the area of “food, pool and lodging health and safety,” the county is required to inspect 100 percent of facilities every six months, a level that the report stated did not happen in 2016 due to “numerous staffing changes.” Staff have also not always included a follow-up to their inspection reports stating the violation was corrected, and were not asking some questions required by the inspection process. “This seems to have been addressed by the addition of staff, who are working hard to complete all required inspections,” the report stated. In the area of health security preparedness and response, the department was lacking records that staff had been trained in various required areas, and in the Nurse-Family Partnership not all requirements had been met for the program’s staffing and supervision. However, the report also indicated that Umatilla County’s Nurse-Family Partnership program’s 97 clients had better outcomes than state and national levels in premature births, immunization rates, subsequent pregnancy rates and workforce participation. The report described “a few minor non-compliance issues” from past instances of giving vaccines but said they were resolved with “speed and professionalism.” Under the headings of reproductive health and sexually transmitted diseases BOARDMAN SAGE Center celebrates the harvest By TAMMY MALGESINI East Oregonian Showcasing the region’s produce, local artisans and other local food products, the Morrow County Harvest Festival offers free family fun. In its fourth year, the event is presented by the Boardman, Heppner and Irrigon chambers of commerce in conjunction with the SAGE Center. The free festival is Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the SAGE Center, 101 Olson Road, Boardman. The Kids Corner will feature such activities as carnival games, pumpkin painting, an obstacle course made of straw bales and a “kiddie corral.” Mule-drawn wagon rides will be available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Also, beer and wine tasting runs from noon to 4:30 p.m., courtesy of local producers Ordnance Brewing and Sno Road Winery. Stefanie Swindler, SAGE Center education coordi- nator, said nearly two dozen artisans feature everything from jewelry and art to home decor and handcrafted items, including crochet, quilting, woodworking and leather crafts. In addition, she said food will be available for purchase, both from local artisans and in the SAGE File photo Kristy Bensal sells produce for the Hermiston Melon Company during the third annual Morrow County Harvest Festival. This year’s event is Saturday at the SAGE Center in Boardman. Center. “We want to provide a fun opportunity for families to do something and get people out to see the SAGE Center and see what’s happening in their local community,” Swindler said. “It’s a free event for the community to have some fall fun.” Also teaming up with the event this year is Threemile Canyon Farms. They are hosting the Fall Harvest Bounty For Youth In Ag. It offers people a chance to “fill-a-bag” with organic onions, organic carrots and traditionally grown potatoes. There is a requested donation of at least $5 and Threemile Canyon will provide the bags. This provides an opportu- nity to get nutritious, locally grown produce fresh from the fields and support area youths. Money raised from the Fall Harvest Bounty will go to local 4-H and FFA programs. The festival activities are free for the public to participate in, Swindler said, thanks to generous donations from sponsors. In addition to Threemile Canyon Farms, the Kiwanis Club of Boardman, Lamb Weston, Cascade Specialties and the River Lodge and Grill are event sponsors. For more information, visit www.visitsage.com or call the SAGE Center at 541-481-7243, the Boardman chamber at 541-481-3014, Heppner at 541-676-5536 or Irrigon at 541-922-3857. PENDLETON — Books are returning to the former Carnegie Library in Pendleton, this time as artwork. Portland artist James Allen will be on hand to discuss his newest exhibit, “Bookworks: Recent Excavations,” during an artist’s reception Friday from 5:30-7 p.m. at Pendleton Center for the Arts, 214 N. Main St. Admission is free. Allen mines discarded books for interesting text and imagery, creating layered compositions that tell a new story. Each book excavation begins by cutting a hole in the cover of a book with a scalpel or x-acto blade. The composition emerges intuitively as he carves his way through the pages. “As I cut I consider both narrative and compositional dynamics to create a new vision of the book’s content,” Allen notes. “I enjoy how these Excavations turn the linear format of a book into a flat window through which to observe many pages at once.” The reception includes refreshments. Beer, wine and soda also will be available by donation. For more information, call 541-278-9201, visit www.pendletonarts.org or view the center’s Facebook page at facebook.com/ pendletoncenterforthearts. for suicide, perform a suicide intervention and develop a plan for safety is coming to Pendleton. Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training presents a scientifically proven intervention model. The sessions include audiovisual learning aids, group discussions, and skills practice and development. The workshop is Nov. 1-2 at St. Anthony Hospital in Pendleton. The cost is $75. Space is limited and participants must register by Monday, Oct. 16 at www. livingworks.net/training- and-trainers/find-a-training- workshop/view/11552. The cost of the training is subsidized by Umatilla County Public Health, made possible by the Garrett Lee Smith Youth Suicide Prevention Grant. For more information, contact Amanda Walsborn at 541-278-5432 or amanda. walsborn@umatillacounty.net. Community theater sets auditions PENDLETON — College Community Theatre is hosting auditions for “All in the Timing,” a collection of short comedies by David Ives. Auditions are open to the public and will consist HERMISTON ALTRUSA PRESENTS: 2nd Annual Oktoberfest Wine & Stein! The Harl Butte wolf pack killed a calf and injured another in attacks investi- gated by Oregon