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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 17, 2018)
WEEKEND EDITION BUCKS READY TO RUN FURRY FOSTERS BATTLE OVER WOLVES SPORTS/1B LIFESTYLES/1C REGION/3A NOVEMBER 17-18, 2018 143rd Year, No. 24 $1.50 WINNER OF THE 2018 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD PSU ESTIMATE HERMISTON West end outpaces east side in growth Health care in a working town Hermiston passes 18,000 population mark By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian Hermiston’s population has passed the 18,000 mark. Portland State Universi- ty’s annual population esti- mate places Hermiston’s population at 18,200 — up 215 people from 2017. The number secures Hermiston’s title as the larg- est city in Eastern Oregon for another year. The city passed Pendleton in 2011, and the gap between the two cities continues to grow. Pendleton lost 80 people since last year, bringing its new population estimate to 16,810. The U.S. Census in 2020 will provide a more com- plete picture of the pop- ulation, but the PSU esti- mate includes births, deaths, employment numbers, school enrollment and voter registration. Hermiston assistant city manager Mark Morgan said Hermiston’s growth has been fairly steady and pre- dictable in recent years, which helps business and housing developers plan ahead. It also helps the city meet demand for infrastruc- ture and services. “You don’t want to be See POPULATION/12A 2018 population Umatilla County: 80,765 (+265) Morrow County: 11,885 (-5) Hermiston: 18,200 (+215) Pendleton: 16,810 (-80) Umatilla: 7,320 (+75) Milton-Freewater: 7,105 (+35) Boardman: 3,690 (+55) Stanfield: 2,185 (+40) Irrigon: 1,990 (-15) Heppner: 1,295 (0) Athena: 1,170 (-5) Echo: 710 (+5) Weston: 685 (0) Adams: 375 (0) Ione: 330 (0) Ukiah: 240 (-5) Helix: 195 (0) Staff photo by E.J. Harris Chiropractor Christopher Scott has been seeing patients for about a year for the Good Shepherd Healthcare System in Hermiston. Scott’s recruitment is just the first step in Good Shepherd’s plan to develop a comprehensive pain-management program. Employers, hospital add new tools to reduce job-related pain By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian W ork can be pain in the neck. Or back. Or feet. Employees in physically demanding industries, such as manufac- turing and shipping, can be particularly vulnerable to injury, and Good Shepherd Health Care System in Hermiston is hoping to better address the needs of the many area residents who work in those industries. Good Shepherd spokesman Nick Bejarano said the hospital is working on a compre- hensive pain management program that will eventually feature behavioral health, acupuncture, massage therapy, physical therapy and more. “They can begin working on a plan of action to get people back to work and to the lifestyle they’re accustomed to,” he said. The hospital’s first move was to hire chiropractor Christopher Scott about a year ago. Scott said he sees many patients who have job-related pain. Sometimes it’s an older patient whose body is breaking down after years of physical labor, and other times it’s an acute injury that happened when someone lifted something. “There’s a lot of physicality in what these guys do,” he said. Patients who come in to see Scott get a work-up of X-rays and other diagnos- tic tests before Scott works with them on addressing the “biomechanical” causes of their pain. He performs hands-on manipu- lations but also teaches patients about exer- cises they can do at home to build core strength and help prevent future injuries. Preventing injuries Companies have their own programs that they hope will prevent employees from being injured in the first place. At the Walmart Distribution Center in Hermis- ton, manager Josh Burns said his duty is to make sure associates go home safely every day. One way he does that is through a pro- gram called Axonify. At least once a week employees log into one of the work stations around the distribution center and answer a series of questions about how to do their particular job safely. Afterward, they get to choose from a selection of computer games to play. They can challenge other employ- ees and compare high scores. “It’s a little more fun than at our meet- ings reminding people of a list of rules,” Burns said. The company also had an ergonomics specialist come in and teach them a series See PAIN/12A Kim Stafford’s road to unity Oregon’s poet laureate offers writing as a path to recovery Source: Portland State University By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris Oregon Poet Laureate Kim Stafford gestures while talking about a saying his father, former Oregon Poet Laureate William Stafford, used to say about the dan- gers of setting a high bar for excellence in your writing at a workshop on Friday at the Pendleton Center for the Arts. Stafford has been making the rounds in Eastern Oregon this week promoting writing and poetry. They filled the Pend- leton Center for the Arts, eager for Oregon’s poet laureate, Kim Stafford. He recited and read his work, amused the crowd with sto- ries, dropped wisdom from Aristotle and Tom Waits, even knocked out a country tune on guitar. But Stafford, ever the teacher, also gave the doz- ens there an assignment, one of his favorites: write a poem for someone who needs a poem. He talked about that writing prompt earlier in the day after directing a poetry workshop at the Pendleton campus of Blue Mountain Community College. Those kinds of poems, he said, are not great poems, they do not end up in text books. “But they are import- ant poems,” Stafford said. “Important poems change individual lives.” Stafford, 69, has written numerous books of poetry and prose, is the founding director of The Northwest Writing Institute at Lewis & Clark College and one of the founders of Fish- trap, the literary nonprofit in Wallowa County. His father, William Stafford, was Oregon’s poet laureate 1975-90. Gov. Kate Brown in May appointed Kim Stafford as Oregon’s ninth poet laureate. The program requires him to give at least See POET/12A “Important poems change individual lives” — Kim Stafford, Oregon poet laureate CHI St. Anthony Hospital Family Clinic is recognized as a Patient -Centered Primary Care Home. What does that mean for you? • Better-coordinated care. • Healthcare providers who will help connect you • Listening to your concerns and answering with the care you need in a safe and timely way. questions. • Healthcare providers who play an active role in your health. • After-hours nurse consultation. 844.724.8632 3001 St. Anthony Way, Pendleton WWW.SAHPENDLETON.ORG Mon through Thurs, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. • Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat and Sun, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Walk-ins are welcome but appointments are preferred.
