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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 2020)
REGION Tuesday, October 13, 2020 East Oregonian A3 Grant blazes path for summer fi re position Eli Hernandez spent three months with Pilot Rock Fire District as seasonal employee By TAMMY MALGESINI For the East Oregonian PILOT ROCK — As a fi rst-grader watching fi re- fi ghters battle a blaze at his family’s Pendleton home, Eli Hernandez knew what he wanted to do for a living. Fast for- ward 15 years later and the 21-year-old just fi nished up a three- Stanton month posi- tion as the Pilot Rock Fire District sum- mer seasonal employee. Her- nandez, who has been a vol- unteer with the department for a little more than three years, was thrilled with the opportunity to get paid to work as a fi refi ghter. But even more, he said the posi- Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian Eli Hernandez poses for a picture outside of the Pilot Rock Fire District building in Pilot Rock on Monday, Oct. 12, 2020. tion provided him with the chance to help his commu- nity in the best way possible. “I consider deep down in my heart Pilot Rock to be my community,” Hernandez said. “It was nice to help the community and I want to do that wherever I go.” After gaining approval from the Pilot Rock Fire Dis- trict board of directors, fi re chief Scott Stanton wrote a grant request for funding to help pay for the position. The Special Districts Asso- ciation of Oregon awarded the matching grant, which resulted in the ability to pay Hernandez to be onsite at the Free help is available for Medicare open enrollment Open enrollment period runs until Dec. 7 By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian HERMISTON — Medi- care open enrollment starts Thursday, Oct. 15, and Good Shepherd Health Care System is offering area res- idents free help in fi nding the right plan. Jessica Reker, director of education for Good Shep- herd, said the hospital won’t be able to offer its usual Medicare events because of COVID-19, but people can sign up for one-on- one appointments in per- son, over the phone or via video chat through Senior Health Insurance Benefi ts Assistance. Trained counselors can help people sign up for Medicare for the fi rst time or check to see if they would benefi t from any changes to the coverage they have. The open enrollment period, which runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, is the only time of the year peo- ple can make changes to their coverage. Darla Irwin, senior services coordina- tor for Good Shepherd, said every year new plans come on the market, coverage and pricing for existing plans changes, and patients often have changes in their med- ications that might be bet- ter covered under a differ- ent plan. This year, for exam- ple, the federal govern- ment is rolling out changes to Medicare to offer more affordable options for peo- ple on insulin. And Eastern Oregon residents will have a new Medicare Advantage option through Summit Health, which was recently formed by several hospitals in the region. “This is a good time to check what’s new,” Irwin said. “I know a couple of the new plans available this year are a little cheaper.” To get help fi guring out what coverage works best for them, patients can call the hospital’s education department at 541-667-3509 to schedule an appointment. “If someone does not want to come into the offi ce, they can do it virtually or by phone,” Reker said. “We will mail them everything they need.” For their appointment, patients should have their Medicare card and a list of their current medications with them. If they have let- ters from the Social Secu- rity offi ce or Department of Human Services regard- ing their coverage, those are helpful as well. It will also save time if they have already created a login for www.medicare.gov and have their password and user name ready, but coun- selors can assist with that if needed. Reker said they expect a rush of appointment-mak- ing near the end of the open enrollment period, and recommended that peo- ple make their appointment soon to avoid a backlog. For people who wish to sign up for Medicare on their own or want to be better prepared for their appointment with a counselor, a “Medi- care 101” video is avail- able on the Good Shepherd Health Care System You- Tube page at youtube.com/ watch?v=giwh0C-zIsc. fi re hall during regular busi- ness hours Monday through Friday. Stanton and Pilot Rock Mayor Virginia Carnes, who also serves on the fi re district board, said it was a great ben- efi t to the community to have the station manned during the week. Stanton said choos- ing Hernandez for the posi- tion was a no-brainer because he had the familiarity and necessary qualifi cations. “We’re an all-volunteer organization and having someone at the station having the equipment ready when a call comes in is huge,” Carnes said. “It’s been good for Eli, too, because he can determine if he wants to pur- sue fi re services as a career. He was able to get more