TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2021
BAKER CITY HERALD — A5
OREGON
Oregon health care workers to get COVID vaccine or be tested
Gov. Kate Brown
announced requirement
Wednesday
By Sara Cline
The Associated Press/Report for America
PORTLAND — Oregon health
care workers will be required to
be vaccinated or undergo weekly
testing, Gov. Kate Brown announced
Wednesday, Aug. 4.
Officials say the new rule will
apply beginning Sept. 30 — giving
time for employers to prepare for
implementation and for unvaccinat-
ed health care workers to become
fully vaccinated.
“The more contagious delta
variant has changed everything.
This new safety measure is neces-
sary to stop delta from causing
severe illness among our first line of
defense: our doctors, nurses, medical
students, and frontline health care
workers,” Brown said.
Brown directed the Oregon
Health Authority to issue the new
rule which applies broadly to per-
sonnel in health care settings who
have direct or indirect contact with
patients or infectious materials. The
rule requires weekly COVID-19
testing for personnel and can be
waived with proof of vaccination.
A state law enacted in 1989
prohibits employers from indepen-
dently mandating vaccines for cer-
tain limited categories of workers,
including health care workers. But,
a spokesperson from the governor’s
office says the new rule does not
conflict with the law.
“This is not a requirement for
vaccination, rather, the OHA ad-
current situation, the new risks and
increased cases caused by the delta
variant, as well as the priority to
keep patients and employees safe,
we will act to apply the vaccina-
tion requirement in the Northwest
region.”
Kaiser is working with state
health officials and the governor to
“support vaccination to the fullest
extent permitted by law and any
future guidance,” Foley said.
On Tuesday, Oregon reported
1,575 coronavirus cases — the
state’s highest daily case count
since January. In addition, hospital
beds are filling up quickly with 379
people hospitalized on Tuesday
due to COVID-19. Some hospital
officials, including those at Oregon
Health & Science University, said
they are postponing some surgeries
that are not urgent.
Health officials are urging
residents to get vaccinated. Cur-
rently, around 29% of Oregon adults
remain unvaccinated.
Brooke Herbert/ The Oregonian, File
Brown said that she is looking at
Kelli Newcom, R. N., preps vials of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to be administered to teachers and
additional
health and safety options
educators at The Oregon Convention Center in Portland in January.
to protect Oregonians, including
Greg A. Adams said in an online
vaccination and testing policies for
ministrative rule gives health care to open the door for health care
statement.
state workers.
personnel a choice between weekly organizations to enact vaccination
Kaiser serves approximately 12.5
“As we have throughout this
testing or providing proof of vaccina- mandates.
million members in eight states
On Monday, officials at Kaiser
pandemic, we are learning to adapt
tion,” said Charles Boyle, Brown’s
Permanente, one of Oregon’s largest and the District of Columbia. So far to the new reality the delta vari-
deputy communications director.
private health systems, announced nearly 78% of the 216,000 employ-
In addition, Brown says she
ant has created,” Brown said. “I am
that health care workers, along
intends to work with stakeholders
encouraging Oregon cities, coun-
ees have been vaccinated and 95%
and lawmakers to address the exist- with the rest of its staff, would be
of Permanente Medical Group’s
ties, businesses, and employers to
required to get vaccinated. The
23,000 physicians.
think creatively, and to implement
ing law during the February 2022
only exemptions are for medical or
In a statement sent to Oregon
measures such as paid time off
legislative session.
Public Broadcasting, Kaiser’s Direc- for vaccination, and incentives for
As COVID-19 surges across the religious reasons.
“Making vaccination mandatory tor of Integrated Communications
employees, in addition to institut-
state, leading health organizations
— including the Oregon Association is the most effective way we can
Michael G. Foley acknowledged
ing masking requirements and
protect our people, our patients, and Oregon’s 1989 law, but said “because other health and safety measures in
of Hospitals and Health Systems
— have been pressing state leaders the communities we serve,” CEO
of the growing seriousness of the
the workplace.”
Coalition of Portland bars
requiring proof of vaccination
Mark Graves/The Oregonian
Bars, clubs and food carts in downtown Portland were packed with people July 23
under an increased police presence.
PORTLAND (AP) — A
coalition of bars in Portland,
Oregon has banded together
to require proof of COVID-19
vaccination at the door as
the delta variant spreads
throughout the state.
The coalition of 15 bars is
being organized by Teardrop
Cocktail Lounge owner Dan-
iel Shoemaker, The Orego-
nian/OregonLive reported.
He expects to add as
many as 30 more establish-
ments in the coming days as
The conflict is not the only
example of recent friction
between elected school board
members and administra-
tors.
The Newberg School
Board has announced plans
to repeal state policies aimed
at equity including a policy
which among other things,
bans hate symbols such as
nooses and swastikas. Those
plans have drawn opposition
from the state legislature’s
BIPOC caucus and House
Majority Leader Barbara
Smith-Warner, D-Portland.
