News
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
PATH
Continued from Page A1
Contributed photo
Hugh Laurance, second from left, receives an Army promotion during a ceremony at Munich, Germany,
his daughters, Patricia and Judy standing at his side.
NC.
She spent seven years in
the service, and she currently
is a cook at Blue Mountain
Hospital.
Melanson’s sons have also
chosen a military path.
Jason, 23, joined the Air
Force three years ago and cur-
rently works in a hospital in
Dover, Del., and is an E-4.
Ryan, 20, is an E-3 mortar
man in the Marines, trained
for combat.
“He got back from Kuwait
in October after six months,”
she said.
“I’m very pleased with
their choices,” she said, add-
ing they each had their rea-
sons behind joining the ser-
vice, interested in serving
their country, traveling and
gaining a college education.
Staff at the School-
based Health Center
located at Grant Union
include family nurse
practitioner Karen
Triplett, left, coordinator
and registered nurse
Jessica Winegar,
support staff Cindy
Baker, and mental
health counselor
SaraJane Moore.
HEALTH
Continued from Page A1
Mental health counselor
SaraJane Moore, also a new
staff member, is available
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and
Thursdays 7:30 a.m.-2:30
p.m.
Winegar said mental
health counseling is a wel-
come and much needed addi-
tion to the health center, with
Moore available to help with
mental health crises on a rou-
tine basis.
The health center offers
sports physicals, vaccina-
tions and well-child visits.
Patient care also includes:
primary care, strep test, rap-
id À u test, throat cultures, as
well as help for headaches,
freezing off moles, checking
for infection in wounds, and
checking iron level, hearing
vision, height and weight.
Winegar stated they do
not distribute condoms or
other forms of birth control
at the school.
School vaccinations are
given mainly on Tuesday af-
ternoons.
“Twelve-year-old students
will need to be up-to-date
on Tdap shots by January,
and they’ll be excluded from
school if they don’t have
them by February,” Winegar
said.
She noted they will visit
outlying schools on Nov. 16
When asked what advice
she has for others considering
the military option, she said,
“Do the research.”
She said it’s important to
¿ nd the jobs available and
know what direction to take.
“Don’t go in open contract,
because they will put you
where they want to,” she said,
adding, “If you have some
college, you could be a can-
didate for of¿ cer candidate
school.”
Melanson said her dad was
“the catalyst” for 12 members
of her family in three gener-
ations serving in the military.
She said her family didn’t
see her dad a lot until they
moved to Germany when she
was 13 years old.
“We moved overseas to be
with him,” she said.
She added, “As a military
family, we were given the
opportunity to do so many
things, travel through Europe,
including Italy, France and
Germany, and learn the lan-
guage.”
Through it all her mom
kept the family going, she
said, getting the house packed
up and everyone where they
needed to be, sometimes on
short notice.
“I’d like to recognize my
mom, too,” she said. “She
was such a trooper all those
years.”
The Eagle/Kim Kell
in Long Creek, Monument
and Dayville to offer À u shots
and school required vaccines.
Winegar has taken over
where Lindsay Maghan left
off as coordinator last school
year.
“Karen Triplett and Lind-
say Maghan worked very
hard to get this going, along
with other Grant County
Health Department and Com-
munity Counseling Solutions
staff,” Winegar said. “They
did a wonderful job, and I’m
happy to be a part of the Grant
County Health Department.”
The medical sponsor for
the health center at Grant
Union is the county health de-
partment.
Winegar said appoint-
ments may be made by calling
the health department at 541-
575-0429, and walk-ins are
also welcome.
Debbie Ausmus
245 South Canyon Blvd.
John Day, OR 97845
OPEN WED. & THUR.
9 am - 5 pm
Remembering
541-575-1113
24 hrs/7 days wk
those who
debbie.ausmus@
countryfinancial.com
Please call
541-523-2522
or visit
www.eltrym.com
for movies
and
showtimes.
$9 Adult, $7 Senior (60+), Youth
gave their
lives for our
freedom…
Veterans
Day
Nov. 11,
2015
A PROUD SALUTE
to those who have
courageously risked their
lives fighting for our
freedoms.
Grant County
VETERAN
SERVICES
OFFICE
MEMORIAL
CHAPEL
2830 10th St., Baker City, OR
541-524-0122
EVERY OTHER TUESDAY
241 S. Canyon
John Day
(541) 575-0529
Grant County
Courthouse
541-575-1631
02948
Melanson’s family moved
frequently, sometimes one to
three times a year, and while
her three sisters were outgo-
ing and made friends easily,
she said she was on the quiet
side as a teenager.
“I came out of high school
very undecided as to what
I wanted to do,” she said.
“When I decided to join
the Marines, my dad was
shocked.”
6he said at ¿ rst he wasn’t
sure she could do it.
“I came out of my shell
and enjoyed most of my tours
in the service and loved meet-
ing all the people that I did,”
she said.
The Marines, where she
ranked sergeant E-5, brought
adventure, including rap-
pelling off buildings, driving
a tank, shooting an M-60 on
top of the tank, and shooting a
.45 caliber pistol.
Her job was mainly admin-
istrative, and she spent time in
Yakima, Wash., training 200
reservists in a tank battalion
for wartime, who were later
mobilized.
Boot camp was in Paris
Island, SC, and she was also
stationed at Camp LeJeune,
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