REGIONAL
Wallowa.com
Wednesday, April 13, 2022
A17
HIV testing ramps
up in Eastern Oregon
By ALEX WITTWER
EO Media Group
PENDLETON — A cam-
paign to raise awareness
about HIV testing is under-
way in Eastern Oregon.
Eastern Oregon Cen-
ter for Independent Living,
based in Ontario, has part-
nered with End HIV Ore-
gon for a new advertising
campaign between April
and July that will focus on
Pendleton, Hermiston, La
Grande, Ontario and their
surrounding towns.
“We’ve seen an uptick in
HIV-positive cases in rural
Eastern Oregon, and sex-
ually transmitted disease
cases, and so we thought
it was just perfect timing,”
said Kirt Toombs, CEO and
founder of EOCIL. “We’ve
been working on this cam-
paign since 2012, and we
thought this was a good time
to raise awareness.”
According to the press
release, national physician
groups recommend that
everyone be tested for HIV
at least once. But most adult
Oregonians have never been
tested for HIV. People in
more rural parts of the state
are even less likely than peo-
ple living in urban areas to
be tested in a timely man-
ner, according to the press
release.
Toombs said testing and
awareness are especially
important because ofthe
increase in positive cases in
Eastern Oregon.
“It’s almost quadrupled,”
he said. “Even though the
numbers are low, we’ve
gone from three cases to
almost, I believe, 12 cases.
And so that’s quite a bit,
and that’s defi nitely made
us take a look at what needs
to happen around raising
awareness and making tools
available.”
The campaign will uti-
lize radio ads, billboards
and newspaper ads to raise
awareness about testing.
Toombs said testing already
is available, but awareness
has been lacking.
“We serve 13 counties
here in Eastern Oregon and
so we have the tools avail-
able, but I think what was
missing is that we needed
to make people aware that
they’re available,” he said.
One of the major points
of the campaign is to high-
light that everyone has an
HIV status, whether they’ve
been tested or not.
“We all have an HIV sta-
tus, and we should all be
tested for HIV at least once,
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife/Contributed Photo
A gray wolf is seen in Oregon.
Wolf killed in NE Oregon
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
Eastern Oregon Center for Independent Living/Contributed Photo
Issak Garcia, Eastern Oregon Center for Independent Living’s
HIV prevention specialist, stocks shelves with home test kits
for HIV.
MORE INFORMATION
For more information about HIV testing, prevention and
treatment in Oregon, visit endhivoregon.org.
if not more frequently,” said “We’re coming up on the
Joseph Fiumara, director anniversary of the passing
for Umatilla County Pub- of Ryan White (Compre-
lic Health, in a press release. hensive AIDS Resources
“I’m thrilled to see this cam- Emergency Act), and so it
paign launch here
makes us look back
to continue building
at where we were 30
healthier communi-
years ago, and where
ties in our part of the
we are now. Sci-
state.”
ence is just amazing,
EOCIL provides
and (with) the med-
HIV prevention and
ical care that people
case management
are getting now —
Toombs
services in Baker,
we’re living longer
Gilliam, Grant, Har-
and healthier lives.”
ney, Umatilla, Union, Wal-
Those medical advances
lowa, Wasco and Wheeler include PrEP, a prophylac-
counties. Among those tic drug that reduces HIV
counties, 222 people are liv- transmission rates by 99%,
ing with HIV, according to according to medical stud-
the EOCIL press release.
ies. Therapy drugs HIV-pos-
As well as raising aware- itive individuals use also
ness with the intent of can completely eliminate
improving the number of the transmission of HIV
tests administered in rural if the virus is undetect-
Eastern Oregon, Toombs able by tests, through a pro-
said reducing stigma asso- cess called Undetected =
ciated with the virus is par- Untransmittable.
amount, and advances in
“We shouldn’t have to
medicine and technology fear having an HIV test or
have made living with the getting treatment,” Toombs
virus easier.
said, “or having access to
“It’s night and day from prevention tools that are
30 years ago,” he said. available to us.”
RICHLAND — For the
third time this year, authori-
ties are investigating a pos-
sible case of wolf poaching
in rural Northeast Oregon.
