LOCAL
Wallowa.com
Wednesday, April 21, 2021
A3
Integrated care facility nears completion
Hearts for Health
Integrated Care
Center to open
in September
By ELLEN MORRIS
BISHOP
For the Wallowa County
Chieftain
Ellen Morris Bishop/For the Wallowa County Chieftain
Construction is nearing completion on the new $7.4 million, 22,000-square-foot Hearts for Health Integrated Care Center on
Medical Parkway in Enterprise. The grand opening is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 10, 2021.
“It’s a way of saying
‘Thank you’ and welcoming
the community to our new
home,” Rawls said.
To reserve a place on one
of the tours, call Rawls at
541-426-4524, ext. 1031.
The project is cur-
rently under budget, Rawls
said. Its funding includes
$800,000 in support from
people and businesses in
Wallowa County, $2.5 mil-
lion from the state of Oregon
and additional funding from
the M.J. Murdock Memorial
Trust, Lewis Clark Valley
Healthcare Foundation, the
Ford Family Foundation and
the Wildhorse Foundation.
Lem McBurney, project
liaison, said that the facility
is planned to optimize pri-
vacy while getting patients
swiftly to the care they need.
“Even though every-
thing’s together, there’s kind
of a medical side and a men-
tal health side,” he said.
But it’s the integration
of these until-now disparate
branches of medicine that
makes the HHICC unique
among rural health centers.
“When someone has a
mental heath break, dental
issues will push forward the
mental issues,” McBurney
said. “The same is true of
other conditions, including
urinary tract infections. So
mental health and medical
health are very closely tied
together. The idea here is
to take care of everybody’s
whole health.”
The HHICC also has a
teaching kitchen. It can be
used to prepare meals for
events, for catering and as a
commercial kitchen. But its
more important role will be
providing cooking and nutri-
tion classes.
“We want to partici-
pate in what the hospital
got started with their Blue
Zones (program),” McBur-
ney said. “The idea here is
to teach people skills and
lifestyles that prevent ill-
ness — mental or physical
— from happening. So the
idea is that a therapist could
come in here, cook a healthy
meal with somebody, and
then they could go out on the
patio and sit and eat it, and
talk about life skills. It’s tak-
ing therapy outside an offi ce
and giving people new skills
and perspectives.”
The large conference
room, with a capacity of
more than 100 people, will
be able to host public and
private events, from actual
conferences to birthday
parties.
“We send our staff across
VISIT US ON THE WEB AT:
Josephy fundraiser nearly triples goal
Chieftain staff
JOSEPH — The Jose-
phy Center for Arts and Cul-
ture more than exceeded its
fundraising goals Thursday,
April 15, hoping to raise at
least $50,000 to purchase
and renovate the center.
The capital campaign
fundraising event kicked
off at 6:30 p.m. and by
7:30 p.m., had raised just
over $80,000, with most of
the donations coming from
Wallowa County residents.
Combined with a match-
ing incentive off ered by
the M.J. Murdock Chari-
table Trust, the evening’s
total ended up exceed-
ing $135,000, allowing the
Josephy Center to realize its
long-awaited goal of being
able to purchase and reno-
vate the building.
“We are beside ourselves
with excitement,” said
Executive Director Cheryl
Coughlan. “The dream of
becoming a permanent home
for arts and culture in Wal-
lowa County is now a real-
ity. I almost have to pinch
IN BRIEF
Tamkaliks
Celebration
postponed
WALLOWA — COVID-
19 has again postponed
Births
A daughter, Landry
Jo Hayes, was born April
9, in Enterprise, to Sara
Hayes and Andrew Hayes
of Enterprise. Grand-
parents are Renae
Sorweide, Eric
Schoeningh, Debbie
Hayes and Ron Hayes.
A daughter, Alma
June Miller, was born
April 10, in Enterprise, to
Lindsay Miller and Dylan
Edwards of Joseph.
myself to believe it!”
The Key to Our Future
fundraising event, hosted
by special guest Andy Lind-
berg, was upbeat and fast-
paced with heart-warming
moments including youth
testimonials,
dedications
made in memory of loved
ones and a video remind-
ing viewers that art is every-
where in Wallowa County
— if you look for it.
event. Winner Sally Goebel
won a growler from Termi-
nal Gravity in Enterprise
every month for a full year.
Kathryn J. Neal won $300
worth of pizza cards from
M.Crow in Lostine.
“This fundraiser was
undoubtedly a success,”
said Development Direc-
tor Kellee Sheehy. “But
there’s a lot of work ahead.
Buying the building for the
“I challenge anyone who
lives in this beautiful place
to watch that video and not
feel as if you’re going to
burst with pride,” said Jeff
Costello, president of the
center’s board.
Prizes sponsored by local
businesses helped incentiv-
ize giving throughout the
county means that we are all
responsible for shaping how
it grows. We need feedback
from residents about what
kinds of programs they want
or want more of. That feed-
back will help determine the
design of the building when
we renovate and expand in
Phase II.”
“Even
though
we
received grant funding,”
Coughlan said, “it’s the peo-
ple of Wallowa County who
came through for us in the
end. They showed up and
generously gave their hard-
earned dollars. Now we can
all reap the benefi t for years
to come.”
