NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
A2
Bi-Mart to sell pharmacy business to Walgreens
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Bi-Mart
announced Thursday, Sept.
30, that Walgreens will
acquire Bi-Mart’s pharmacy
business, including “phar-
macy patient prescription
files and related pharmacy
inventory of 56 Bi-Mart
pharmacies located across
Oregon, Idaho and Wash-
ington.”
“This decision, while
difficult, is strategically
important as we move to
strengthen our solid finan-
cial position and expand our
plans for future growth in
the Northwest,” Rich Truett,
Bi-Mart president and CEO,
said.
Current Bi-Mart phar-
macy staff members will be
offered an opportunity to join
Walgreens.
“We look forward to
welcoming Bi-Mart patients
to Walgreens pharmacy
services, as well as providing
employment opportunities
to Bi-Mart pharmacy asso-
ciates in available positions
throughout our stores where
they can continue to meet
the needs of their patients,”
Walgreens regional Vice
President Rob Ewing said.
Don Leber, vice president
of marketing and advertising
for Bi-Mart, said the transi-
tion has been discussed for
quite some time.
“It’s been worked on for
Phil Wright/East Oregonian
A customer waits outside the pharmacy window Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021, at the Pendleton
Bi-Mart. The cooperative that same day announced Walgreens will acquire Bi-Mart’s phar-
macy business, including pharmacy patient prescription files and related pharmacy invento-
ry of 56 Bi-Mart pharmacies across Oregon, Idaho and Washington.
several months,” he said.
“We started this process two
to four years ago with other
locations when we trans-
ferred (the pharmacies of)
20 stores to see if we could
make them more profitable.”
Most prescription infor-
mation will be transferred
to nearby stores, accord-
ing to a press release from
the two companies. In areas
that do not have a Walgreens
nearby, however, Walgreens
will operate already-existing
pharmacies in Bi-Mart loca-
tions under the Walgreens
brand.
It’s not yet known if
that will be the case in
SUNDAY
Partly sunny and
pleasant
four Northeastern Oregon
Bi-Mart locations in Herm-
iston, Pendleton, La Grande
or Baker City. The Walgreens
locations nearest to North-
eastern Oregon are in Tri-Cit-
ies, Washington, or Ontario.
A list of which Bi-Mart
locations would house a
Walgreens pharmacy was
not available, according to
Phil Caruso with Walgreens
media relations, noting the
deal is subject to customary
closing conditions.
Caruso did say that once
the transfer is complete,
new patients will have
access to “all the benefits of
Walgreens,” including health
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MONDAY
Mostly sunny
TUESDAY
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WEDNESDAY
Partial sunshine
Cooler with some
sun
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
71° 46°
75° 46°
75° 49°
60° 39°
72° 46°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
73° 44°
79° 44°
75° 51°
64° 41°
75° 49°
OREGON FORECAST
ALMANAC
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PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Seattle
Olympia
64/51
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71/41
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
71/52
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68/46
74/46
Astoria
64/48
Pullman
Yakima 70/42
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74/50
Portland
Hermiston
72/48
The Dalles 73/44
Salem
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71/42
Yesterday
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La Grande
75/40
PRECIPITATION
John Day
Eugene
Bend
71/43
77/43
77/45
Ontario
77/41
Caldwell
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70°
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through 3 p.m. yest.
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Pendleton 73/38
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HERMISTON
Enterprise
71/46
75/45
67°
49°
72°
46°
93° (1931) 29° (1900)
PRECIPITATION
Moses
Lake
65/46
Aberdeen
66/44
69/47
Tacoma
Yesterday
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Spokane
Wenatchee
64/51
Portland firefighters
to get bulletproof
vests as risks increase
By JAIMIE DING
The Oregonian
Forecast for Pendleton Area
TODAY
Saturday, October 2, 2021
Today
Boardman
Pendleton
Medford
82/48
Sun.
SW 3-6
WNW 4-8
SW 3-6
WNW 4-8
SUN AND MOON
Klamath Falls
77/35
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Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
6:55 a.m.
6:33 p.m.
2:04 a.m.
5:21 p.m.
New
First
Full
Last
Oct 6
Oct 12
Oct 20
Oct 28
NATIONAL EXTREMES
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 97° in Oceanside, Calif. Low 13° in Bodie State Park, Calif.
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
screenings, immunizations,
omni-channel support that
includes access to pharma-
cists, and “adherence-boost-
ing programs” through a
mobile device such as daily
pill reminders and refill by
scan.A list of which Bi-Mart
locations
Patients who are having
their prescriptions trans-
ferred will be notified by
mail, and “both companies
will work together to help
ensure a smooth transition
for pharmacy patients,” the
release stated.
The file transfer should be
complete by January 2022.
PORTLAND — Port-
land firefighters soon will
have access to bulletproof
vests while on the job.
The decision was spurred
by a “changing landscape”
and more calls that increase
the possibility of firefighters
being involved with aggres-
sive patients and bystanders,
according to Portland Fire &
Rescue spokesperson Terry
Foster.
Purchasing the vests
was discussed by the agen-
cy’s safety committee and
supported by Fire Chief Sara
Boone, Foster said.
