Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 29, 2021)
REGION Wallowa.com Wednesday, September 29, 2021 Northeastern Oregon counties could be hurt by mandate By BRYCE DOLE East Oregonian PENDLETON — East- ern Oregon’s health care system could see a mass exodus of workers come Oct. 18, the deadline for Gov. Kate Brown’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. More than a quarter of all health care work- ers in Umatilla, Union and Morrow counties remain unvaccinated, according to the Oregon Health Author- ity. All would be fired or forced to resign under the mandate. “It’s like a big game of chicken,” said Dr. Jon Hitzman, Umatilla Coun- ty’s public health officer. “Who’s going to relent first?” Hospitals across the three counties say they are working to comply with the mandate, but none would disclose any specific plans for how they would adjust or alter operations if there is a shortage of workers. “We understand this new requirement has been welcomed by some and has caused great concern for others,” said Mardi Ford, spokesperson for Grande Ronde hospital in La Grande. “While we value every one of our employees and support their right to make that choice; as a pri- vate, not-for-profit Critical Access Hospital, we must follow this government directive to continue car- ing for our community. We do not want to lose a single member of our team.” Regional hospital offi- cials in recent months have said they already were struggling with a shortage of workers. Staff have said they are exhausted after the delta variant ripped through the region, hospitalizing large swaths of unvacci- nated people. In Umatilla County, the unvaccinated have accounted for about Brooke Pace/Wallowa Memorial Hospital, File Teri Judd, head of nursing at Wallowa Memorial Hospital, draws a dose of vaccine for administration at a clinic Tuesday, April 6, 2021. 49 out of every 50 hospital- izations this year, accord- ing to county data. Hitzman said he’s con- cerned a mass layoff would only exacerbate the prob- lems the health care system is facing during the latest pandemic surge. “It’s going to have a massive impact on the sys- tem,” said Hitzman, a vocal vaccine proponent who is opposed to the mandate. “We’re already all stretched thin. If you happen to get into an automobile acci- dent, you have to hope that they have a bed for you in the hospital. If I have a heart attack, are they going to have a bed for me in the hospital? Are they going to have a nursing staff to care for me?” workers remain unvac- cinated. Harold Geller, the president of CHI St. Anthony, said the hospital is working on contingency plans for the mid-October deadline. “As is true for most hos- pitals, we are concerned about the number of staff electing not to become vaccinated,” Geller said. “Our entire staff is com- mitted to providing high quality care as safely as possible. They’ve done a terrific job throughout the past year and a half. Each staff member is putting serious thought into this matter and it is our hope that we retain all staff. Caitlin Cozad, a spokes- person for Good Shepherd Medical Center in Herm- iston, said the hospital has “contingency plans in place to remain fully oper- ational” and is “ensuring we have adequate staffing to meet the needs of our Hospitals mum on contingency plans CHI St. Anthony Hos- pital in Pendleton reported 30% of its health care community.” She added the hospital is “on track to be fully compliant with the state mandate.” Neither Ford nor Cozad would disclose how many of their health care work- ers are vaccinated. But state data show in Umatilla County, 36% of health care workers remain unvaccinated. In Union County, that number is 26%. In Morrow County, it’s 28%. Kevin Mealy, a spokes- person for the Oregon Nurses Association, said in a written statement the union is calling upon “all nurses and health care workers to get vaccinated before the Oct. 18 dead- line or to fill out the neces- sary paperwork for a medi- cal or deeply held religious belief exception.” If they don’t, they could be fired. “Losing even one nurse from a patient’s bedside will deepen Oregon’s nurse staffing crisis and endanger community health,” Mealy said. “ONA expects hos- pital and health care sys- tem CEOs to follow fed- eral labor law and sit down with nurses to