Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 3, 2018)
A6 State Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, January 3, 2018 Four laws that made an impact in 2017 Community HEALTH BEAT By Paris Achen Capital Bureau Many of the hundreds of laws Oregon legislators pass each year may go largely unno- ticed by the public. Several laws, however, left a palpable mark on the lives of Oregonians in 2017. The Pam- plin/EO Capital Bureau has highlighted four recent laws that made an impact in the past year. Distracted-driving restrictions Quality Healthcare Close To Home 170 Ford Road, John Day • 541-575-1311 • www.bluemountainhospital.org A New Year of Health & Wellness: Massage Therapy Massage therapy has been used since ancient times to relieve pain and promote healing. There are many different types of massage but most offer similar benefits. Massage is not typically considered a replacement for other types of medical care but can be used alongside with other methods of treatment to provide the best possible outcome for patients. I began my practice as a Massage Therapist in 2009 after seeing the benefits that comfort massage and healthy touch gave to Blue Mountain Hospital Hospice patients in Grant County. I worked as a CNA and assisted with the physical needs of in-home-care patients. It was a blessing to be involved in simply being present with a Hospice patient and comforting them with a gentle touch. I could sense from a patient how they would relax and how breathing patterns changed. Human touch, in a context that is safe, friendly and professional, can be incredibly therapeutic and reviving to the body and soul. If you have a loved one in our Hospice program, I would encourage you to consider asking for massage as part of their care and comfort measures. Massage is also offered, as needed, to caregivers who tirelessly spend hours caring for their loved ones. Often times it is the caregiver who needs the care and moments of rest so they can carry on in their labor of love. Massage can be as simple as holding or stroking hands or feet for a Hospice patient or as complete as a full body massage including effleurage to relax muscles; petrissage, the kneading of muscles; cross manipulation to work muscles; friction to heat a muscle and stimulate blood circulation; myofascial release, which is a pressure applied to connective tissue to help alleviate pain and restore movement; and finally, tapotement, a rhythmic tapping of muscles for circulation. In Grant County, you will find a number of wonderful massage therapy practices, each with a Holistic approach to a person’s wellbeing. The benefits of massage are extensive, relieving pain for many people. A Licensed Massage Therapist is trained to assist with osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, lupus, back injuries, migraines, sports injuries and many other conditions. So how does it work? What happens physically and what happens physiologically during a massage? Great question, glad you asked… Physically: massage increases metabolism, hastens healing, relaxes and refreshes the muscle and improves the functions of the lymphatic system. Massage improves the circulation of blood and lymph glands, thereby improving the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the cells. The integumentary system, your skin, is the largest organ of the body. Massage aids in vitality and elasticity of the skin, in the elimination of dead cells and sends messages to the brain through sensory to relax the whole body. Physiologically: massage relieves fatigue, reduces tension and anxiety, calms the nervous system and promotes a sense of relaxation and wellbeing. If you take the time to browse through the Grant County Wellness Guide, you will find a Massage Therapist near you; this New Year, consider giving yourself or a loved one the gift of health and wellness—a massage. By: Cindy Qual LMT # 15697 Adoni’s Pine Massage Therapy, Phone # (541)792-0247 Specializing in Swedish, Hot Stone, Myofascial Release, Deep Tissue Massage BLUE MOUNTAIN CARE CENTER Resident of the Month ALMA JOSLIN Alma Joslin was born on August 7, 1938 in Los Angeles California, to Bert and Alma Sappington. She was an only child. At the age of 18 months old, her family moved to Sonora, California. On June 20, 1954, she married Lewis Joslin. Together they raised 4 children, Linda, Glen, Ken and Casey. They lived in several different towns in Northern California before moving to Mount Vernon, Oregon in April of 1967, then to John Day in 1975. Alma held several different jobs throughout the years that included being a housewife, cook, clerk, dental assistant, deli manager and an office manager. One of Alma’s favorite things to do was to go to Warm Springs Reservoir, out of Burns, Oregon and camp in a homemade houseboat. Alma enjoys gardening and crocheting. She collects bells and angels. She loves the Lord and her Church. Between her grandkids, great grandkids and great-great grandkids there are a combined total of 62 and she stated “I love ‘em all”. Alma came to the Blue Mountain Care Center on September 11, 2017. Presents... January Visiting Specialists Oregon’s new distract- ed-driving law closed loop- holes in a preexisting ban on holding a cellphone while driv- ing and enhanced penalties for violations. House Bill 2597 ex- panded the ban to include hold- ing any mobile electronic de- vice while driving, even while waiting at a stoplight. Drivers face a fine of up to $1,000 for their first offense. Less than a month after the law took effect Oct. 1, Rep. Julie Parrish, R-West Linn — who voted for the law — was pulled over and fined $265 for using her cellphone while driv- ing. She was using the phone to get directions to the KATU stu- dio in Portland, where she was scheduled to give an interview, she