The Key to Our Future
campaign is focused on
making the Josephy Cen-
ter a permanent home for
arts and culture in Wallowa
County, as well as restoring
and expanding the Center
to elevate visitor experience
and fi t the growing needs of
the community.
The campaign has two
phases: Phase One focuses
on the building purchase,
critical safety repairs and
accessibility for all. Phase
Two focuses on the reno-
vation and expansion of the
building which will increase
functionality, accessibility
and programming.
To watch the “Art is
Everywhere” video, go
to
www.josephy.org/
capital-fundraiser.
the
annual
Tamkaliks
Celebration.
The Nez Perce Wallowa
Homeland and Tamkaliks
Committee announced the
decision Tuesday, April 13.
The committee had convened
April 7 to deliberate whether
or not to host the event.
“This was not an easy deci-
sion, but Nez Perce Wallowa
Homeland and the Tamkaliks
Committee agree that this is
the best decision for the safety
of our elders and our commu-
nities,” a release announcing
the decision stated.
The committee still will
award two $500 scholar-
ships — the Taz Conner and
Terry Crenshaw Memorial
scholarships.
The postponement of the
annual event, which also
was postponed in 2020, will
not impact other plans in the
county. The Visitor Center
still will be open during the
summer and the powwow
grounds are open for dis-
persed camping, the release
states.
— Chieftain staff
“EVEN THOUGH WE RECEIVED
GRANT FUNDING, IT’S THE PEOPLE
OF WALLOWA COUNTY WHO CAME
THROUGH FOR US IN THE END.”
— Cheryl Coughlan, Josephy Center executive director
!
0
9
’s
o
h
w
k
o
Lo
Shirley Doud!
Come Celebrate with
her on May 1 st at the
Southfork Grange on
Rosewell St. in Lostine
from 1 to 4 p.m.
QUESTIONS?
301 W. Main, Enterprise • 541.426.3177
Call Niki @ 541-398-1971
or Tiffany @541-786-1441
www.Wallowa.com
This week’s featured book
The Code
Breaker
by Walter Isaacson
107 E. Main St.
Enterprise OR 541-426-3351
bookloftoregon.com • manager@bookloft.org
WINTER
HOURS
DINE I K N E
OR TA T
OU Taking
Wed. & Thur. 10
Fri. & Sat. 10 am am - 7 pm
- 8 pm
Sun. 10 am - 7 pm
Now
s
Reservation
TAKE OUT ORDERS • CALL 541-569-2285
I
n loving memory of
Max Moffit, we would like
to express our gratitude to the
community for the outpouring
of sympathy, encouragement,
and support for our loss.
We appreciate all of the meals,
cards, flowers, visits, phone
calls and emails.
Thank you for your
thoughtfulness.
Kenneth & Roberta Moffit
and family
THANK YOU
ENTERPRISE — A sin-
gle medical facility that
integrates physical, mental,
behavioral and dental health
care has long been a dream
of both Winding Waters
Community Health Center
and the Wallowa Valley Cen-
ter for Wellness. That dream
will come true when the new
Hearts for Health Integrated
Care Center opens its doors
Friday, Sept. 10.
The $7.4 million, 22,000
square-foot facility has been
slowly taking shape on Med-
ical Parkway since construc-
tion began in March 2020.
Now, the interior walls, elec-
trical and communications
wiring are nearing comple-
tion, fl oors and ceilings are
mostly in place. It’s ready
for the interior and exterior
fi nishing touches followed
by installation of equip-
ment. The center will fi nally
welcome the fi rst patients in
September.
Although some con-
struction fi nishing work is
ongoing, HHICC is off er-
ing public tours on the third
Thursday of the month, April
through June. The fi rst tours
will be Thursday, April 22,
at noon and again at 5 p.m.
said Wellness Center Public
Relations and Development
Director Tosca Rawls.
the state to attend trainings,”
Rawls said. “With this facil-
ity, we can bring the train-
ers here, to us, (either in per-
son or on the large screen).
That could save organiza-
tions here a lot of money,
save us a lot of money and
we’re going to have the
technology to provide those
services.”
The HHICC will have
lots of other innovative
facilities, from a meditation
room to a counseling room
set up so that parents can
keep an eye on their chil-
dren in an adjacent play-
room while talking with a
therapist, to an area where
people in need can do laun-
dry, iron clothes and take a
shower. The facility will be
helpful for people who are
in crisis.
“Our crisis team does
things day and night,
McBurney said. “There’s
been 25-50 crisis actions
within the past three weeks.
But people don’t know that
because the crisis team does
the work so quietly.”
And, of course, there’s
plenty of conventional med-
icine and dentistry, includ-
ing four dental operatories,
fi ve medical exam rooms
and 17 clinical rooms. And
the parking areas can be used
by people who are using the
adjacent Jensen ball fi elds,
McBurney said. There will
be a total of 2 miles of walk-
ing paths.
“We’re
leading
the
charge on a new model of
integrated health care, espe-
cially in rural areas,” Rawls
said. “We’re really excited
to show other providers how
this works.”