bargain the impact of workplace vac- cination policies and find ways at-risk health care workers can continue con- tributing during the surge.” Cases increase among hospital staff Good Shepherd from July 21 to Sept. 15 reported 54 COVID-19 cases among staff, according to state data. Grande Ronde’s staff from July 15 to Sept. 1 had 35 cases. And staff at CHI St. Anthony from Aug. 19 and Sept. 3 had 10 cases. Several hospitals say they have seen an increase in vaccinations among health care work- ers since the mandate was announced. The vaccine mandate came in response to the A17 Record: Continued from Page A17 rapidly rising number of COVID-19 cases statewide as the delta variant surge filled Oregon’s hospitals almost entirely with unvac- cinated people. To curb the spread, Brown announced the mandate for health care workers and teachers in August, when infection was at its peak. But Hitzman said he believes the state is push- ing the region’s health care system into a lose-lose sit- uation. He said health care workers should get vacci- nated because they work around sick patients, but added those who have built their careers in the field may have little to fall back on. “What are they going to do, just change profes- sions?” he said, adding, “For most of us, we’ve been deeply ingrained in our professions. It’s not like we can just go do something else … It’s going to create financial hardship for those individuals.” In addition, he said the deadline falls at an espe- cially critical time for Uma- tilla County. Last week, tens of thousands of people flooded into the county for the Pendleton Round-Up, an event where most people were maskless and there was no proof of vaccina- tion or negative COVID-19 test required. Health care workers for months have voiced con- cerns about the potential for infection to increase after this event. Hitzman noted if a surge were to occur, it would be within two to three weeks of the event — right around when the mid-October vaccine deadline occurs. “We’ll see what the numbers are over the next two to three weeks,” Hitz- man said. “But if we see a major spike, I’m not going to be surprised. I’m going to breathe a sigh of relief if we don’t.” 3:47 p.m. — Welfare check requested in rural Joseph. 4:59 p.m. — Burglary reported in Joseph. 7:08 p.m. — Report of road hazard in rural Lostine. SEPT. 25 12:38 a.m. — Disturbance in Joseph. 12:54 a.m. — Report of a single-vehicle crash near Salt Creek Summit. 11:55 a.m. — At a traf- fic stop in rural Wallowa, the WCSO issued a warning for speeding. 5:13 p.m. — Lauren B. Bobbitt, 39, of Wallowa, was arrested by the WCSO for vio- lation of court restraining order. 6:04 p.m. — Public assist for disabled vehicle in rural Joseph. 7:04 p.m. — Eric Michael Ray Landowski, 52, of Joseph, was arrested by the WCSO on charges of first-degree bur- glary, first-degree theft and criminal trespassing. He was transported to the Umatilla County Jail. 9:28 p.m. — At a traffic stop in Enterprise, the EPD had a vehicle towed for no insurance. 10:11 p.m. — Traffic com- plaint in rural Enterprise. 10:11 p.m. — Request for a welfare check and ambulance in Enterprise. SEPT. 26 3:55 a.m. — At a traffic stop in rural Lostine, the WCSO issued a warning for lighting and failure to maintain lane. 12:51 p.m. — Two-vehi- cle, noninjury crash in rural Wallowa. 3:07 p.m. — Theft reported in Wallowa. 5:58 p.m. — Fire reported in Eagle Cap Wilderness. 6:34 p.m. — Burglary alarm activation in Enterprise. 6:46 p.m. — Request for agency assist in rural Wallowa. 9:59 p.m. — Agency assist in Wallowa. legend of the fall ƒ TRIMMERS BLOWERS STARTING AT STARTING AT 139 $ 99 139 $ 99 CHAIN SAWS STARTING AT ° 189 $ 99 ASK ABOUT STIHL ° PRESSURE WASHERS °A majority of STIHL gasoline-powered units sold in the United States are built in the United States from domestic and foreign parts and components. Baker City Baker City La Grande LaGrande D & B Supply 3515 Pocahontas Road 541-523-6442 dbbakercity.com Thatcher’s Hardware 2200 Resort Street 541-523-3371 thatchersace.us D & B Supply 10101 East First Street I.C. 541-963-8466 dblagrande.com Thatcher’s Hardware 2212 Island Avenue #290 541-605-0152 thatchersacehardware.com stihldealers.com All prices are SNW-SRP at participating dealers while supplies last. ©2021 STIHL SNW21-922-145937-3