On March 25, Oregon
State Police were noti-
fi ed that a collared wolf —
OR117 from the Cornuco-
pia pack — was likely dead
near Richland, about 40
miles east of Baker City.
Troopers estimate the
1-year-old male wolf died
sometime March 12 or 13.
An agency spokesman
did not release the cause
of death, citing the ongo-
ing investigation. The Ore-
gon Wildlife Coalition is
off ering an $11,500 reward
for information to help
OSP catch whoever may be
responsible.
“For us, this is defi nitely
very appalling and frustrat-
ing to watch,” said Sristi
Kamal, senior Northwest
representative for Defend-
ers of Wildlife, one of the
coalition’s member groups.
“It has serious implications
for wolf recovery in our
state.”
It is the latest in a string
of wolf poaching cases that
have made headlines in the
area.
On Feb. 15, OSP said a
collared female wolf was
shot and killed near Cove,
about 15 miles east of La
Grande.
Another collared female
wolf from the Chesnimnus
pack also was shot Jan. 8
about six miles southeast of
Wallowa.
Between February and
March 2021, eight wolves
were poisoned near Mount
Harris in Union County,
including all fi ve mem-
bers of the Catherine pack.
Groups and individuals are
off ering nearly $50,000 in
reward money for tips lead-
ing to an arrest in that case.
Four wolves were ille-
gally killed in 2020, accord-
ing to the state Department
of Fish and Wildlife’s most
recent annual wolf report.
One incident resulted in no
charges after investigators
determined the shooter mis-
took the wolf for a coyote.
Most of Oregon’s 173
known wolves are concen-
trated in the northeast cor-
ner of the state. The ODFW
removed gray wolves from
the state endangered spe-
cies list east of highways
395, 78 and 95, though the
species is once again fed-
erally protected in Western
Oregon following a court
ruling in February.
Kamal said human-
caused wolf mortality is
“a pervasive problem that
needs addressing in our
state.”
In 2020, there were
eight wolves poisoned and
another eight that were
killed legally for habitually
preying on livestock, about
10% of the known popula-
tion at the end of 2019.
Ranchers have long
argued they need lethal
control of wolves to pro-
tect their livestock from
chronic attacks. Last year,
the ODFW confi rmed 87
animals were killed or
injured by wolves, includ-
ing 51 cattle, 28 sheep, six
goats and two guard dogs.
That was more than double
the number in 2020.
To help combat poach-
ing statewide, the Ore-
gon Department of Jus-
tice recently hired a special
prosecutor, Jay D. Hall,
who will focus exclusively
on fi sh and wildlife crimes.
State
lawmakers
approved $4.2 million in
2019 to establish the Stop
Poaching Campaign. Part
of the funding was used to
hire Hall, part was used to
hire four new OSP Fish and
Wildlife troopers and one
new sergeant, and part will
go toward promoting edu-
cation and awareness.
Michelle
Dennehy,
ODFW spokeswoman, said
the agency hopes rewards
off ered through the state’s
Turn-In Poachers pro-
gram, or TIP, will also off er
enough incentive for peo-
ple to come forward with
information.
The TIP program is
managed jointly by OSP,
ODFW and the Oregon
Hunters Association. Any-
one with information is
urged to call the TIP hotline
at 1-800-452-7888. Callers
can remain anonymous.
VISIT US
ON THE WEB
www.Wallowa.com
BARGAINS
OF THE
MONTH ®
While supplies last.
25.99 SALE
PRICE
-4.00 MAIL-IN
REBATE*
FINAL PRICE
21.99
Roundup®
Gal. Ready-to-Use Extended
Control Weed & Grass Killer Plus
Weed Preventer
L 161 996 B4
1.1 gal. Ready-to-Use Weed & Grass
Killer, 17.99 after $4 Mail-in Rebate*
L 232 544 1
*Limit 2 per offer. Consumer responsible for taxes.
M-F 8AM-5:30PM • SAT 8AM-5PM • SUN 9AM-3PM
Hurricane Creek Road
Enterprise, Oregon
541-426-3116
Sale Good Thru April 30th