Depart- ment of Fish and Wildlife Sept. 29 and Oct. 1. ODFW shot four pack members in August in what it described as an incre- mental response to repeated depredations in Wallowa County. Cattle ranchers in the area predicted the depart- ment’s response wouldn’t work and now are likely to renew their call to have the entire pack killed. ODFW has confirmed 10 attacks on cattle by the pack since July 2016, all within nine miles of each other. As of Oct. 4, ODFW had not announced how it will respond to the latest attacks. Even with four killed in August, the pack is thought to consist of six adults and three pups, according to ODFW reports. On the morning of Sept. 29, a volunteer range rider found a dead 425-pound calf on private grazing land in the Marr Flat area of Wallowa County. An estimated 40 percent of the carcass had been consumed, according to an ODFW report. Tracking collar data showed a wolf designated OR-50, the only pack member wearing a collar, was at the carcass about 90 minutes before the range rider found it. The injured calf found Oct. 1 had a large open wound on the inside of its upper left rear leg, according to ODFW, which estimated it had been attacked Sept. 25. The calf weighed 570 pounds. The attack also happened on private land in the Marr Flat area. OR-50 was in the area Sept. 23-25. Stanfield company to host Q and A dessert about odors East Oregonian STANFIELD — Stan- field residents will be able to get some of their questions answered next week about the factory that has been causing a stink in their community. 3D Idapro Solutions, the company that owns the dehydration facility, will be hosting a community dessert and question-and-answer session at 6:30 p.m. Monday. Representatives from the company will speak about how they plan to reduce odors from the facility. One site improvement was made before the Sept. 15 deadline, and the next step is to enclose the plant’s receiving area by Oct. 15. An industrial odor control unit has been installed to mitigate the smell. The city of Stanfield passed a nuisance ordi- nance in September, but is giving the company until November 30 to fix the odor problems before it starts levying fines. Residents have lodged several complaints in the past few months, both to the Department of Envi- ronmental Quality and to the city of Stanfield, about a smell emanating from the factory that residents said made it difficult to be outside. The factory, which mainly processes potatoes, has had several fires, including one in February and one in July when an employee was injured. The fire in February burned some of the facility’s air purifying equipment. FALL FITNESS FREE ! Cindy Henderson from Higher Power Fitness will provide an educational forum on how to stay in shape during the colder months. Lunch provided for those registered. Wednesday, Oct. 11, 12-1pm Must pre-register, 541-667-3509 POWERFUL TOOLS FOR THE CAREGIVER: Learn how to reduce stress and relax, communicate effectively, reduce guilt and anger, make tough decisions, set goals and problem solve. Six weekly FREE classes Wednesdays, starting Oct. 11 through Nov. 15 3pm-4:30pm Must pre-register, call 541-667-3509 Oct. 14 Doors open at 5pm HERMISTON CONFERENCE CENTER Dinner Tickets $30 Authentic Dinner Live & Silent Auction Amazing Raffl e and FUN! Workshop trains suicide intervention PENDLETON — An interactive two-day workshop that teaches participants to recognize individuals at risk of cold readings from the scripts. No preparation is required. Scripts are available for checkout in the Blue Mountain Community College library in Pendleton. The auditions are Tuesday, Oct. 10 and Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. in Bob Clapp Theatre, located in Pioneer Hall at BMCC, 2411 N.W. Carden Ave., Pendleton. Roles are available for at least six men and six women. Directed by Craig McIntosh, the production will be staged Nov. 9-12 and 16-19. For more information, contact McIntosh at 541-278- 5928 or cmcintosh@bluecc. edu or search Facebook. the Oregon Health Authority praised Umatilla County Public Health in a number of areas, including “excellent work” on tobacco prevention and education, an “excellent job of working to proactively address the county’s STD outbreaks” and positive rela- tionships with community partners. The report ends with a list of “quality assur- ance recommendations” to ensure the department serves the public well. “We take those seriously because we want to be the best health department we can be,” Setzer told the county commission Wednesday. He said overall he thought the review had been “harsh but fair” and would help the department improve. ——— Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastorego- nian.com or 541-564-4536. ODFW confirms two more cattle attacks by Harl Butte wolf pack By ERIC MORTENSON EO Media Group BRIEFLY Arts Center hosts book exhibit there were 12 findings. Staff must be provided “cultural competence training” and be trained annually on mandatory reporting, family involvement counseling and sexual coercion counseling. They must also provide counseling to minors encour- aging family participation in the decision to seek services and explaining how to resist attempts to coerce them into sexual activities. Those deficiencies have since been resolved, according to the report. By October 15 the health department must also have policies in place ensuring that an individual’s inability to pay $14 for sexually transmitted disease testing does not keep the specimen from being sent to a lab for processing. In the section of the report detailing strengths, Contact info: Tickets available at Hermiston Chamber of Commerce. Connie Ferranti • 541-564-0137 LIVING WELL: BETTER CHOICES, BETTER HEALTH High blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis or another health condition? Create a plan to improve your health...and your life. Six weekly FREE classes , open to patients, caregivers/support person or both. Tuesdays, Oct. 3 through Nov. 7 3-5pm Must pre-register, call 541-667-3509 Information or to register call (541) 667-3509 or email healthinfo@gshealth.org www.gshealth.org