experience.” “He’s already a Pilot Rock volunteer, so he knows the area and equipment,” Stanton added. Having someone onsite throughout the week, Stan- ton said, helped with things like checking the vehicles on a regular basis, building and grounds maintenance, having someone on hand to answer citizens’ questions and even something as sim- ple as being available for deliveries. Especially with the busy summer fi re season, Stanton said it was nice not having to track down a pack- age that was being shipped to the fi re district — Hernandez was right there to receive it. “I made sure our equip- ment and apparatus was up to standards and ready to go on fi re scenes,” Hernandez said. “I also did a lot of clean- ing and I painted the station — it hadn’t been painted for awhile.” Carnes said it was very helpful to have the fi nancial support for a summer sea- sonal employee. In addition, she said the fi re district was able to evaluate the benefi ts of having someone onsite during regular business hours. Stanton and Carnes hope to fi gure out a way to fund such a position in the future. As for Hernandez, the summer experience solidi- fi ed his resolve to continue pursuing needed education and training to obtain a posi- tion as a full-time fi refi ghter. He’s also interested in par- ticipating in a program to become an emergency med- ical technician (EMT). For more information about volunteer fi refi ghting opportunities, contact Rich Cearns, training coordina- tor/division chief, at 541-567- 8822 or rcearns@ucfd1.com. A golden glow Greg Lehman/Walla Walla Union-Bulletin The sun breaks briefl y below some low-lying clouds as it sets beyond the Spoff ord Eleva- tor north of Milton-Freewater last week. Rain and wind are in the immediate forecast, ac- cording to the National Weather Service, with a high-wind watch issued for the Pendleton area on Tuesday, Oct. 13, from early afternoon through the evening with sustained winds 35-45 mph and some higher gusts expected. Milder winds are likely to continue into Oct. 14, but by Oct. 15 the sun should be out, with temperatures rising back into the high 60s. LOCAL BRIEFING Fourth natural resource leadership class announced SALEM — Twenty-three professionals from around the state were selected as members of Oregon’s fourth Resource Education and Ag Leadership (REAL) class, according to a press release. The class includes repre- sentatives from Eastern Ore- gon, such as Chad Mueller of Oregon State University and Eastern Oregon Uni- versity, Ted Netter of Lower Bridge Hay and Cattle in Terrebonne, Jacob Putney of the Oregon State Univer- sity Extension in Baker City and Randi Svaty of North- west Farm Credit Services in Ontario. “The participants selected are well-qualifi ed applicants and refl ect a bal- anced mix of resource pro- ducers, foresters, trans- portation professionals, agri-businesses represen- tatives, University faculty, and non-profi t employees,” the organization’s program director Greg Addington stated in the release. REAL Oregon brings together a mix of operators, managers, suppliers, service providers, affi liated profes- sionals and leaders in agri- culture, fi shing, forestry, fi nance and transportation for a series of fi ve sessions around the state. “The annual leader- ship program exposes this cross-section of profession- als to the wide range of Ore- gon’s geography, economy, and culture through train- VISIT US ON THE WEB AT: www.EastOregonian.com ing in board governance, communication skills, con- fl ict resolution, govern- ment interaction, public policy work, critical think- ing, media relations, profes- sional presentations, pub- lic speaking, relationship building, and other areas,” the release stated. The class will begin the program in November with graduation slated for March 2021. The organization will begin recruiting for its fi fth class in winter, according to the release. — EO Media Group OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY Please Welcome Christopher Bowen, DO, OB/GYN Good Shepherd Health Care System is pleased to welcome Dr. Christopher Bowen, OB/GYN, to Good Shepherd Women’s Center. 10/9-10/15 Cineplex Show Times Theater seating will adhere to social distancing protocols Every showing $7.50 per person (ages 0-3 still free) The War with Grandpa (PG) 2:40p 5:20p 8:00p Dr. Bowen received the Teaching OB/GYN Resident of the Year in 2017. He is trained in da Vinci Robotics for surgeries such as hysterectomies. Coco (PG) 1:00p 3:50p 6:40p Tenet (PG-13) 2:00p 7:00p Timeshare Cancellation Get your free information kit and see if you qualify: 855-385-4473 Hocus Pocus (PG) 4:30p 7:20p Possessor (NR) 1:40p 7:40p Alone (R) 1:20p 5:00p wildhorseresort.com • 541-966-1850 Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216 “ GOOD SHEPHERD WOMEN’S CENTER 541.667.3801 620 NW 11th Street, Suite 103 Hermiston, OR 97838 Trust is an integral part of patient care. My goal is to give my patients the peace of mind that their trust will never be underestimated or abused. -Dr. Bowen Welcoming New Patients ”
