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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 29, 2019)
REGION Tuesday, October 29, 2019 East Oregonian VA opens same-day clinic A3 Fly, be free New Walla Walla clinic opened in August with positive response By BEN LONERGAN East Oregonian WALLA WALLA, Wash. — Veterans seeking medical care at the Johna- than M. Wainwright Memo- rial VA Medical Center in Walla Walla will now have the option of a newly opened same-day clinic. The same-day clinic, also known as a sick call clinic, offers veterans the opportunity to meet with a provider for same-day, non-emergency medical care at the Walla Walla VA. Dr. Mark Liu sthe program, which offi cially rolled out on Aug. 5, has received pos- itive attendance and reac- tions so far despite limited advertising. Liu, the chief of staff at the Walla Walla VA, said that the slow opening has allowed staff members to work out kinks in the pro- gram and address any pre- vailing issues before its full opening. The same-day clinic has averaged approx- imately 10 patients a day. Liu, however, expects that number to rise quickly now that the clinic is rolling out marketing material. “The problem before was that the providers were get- ting burnt out because a walk-in patient would dis- rupt the fl ow of the day,” he said. “This new model allows us to take that pres- sure off and provide better care.” Liu said that even before the same-day clinic, veter- ans were never turned away, however, it often meant that providers were staying for appointments after-hours or not taking breaks to accom- modate the additional appointments. These after- hours appointments often meant that out-of-town patients may have had to spend the full day in Walla Walla waiting to be seen. Staff photo by Kathy Aney Contributed photo The new same-day clinic at the Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center in Walla Walla, Wash., features private rooms for caring for veterans with non-emergency medical concerns. “There should always be an emphasis on patient care,” Liu said. “But I need my providers to be healthy so that they can provide that.” The same-day clinic currently follows the same schedule as the rest of the Walla Walla VA, however, Liu hopes the program will be able to expand to serve veterans 12 hours a day in the future. Central to expanding the program will be track- ing the use of the clinic to see where people are visit- ing from and how long they have had to wait, said Liu. He also acknowledged that in order to expand the hours of the same-day clinic, the entire facility would have to amend its hours in order to support that portion of the clinic with lab tests or other medical procedures. While the Walla Walla VA used to offer similar programs, changes to oper- ating procedure shifted to the current patient care team model, which pairs each veteran with a care team consisting of a pro- vider, registered nurse, licensed practical nurse and a clerk. Linda Wondra, a spokes- woman for the Walla Walla VA, said while the same- day clinic has a dedicated provider, every effort will be made to pair veterans with a member of their indi- vidual care team. Won- dra said this pairing allows easier access to medical records and better continu- ity of care for veterans. “If you come to the walk-in clinic there is a way that we can see the veteran’s records and be familiar with their patient history,” Won- dra said. “If they were to go to a community urgent care those records wouldn’t be available to the provider.” Despite the increased access to care provided by the clinic, Wondra explained there is still a triage system that veterans will have to go through in order to be cared for, and the care provided is not necessarily immediate. Wondra said if patients are in need of immediate med- ical attention for severe or life-threatening emergen- cies, they should still seek out an emergency room or call 911. “I want veterans to know the process and not be dis- appointed,” she said. “We just need to be patient while this process works itself out.” Wondra encouraged vet- erans to spread the word about the same-day clinic as well as the other services offered by the Walla Walla VA in an effort to educate a wider number of veterans. A red-tailed hawk fl aps to freedom after Blue Mountain Wildlife intern Addy Chamberlain released the rehabilitated bird to the wild during Saturday’s open house at the wildlife rehabilitation center near Pendleton. Contributed photo by the city of Hermiston Hermiston Avenue in 2016 and 2019. Hermiston wins urban renewal award By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian HERMISTON — The opening of a new Holiday Inn Express in 2017 kicked off a transformation of one of Hermiston’s most visible intersections, bridging the city’s east-west divide. On Monday, the city was awarded Urban Renewal Project of the Year by the Oregon Economic Develop- ment Association for its work in building a festival street and supporting the $7 mil- lion hotel and other private development downtown. “These projects have changed the face of down- town Hermiston for the bet- ter, combining public plan- ning and private investment to create a more attractive and cohesive core,” Mayor Dave Drotzmann said in a statement. The hotel property on the corner of Hermiston Ave- nue and Highway 395 was a former Tum-a-Lum Lumber yard. According to a news release, the city of Hermiston invested $80,000 in assist- ing the developer with mov- ing