SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2017
Doctors warn of
battery danger
around children
Each year, more than
2,800 kids are treated in
emergency rooms after swal-
lowing batteries. As button
batteries become more com-
mon in the home, injuries and
deaths from ingesting batter-
ies have increased nine-fold
in the last decade.
The risk is higher during
the holidays, with new toys,
family gatherings and multi-
ple distractions. These small
batteries are found in singing
greeting cards, remote con-
trols, key fobs, calculators,
toys, holiday ornaments and
even grandpa’s hearing aid.
“Young children love
bright, shiny objects — and
they tend to love putting
things in their mouths,” said
Dr. Kimberly Ruscher, a
pediatric
surgeon
at
PeaceHealth Sacred Heart
Medical
Center
at
RiverBend. “Button, or disc
batteries, are everywhere in
American homes, and the
right size for small children
to swallow. These batteries
can cause serious harm in a
very short time.”
Button
batteries
can
become lodged anywhere in
the nose, mouth or digestive
tract. The biggest risk comes
from 20-mm lithium cell bat-
teries, as they’re big enough
to get stuck in the esophagus.
After the battery burns
through the esophagus, it can
continue to injure other
organs such as the trachea,
aorta or other blood vessels.
“A battery can literally
burn through a child’s esoph-
agus in less than two hours,”
Ruscher said. “It can lead to
lifelong injuries or even
death.”
Ruscher, who also serves
as chair of Safe Kids West
Oregon, reports that the pedi-
atric surgeons at Sacred
Heart Medical Center at
Riverbend are regularly
called about patients who
have swallowed button bat-
teries. In some cases, proce-
dures are required to remove
the battery or treat the
injuries caused.
She urges parents to keep
any loose or spare batteries
locked away, and any product
that uses button batteries well
out of reach.
If a parent or guardian sus-
pects a child has ingested a
battery, the child needs to be
immediately taken to the
emergency room.
For more information
about button battery safety,
visit Safe Kids Worldwide at
www.safekids.org/button-
battery-safety.
Rhody Society to
meet to discuss
hybridization
The Siuslaw Chapter of the
American
Rhododendron
Society meets on Jan. 16, at
6:30 p.m. for refreshments
followed by the program at 7
p.m. Speaker Jack Olsen
from Fall Creek, Or, will be
presenting a digital program
on Hybridizing.
Olsen will discuss how he
chooses the correct parents,
pollinating, collecting seed,
sowing the seed and how to
grow them on to award win-
ning flowering plants. This
will be a very educational
program and knowing Jack, it
won’t be boring.
The public is invited to
come to the Presbyterian
Church of the Siuslaw 3996
Highway 101 in Florence, to
learn the details of this inter-
esting process.
Call 541-997-3082 for
more information
Deadlines for press releases
are Mondays and Thursdays
by noon. Email them to:
P RESS R ELEASES
@T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM .
9 A
Notarized application for change of sex begins Jan. 1
House Bill 2673 allows Oregonians to affirm gender identity without court order
PORTLAND — Beginning Jan. 1,
people born in Oregon will be able to
affirm their gender identity on a birth
certificate by completing a notarized
application rather than having to get a
court order.
The state Vital Records office, based
at the Oregon Health Authority Public
Health Division, is preparing for the
implementation of House Bill 2673,
which allows any individual to request
a name change and/or sex designation
change on a birth certificate that accu-
rately reflects their gender identity.
Prior to HB 2673’s passage in 2017,
a court order indicating that an individ-
ual has completed sexual reassignment
was required to change the sex desig-
nation on an Oregon birth certificate.
Under HB 2673, a name or sex des-
ignation change on a birth certificate
J OIN
ANNUAL
The
Siuslaw
News,
PeaceHealth Peace Harbor
Medical Center and Coastal
Fitness & Aquatics are reach-
ing out the Florence Area to
challenge community members
to successfully meet their
weight-loss goals — and be
entered into a drawing for a
can be requested by an individual 18 or
older, or an emancipated minor; a par-
ent or legal guardian if the registrant is
younger than 18; or a legal representa-
tive of a registrant, parent or legal
guardian.
Individuals who previously changed
their name but have not changed their
sex on their birth certificate can do so
using this administrative process.
Those choosing to change their sex
designation to non-binary will be able
to add “X” to their birth certificate,
rather than “M” for male or “F” for
female.
“HB 2673 ensures any individual
can request a name change and sex
designation change on a birth certifi-
cate that accurately reflects their gen-
der identity,” said Jennifer Woodward,
PhD, state registrar and manager of the
Vital Records office, also known as the
Center for Health Statistics (CHS).
Amending a birth certificate
requires a $35 amendment fee,
although that doesn’t include the cost
of the certificate, which are $25 each
for a short-form version and $30 each
for the long-form version.
New birth records will be provided
within seven to 10 working days after
the notarized application and fees have
been submitted and new birth certifi-
cate has been ordered.
Applicants will receive a new certi-
fied copy of the record of live birth for
the registrant (if ordered); a copy of the
application form requesting the
change; and correspondence from the
State Registrar on the final decision.
Applications can be submitted by
mail or in person at 800 NE Oregon
‘L OSE -T O -W IN - A -T ON ’
grand prize of $1,000.
The idea of the contest is to
serve as a catalyst for improv-
ing decisions about fitness,
nutrition and healthy lifestyles
made by individuals, groups
and institutions within the
greater Florence area commu-
nity.
St., Suite 225, Portland, OR 97232.
Woodward said CHS has been busy
training its staff on the new law, updat-
ing the application form for changing
the name and sex on a birth certificate,
and developing a new website,
www.healthoregon. org/hb2673, which
has all the forms and frequently asked
questions.
It also has been getting the word out
about the law with help from partner
organizations such as Basic Rights
Oregon, including sharing the FAQs to
help guide eligible individuals through
the application process.
“We are ready to begin processing
applications
starting
Jan.
2,”
Woodward said, noting that although
HB 2673 becomes effective Jan. 1, the
state Vital Records office is closed
New Year’s Day, a state holiday.
AND GET FIT IN
Lose to Win is a 14-week
weight-loss challenge that
counts on people's competitive-
ness as motivation.
Participants’ weights are
checked weekly at Coastal
Fitness & Aquatics. Each week,
volunteers from PeaceHealth
Peace Harbor will weigh par-
ticipants.
The top 10 participants who
lose the most weight in per-
centage of total body weight
are listed weekly by first name
and percentage loss in the
Siuslaw News Saturday edi-
tion.
The challenge will run from
N EW Y EAR
Jan. 24 through May. 2. If par-
ticipants miss more than two
weigh-ins, they are no longer
part of the program.
Registration forms are avail-
able at the Siuslaw News,
Peace Harbor Gift Shop,
Coastal Fitness & Aquatics or
online at thesiuslawnews.com.
Delivering
Peace Of Mind
From Day 1, parenthood is fi lled with cherished moments including the baby’s fi rst trip home.
Each year, Florence’s fi rst born arrives home in the comfort and protection of a new child safety car
seat donated by Peace Harbor Medical Center. This annual tradition is among the many ways in
which Peace Harbor’s Women’s Services team is dedicated to keeping all of our precious moms
and babies healthy and safe throughout the birthing journey.
Labor and Delivery Tours
Lactation Services
Expert Maternity and Neonatal Care
Our Women’s Services Physicians
Now accepting new patients. To schedule your appointment, call 541-902-1634.
Yvonne Sculley, MD,
OB/GYN
Justine Parker, DO,
Family Medicine, OB
Jacquelyn Serrano, MD,
Family Medicine, OB
peacehealth.org/birth-florence