Aguinaga also disagrees
with Goff’s allegation that
Albany has been shirking
commitments to help histori-
cally marginalized students.
The chair noted that Goff’s
interim replacement,
longtime school leader Rob
Saxton, is deeply committed
to equity work.
Goff argues that the
process to bring in new
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MEDFORD (AP) — A
custodian at a high school in
Medford, Oregon, faces fel-
ony charges after police say
he took “significant steps”
towards planning a “mass
casualty event” — including
one at South Medford High
School, where he worked.
The Mail Tribune
reports Kristopher Wayne
Clay, 24, is in the Jackson
County Jail on charges sur-
rounding a cache of guns,
ammunition and handwrit-
ten manifestos found at
three locations in Jackson
County.
Authorities say Clay
obtained multiple rifles two
years after courts prohibited
him from owning firearms.
Clay began working as
a custodian for the school
starting in February until
an investigation that began
July 20, when authori-
ties say he came into the
Medford police lobby, asked
to talk to an officer and con-
fessed to having homicidal
thoughts and plans to carry
out an attack.
The officer placed him
under a mental health hold,
administrators — including
Saxton — is evidence that
the district is less committed
to helping students of color
and other student groups
the district hasn’t histori-
cally served well. Goff said
four recently filled positions
went to white men on a fast
timeline.
“All of those positions not
having been posted so that
publicly people around the
state or the nation could
apply for them create a lack
of access for people of color,
create a lack of access for bi-
lingual people,” Goff argued.
The four positions are
interim superintendent, chief
of staff, interim executive
director of operations, and an
assistant principal position.
Chief of staff Rich Sipe con-
firmed that all four positions
were filled quickly by four
people who identify as white
males through appointments
after the board hired Saxton.
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faced a social media back-
lash, but Shoemaker ex-
pects his in-person guests
to be largely supportive.
The rule been in effect at
Teardrop’s adjacent lounge,
Crybaby, through the sum-
mer.
Shoemaker and oth-
ers are also watching as
New York City prepares to
begin enforcing its vaccine
mandate for indoor activi-
ties at restaurants, gyms
and theaters.
Medford school custodian
who planned attack arrested
Fired school leader
says different values
behind ouster
ALBANY (AP) — An
ex-Oregon schools leader
says the people who ousted
her last month never spoke
to her, and the district’s
work on equity — which
she championed — is now
languishing.
Board members at the
Greater Albany Public
Schools District fired Super-
intendent Melissa Goff soon
after new members took
over, Oregon Public Broad-
casting reported.
Goff was terminated
without cause, a point Goff
said confirmed she hadn’t
done anything wrong. She
said she was removed for
having different values, such
as ensuring equity was inte-
grated into teaching.
Board chair Eric Agui-
naga, however, said in an
emailed statement that Goff
was fired because she had
become a polarizing figure in
the Albany community.
they seek to protect custom-
ers and staff by allowing only
vaccinated guests inside.
Each bar in the coalition
will create its own rules
around what constitutes
proof, but generally a vaccine
card or photo of it should
suffice. Most will continue to
offer outdoor seats to all.
The new coalition was
formed after similar groups
in San Francisco in Seattle
drew hundreds of West Coast
bars last week. Some have
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County Circuit Court
and transported
Thursday on felony
Clay to Asante
charges of attempted
Rogue Regional
second-degree
Medical Center’s
murder, attempted
behavioral health
second-degree as-
unit.
Police place a
sault,
unlawful use
Clay
person under a
of a weapon, and
mental health hold when
misdemeanor counts of
the individual poses a dan- unlawfully possessing a
ger to themselves or others, firearm and tampering
according to Medford police with physical evidence
accusing him of damaging
Lt. Mike Budreau. From
or destroying a journal he
there they typically admit
kept at the hospital.
a person to the hospital’s
Judge Laura Cromwell
behavioral health ward and
ordered no early release un-
leave the case to mental
health experts.
less Clay posts a 10% bond
“In this particular case, on bail set at $2 million.
we believe that he’d taken
Efforts to reach an attorney
some pretty significant
for Clay weren’t immedi-
steps to carry out his plan,” ately successful.
Budreau said.
Medford School District
Budreau called it “un-
spokesperson Natalie Hurd
fortunate” that Clay had to said 45 high school stu-
be fully prosecuted, because dents are currently attend-
Clay prevented himself
ing the school’s “Panther
from carrying out his plans Camp” summer program
by contacting police.
catching up on credits.
“Had he not come
The school district termi-
forward, who knows what
nated Clay’s employment,
could have happened?”
according to Hurd, and the
Budreau said.
school district is working
Clay made his initial
closely with Medford police
appearance in Jackson
School Resource Officers.
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