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for quarantining outdated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