Many specifics still need
to be worked out, such as
when the vests will be worn,
how many will be purchased
and when they will be imple-
mented.
However, the decision is
fully supported by the fire-
fighters union, said Isaac
McLennan, vice president
of the Portland Fire Fight-
ers’ Association.
Firefighters have been
more concerned for their
safety because of respond-
ers being attacked or
stabbed in Oregon and
other parts of the country,
McLennan said.
McLennan referenced
a 2018 fire in Springfield
where a man started shoot-
ing at firefighters responding
to a house fire. Police said
authorities believed the man
intentionally set the 4 a.m.
blaze to ambush emergency
responders.
No one was seriously
injured, but the attack left
fire truck windshields
riddled with bullet holes.
The purchase of the
bulletproof vests doesn’t
mean firefighters will be sent
into more dangerous situa-
tions, however.
A scenario for their use
would be responders going
in to rescue an injured
person while police worked
to secure an area with an
active shooter, McLennan
said.
The decision to provide
the bulletproof vests
comes during a year of
record-breaking violence
in Portland. The Portland
Police Bureau reported 837
shootings through August,
with the largest year-over-
year increase in the north
precinct, where 383 shoot-
ings were reported by Aug.
31 — a more than 100%
increase from the same
period in 2020.
Oregon reports 79 schools with
active COVID-19 outbreaks
By ELIZABETH MILLER
Oregon Public Broadcasting
PORTLAND — The
numbers are likely an under-
count or behind current case
information.
According to Oregon
Health Authority’s weekly
report, there are nearly 80
schools with active outbreaks
in schools across the state.
That’s 31 more schools
than OHA listed the week
before — an increase of
about 65%.
Multiple schools are
reporting multiple outbreaks.
For example, North Bend
Senior High School in Coos
County has reported three
active school outbreaks,
adding up to a total of 26
cases between the outbreaks.
In the Sept. 22 report, there
was one outbreak listed with
a total of 9 cases.
Outbreaks are defined as
having two or more cases
identified “where there is
evidence of transmission” at
a school.
North Bend Superinten-
dent Kevin Bogatin said in
his district, outbreaks have
been related to athletics and
extracurricular activities.
“We cannot confirm
any kind of spread that we
can link to the classroom,”
Bogatin said. “We have had
outbreaks related to athlet-
ics and connected to specific
teams.”
Even cases at the elemen-
tary level connect to athlet-
ics, Bogatin said.
Games have had to be
postponed due to all the cases
and quarantines, though
North Bend High did finally
get a chance to play its local
rival, Marshfield in football
Sept. 25. North Bend lost the
game.
Bogatin said staff has
been “fairly healthy,” which
has helped schools stay open,
even though many students
are out of school.
But school has been in
session there for less than
a month, and Bogatin said
COVID-19 has put a strain
on operations. Staffing short-
ages are everywhere — from
classified staff and sports offi-
cials to food delivery drivers.
Eight other schools are
listed as having multiple
outbreaks. Three of those
schools have at least one
resolved outbreak, but the
other six have multiple active
outbreaks. The schools are
spread out across the state,
from the Portland area to
southern Oregon, but there
are multiple schools with
multiple outbreaks in Jack-
son and Coos counties.
These numbers are likely
undercounts or out of date,
due to lags between reporting
from schools, families, and
local public health authori-
ties.
The most recent onset
listed in the report is Sept. 17,
almost two weeks ago.
For example, according
to OHA’s report, Benson
Polytechnic High School
in Portland has only had
one student test positive
for COVID-19 in the last
28 days. According to PPS’
own dashboard, 12 students
and one staff member have
been “isolated” in the last
28 days. “Isolation” includes
individuals who have tested
positive for COVID-19 or
are “presumed” to have
COVID-19. PPS does not
report positive cases in its
dashboard.
Some of the repor t
ref lects individual quar-
antines or whole school
closures. Coquille Junior
Senior High reports eight
individual student cases and
two outbreaks totaling 11
cases. The school is closed
for in-person learning until
Oct. 11.
Local district informa-
tion is likely the most reli-
able, though districts aren’t
required to publish COVID-
19 case information.
Though imperfect, OHA’s
weekly report provides the
only statewide information
on COVID-19 in schools.
IN BRIEF
One man injured in
Spring Creek crash
LA GRANDE — One man was seriously
injured in an early morning vehicle crash Tues-
day, Sept. 28, on Interstate 84, about 12 miles
west of La Grande near the Spring Creek exit.
Abraham Ortiz, 37, Heber City, Utah,
was eastbound on I-84 when his 2000 Audi
collided with a parked semitrailer shortly
after 3:30 a.m. Crews from the La Grande
Rural and the La Grande fire departments
had to free Ortiz from his vehicle. The extri-
cation process was an involved one.
“The roof of the car had to be torn off,” said
Sgt. Grant Jackson of Oregon State Police.
There were no other occupants in the Audi,
police said.
Ortiz suffered life-threatening injuries,
and an ambulance took him to Grande Ronde
Hospital, La Grande, Jackson said.
Matthew Ellenberger, 49, Meridian, Idaho,
told police he was sleeping in his vehicle at
the time of the crash. He was not injured. No
passengers were in the truck driver’s vehicle.
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