4A • COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL • OCTOBER 17, 2018
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O PINION
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ing the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of
the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition their
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withdrawing from a friend.” —Thomas Jefferson (1800)
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Political/Election Letters:
Guest Viewpoint
Why does your doctor recommend the fl u shot?
By Thea Petersen, MD
PeaecHealth Medical Group Provider
Flu season is here in Lane County
and if you haven’t gotten your fl u shot
yet, now is the time. Th e infl uenza
vaccine is recommended for everyone
age 6 months and older.
Each year, the vaccine is updated
to try to best match the types of the
infl uenza virus in circulation. Th is
year the vaccine has four strains of the
infl uenza virus and the high-dose fl u
shot is recommended for older adults
— especially those with chronic health
issues.
Infl uenza typically begins in Sep-
tember in the United States, peaks in
December-February, and can last until
May. Th e exact number of people who
get the fl u is hard to estimate since
it’s not a reportable disease and many
people stay home and don’t seek med-
ical attention.
Estimated deaths from infl uenza
have been rising over the past eight
years, reaching a high of about 80,000
last year as reported by the CDC.
Th at’s 2.5 deaths per 10,000 people.
Although most people who contract
infl uenza recover, it can cause serious
illness, including hospitalization and
death. Older adults, children, preg-
nant women, and people of any age
with certain chronic medical condi-
tions are more likely to suff er serious
consequences. About 80 percent of
people who die from the fl u did not
get the fl u shot.
Th e fl u shot is a killed virus vaccine
so it can’t give you the fl u. It takes
about two weeks aft er vaccination to
develop enough antibodies to protect
you from the fl u, so you can get sick
during that time if you’ve been ex-
posed before you have immunity. Th e
fl u shot does not protect you against
all viral illnesses like the “stomach fl u”
or a cold.
Th e fl u vaccine isn’t 100 percent ef-
fective, but it will signifi cantly reduce
your chances of getting the fl u and
lowers the risk of complications if you
do get sick.
You may be a very healthy person
who eats well, exercises and doesn’t
have much contact with the public.
Th at’s great, but we still recommend
you get the fl u shot.
Why?
It’s a simple preventive measure you
can take to protect not only yourself
from a terrible disease, but also those
around you who may not have your
perfect health. You can be contagious
with infl uenza for 24 hours prior to
even having symptoms and can pass a
fatal disease to someone you love.
In addition to the fl u shot, other
steps you can take to protect yourself
and others from the fl u include staying
away from people who are sick, stay-
ing home when you’re sick, covering
your cough and sneeze, and washing
your hands frequently.
Local pharmacies off er fl u vaccines
and PeaceHealth is off ering walk-in
fl u clinics at Cottage Grove Commu-
nity Medical Center at 1515 Village
Drive.
A clinic for kids 18 and under will
be on Sat., Oct. 13 from 10 a.m. to 1
p.m., and a clinic for adults will be on
Wed., Oct. 24 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
You can also call 541-767-5200 to
make an appointment for a vaccine.
Be wise, immunize.
All of our providers at Cottage
Grove Community Medical Center
encourage our community to get vac-
cinated against the fl u.
Th e
Cottage
Grove
AquaLion Executive Board
is excited about the plans
for the modernization of
Warren Daugherty Aquatic
Center.
Th e project includes a
new pool, renovated locker
rooms, new offi ce area and
most importantly a pool
that can be used by all mem-
bers of our community. Th e
mission of our school dis-
trict and city in opening the
pool has always been to save
lives.
Th e renovated pool will
do just that. Children and
students will have suffi cient
space for swimming les-
sons. Adults will have space
for lap swimming, exercise
and water aerobics. Locker
rooms will be renovated to
provide privacy and allow
clients to feel safe and clean
aft er their swim.
As a swim club we are
Send letters to:
nhickson@cgsentinel.com or cmay@cgsentinel.com
HOW TO CONTACT YOUR REPS
Oregon state
representatives
Oregon federal
representatives
• Sen. Floyd Prozanski
District 4 State Senator
PO Box 11511
Eugene, Ore. 97440
Phone: 541-342-2447
Email : sen.fl oydprozanski@
state.or.us
• Rep. Cedric Hayden
Republican District 7 State
Representative
900 Court St. NE
Salem, Ore. 97301
Phone: 503-986-1407
Website: www.leg.state.or.
us/hayden
Email: rep.cedrichayden@
state.or.us
• Rep. Peter DeFazio
(House of Representatives)
405 East 8th Ave.
#2030
Eugene, Ore. 97401
Email: defazio.house.gov/
contact/email-peter
Phone: 541-465-6732
• Sen. Ron Wyden
405 East 8th Ave., Suite 2020
Eugene, Ore. 97401
Email: wyden.senate.gov
Phone: (541) 431-0229
• Sen. Jeff Merkley
Email: merkley.senate.gov
Phone: 541-465-6750
C ottage G rove
S entinel
(541) 942-3325
Administration
LETTERS
Why We Support
the Pool Project
Election-related letters must address pertinent or
timely issues of interest to our readers at-large.
Letters must 1) Not be a part of letter-writing
campaigns on behalf of (or by) candidates; 2) Ensure
any information about a candidate is accurate, fair
and not from second-hand knowledge or hearsay;
and 3) explain the reasons to support candidates
based on personal experience and perspective rather
than partisanship and campaign-style rhetoric.
Candidates themselves may not use the letters to the
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As with all letters and advertising content, the
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reject any letter that doesn’t follow the above criteria.
Jenna Bartlett, Group Publisher
most excited about a fast
competition pool that will
allow us to not only hold
elite level meets, but also to
showcase the talent and suc-
cess of our swim program.
Th e
Cottage
Grove
AquaLion swim club has a
long history as a winning
program. We look forward
to holding state and regional
swim meets and water polo
games that will generate
revenue for our local econ-
omy.
Th e modernization plans
is close to including a
multi-purpose warm water
therapy pool in this project.
Th is is, in part, because of
a generous commitment by
the City of Cottage Grove.
Th e warm water recreation-
al and therapy pool will
have many benefi ts for our
community. Th e pool will
be used for swim lessons,
families with young chil-
dren, warm up and cool
down during swim compe-
titions, water aerobics and
exercise, and physical and
medical therapy.
Fundraising for the warm
water recreational and ther-
apy pool continues.
We hope community
members will consider do-
nating any amount to the
project; every donation re-
ceived will be critical to se-
curing the funding needed
to complete this part of the
pool project.
Donations can be sent to:
South Lane School Dis-
trict
455 Adams Avenue
Cottage Grove, OR, 97424
Memo: Warm Water Rec-
reation & Th erapy Pool
—Th e Cottage Grove
AquaLion Executive Board:
Bud Taylor, Bill Kuzmer,
Heather Bridgens, Frankie
Walter, Kathryn Womack and
Tyson Pilling
Voting for Williams
I served with Gary Wil-
liams for many years on the
Cottage Grove City Council
and I have great respect for
him.
Gary and I are moderates
from diff erent sides of the
fence but agree on most lo-
cal issues. Gary regularly
works with folks from all
sides of issues to reach con-
sensus whenever possible.
I believe he is the best
choice for the County
Commission because of his
extensive experience, his
diligence working on con-
stituent concerns and for
the fact that he has lived in
rural Lane County all but a
couple of years of his life.
We need a candidate who
truly represents rural con-
cerns at the county level.
I will be supporting rural
lane county by voting for
Gary Williams this Novem-
ber.
—Mike Fleck
Cottage Grove
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