a sewer main and vacat- ing an adjacent portion of West Ridgeway Avenue. The Hermiston Urban Renewal Agency then awarded the hotel $36,000 in facade grants. Local developer Mitch Myers sold the yard to Hol- iday Inn, and after the hotel was built he developed prop- erties around it, including the Maxwell Event Center, Max- well Pavilion, landscaped parking and the addition of a second kitchen to the Herm- iston Brewing Company in order to cater to the hotel and event center. The city provided assistance to some of those projects, accord- ing to the release, including a $10,000 grant for parking development in exchange for public use of the lot. The city also constructed a $1 million festival street a block away, which has hosted events this summer, such as MelonFest and SpudFest. Next to the festival street, a private business recently opened the Union Club cof- fee shop and bar, assisted by a $10,000 facade grant from the urban renewal agency. The projects fell in line with results from a 2015 “Livable Hermiston” community study, which included the need for more event space, restaurants and hotels. The Oregon Economic Development Association is a statewide nonprofi t that supports economic devel- opment professionals. The city of Hermiston was rec- ognized at its annual confer- ence in Salem. BRIEFLY Lifeways announces purchase of former medical offi ce PENDLETON — Life- ways announced that it has purchased the former St. Anthony Medical Office in Pendleton. The press release said that the behavioral health agency plans to use the building to combine all its services into one location in Pendleton and expand its services. According to the release, the agency will renovate and move into the building in phases. “We look forward to continuing to serve our community from a loca- tion that enhances the environment in which the community can receive services,” the release said. Also in a release on Monday, Lifeways announced that Aspen Springs Psychiatric Hospi- tal is open for public tours ahead of its opening later this year. The facility, located at 1212 W. Linda Ave. in Hermiston, will provide Eastern Oregon with 16 beds for inpatient services for individuals experienc- ing a severe and persistent mental health crisis. According to the release from Lifeways, which runs the facility, patients “will receive high-qual- ity, individualized care in a state-of the-art facil- ity designed to provide a safe place for psychiatric recovery and stabilization” under 24-hour supervision. Tours are available by calling 541-289-2340, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pedestrian killed in Stanfi eld STANFIELD — A pedestrian was killed by a vehicle early Saturday morning on Highway 395 in Stanfi eld. According to a news release from Stanfi eld Police Department, witness statements and evidence at the scene indicate Steven Adam Gallegos, 30, from Echo, was walking south- bound in the lane of travel at 12:58 a.m. when he was struck by a vehicle also traveling southbound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. The vehicle was a 2002 Chrysler Sebring operated by Gregory Ayling, 44, from Granger, Washing- ton. He and his children, who were passengers, were not injured. Stanfi eld police chief Byron Zumwalt said Ayling immediately stopped and did what he could to render fi rst aid, perform CPR and call 911. He has been cooperative with police, according to a news release, and there is no indication that drugs or alcohol were a factor. The southbound lanes of Highway 395 were closed for about three hours for investigation but were later reopened. Stanfi eld police were assisted on scene by Ore- gon State Police, Umatilla County Sheriff’s Offi ce, Oregon Department of Transportation, the medical examiner’s offi ce, and the Umatilla County District Attorney’s Offi ce. — East Oregonian staff 10/29 Cineplex Show Times $5 Classic Movie Join us for a retirement open house Phyllis (Gilbert) Bracher Saturday, Nov. 2nd 3-5:30pm Phyllis attended Pendleton College of Beauty in 1971 & ‘72 and received her license in January of 1973. She worked 6 months at The Personality Coffures, 10 1/2 years at Carol’s Carousel and then moved to Buttercreek Salon, where she has been for 37 years. Pioneer Memorial Clinic & Hospital Since 2019 “It’s not just what I do, it’s who I choose to be.” Excited to join the MCHD Family of Caregivers! A Healthier Morrow County is Within Me. My career has taken me to many places. From Illinois to Colorado to Wyoming, each place I’ve had the privilege of practicing medicine has been a rewarding experience. My diverse background in family and emergency medicine, as a hospitalist and director of palliative care, have prepared me well for this next chapter. My family’s roots are in rural and we’re so happy to now call Heppner our home, and MCHD the place where I can make a difference. Showing Wednesday @ 12p Phantom of the Opera Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (PG) 4:00p 6:50p 9:30p Read About How We are Working Together to be a Healthier Community Today and Zombieland: Double Tap (R) 5:00p 7:20p 9:40p HealthyMC.org The Addams Family (PG) 4:30p 6:40p 8:50p Gemini Man (PG13) 4:10p 7:00p 9:40p Joker (R) 4:20p 7:10p 9:50p 315 SW 11th Street Hermiston, OR 541-567-2911 Dr. Jim Hejmanowski * Matinee Pricing wildhorseresort.com • 541-966-1850 Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216 Where healthier is happening... Boardman | Heppner | Ione | Irrigon | Lexington 541-676-9133