said. “Old habits die hard for those of us who were intro- duced to cellphones before there were specific laws related to distracted driving and phone use,” Parrish said. “It might be difficult for people to break a years-long habit of driving and using a cellphone, but it’s a habit I never want my kids to start.” Nearly 3,500 people were killed and about 391,000 in- jured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers in the United States in 2015, according to the most recent statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Ad- ministration. “We all share the roads, and we have an obligation to keep each other safe,” Parrish said. Pumping your own gas in Eastern Oregon Oregon is one of only two states in the nation where res- idents are prohibited from pumping their own gas. While this may seem to be a luxury for some urban dwellers, it has been a source of consternation for motorists and gas station owners in rural parts of Eastern Oregon. In Heppner, for instance, there is only one gas station in town, and it isn’t open 24 hours a day. During hunting season, the line of motorists waiting for the gas station to open sometimes extended four blocks down Main Street, said Heppner res- ident LeAnn Wright, an office support specialist for the Mor- row County Juvenile Depart- ment. Two years ago, the Leg- islature passed a bill to allow self-fueling between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. in certain rural counties, to prevent travelers from being stranded overnight. Earlier this year, lawmakers expanded the timeframe for self-fueling to 24 hours in 15 Eastern Oregon counties, with populations of less than 40,000. The expan- sion of the law was primarily designed to keep solo gas sta- tions such as Heppner’s in op- eration. Some stations were in jeopardy of going out of busi- ness because owners couldn’t afford to hire enough pump- ing attendants, said Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, the bill’s sponsor. Stations are still required to have at least one attendant between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., but customers could pump their own gas if the attendant is busy and a cardlock machine is available. “Now, I think a lot of that impact is off because (motor- ists) don’t have to sit and wait for someone to pump their gas so they flow through a little bet- ter,” Wright said. Minimum wage The state’s landmark law to increase the minimum wage for seven consecutive years was enacted in 2016, but the great- est jump in wages happened in 2017. Minimum hourly pay in the Portland metro area climbed from $9.75 to $11.25 in July 2017, after a 50-cent increase in 2016. The minimums were lower in other parts of the state, an acknowledgement from lawmakers of the variety of economic realities and cost of living in different parts of the state. Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Happy Valley, who owns four McDonald’s franchises in the Portland area, support- ed the minimum-wage hike, despite the added cost to her business. “I’m going to be honest here. It is hard,” Bynum said of balancing the increase in pay- roll with her family expenses. “Life in the Portland metro area continues getting hard- er for people with entry- to mid-level wages, so it’s good that raising the minimum wage helped give some relief to working families.” However, Bynum said rais- ing the minimum wage fails to address the root cause of why so many families are struggling to make ends meet: the cost and availability of housing. Full-day kindergarten Full-day kindergarten began in Oregon in 2015, thanks to funding approved by the Leg- islature, but the law continues have to ripple effects, both for children’s long-term education and families’ short-term finan- cial outcomes. For instance, students in full-day kindergarten are more likely to read proficiently in the third grade, a critical bench- mark for reaching on-time graduation in high school, Sen. Mark Hass, D-Beaverton, has said. Plus, the longer children are in school, the less childcare parents have to pay for or work they have to miss. Court says Sweet Cakes must pay fine for refusing to bake By Paris Achen January 8th Dr. Rushton Baker Podiatrist Capital Bureau January 10th Dr. McLellan Bend Cardiology January 18th Korina Farris Bend Neuro PA Libby Bend Ortho Dr. Jacobson Bend Ortho January 22nd Dr. Rushton Baker Podiatrist January 24th Dr.McLellan Bend Cardiology 33088 Oregon’s Court of Appeals has upheld a decision to re- quire the owners of a Gresh- am bakery to pay a lesbian couple $135,000 in damages for refusing to make them a wedding cake. Sweet Cakes owners Aar- on and Melissa Klein’s re- fusal to bake the cake for Rachel and Laurel Bow- man-Cryer in January 2013 made national headlines and prompted Bureau of Labor and Industries Commission- er Brad Avakian to award the damages for emotional distress. On Thursday, Dec. 28, the court affirmed BOLI’s con- clusion that the Kleins vio- lated the civil rights of the couple and Oregon’s law that businesses not discriminate based on sexual orientation, as well as the associated dam- ages. “For the past 10 years, the Oregon Equality Act of 2007 has protected Oregonians from unlawful discrimination in housing, employment and public places,” Avakian said in a statement. “Today’s rul- ing sends a strong signal that Oregon remains open to all. “Within Oregon’s public accommodations law is the basic principle of human de- cency that every person, re- gardless of their sexual orien- tation or gender identity, has the freedom to fully partici- pate in society.” The court found that “the record of the complainants’ emotional distress from the denial of service was ade- quate to support the damages award and that the award was not inconsistent with awards in other BOLI enforcement actions.”
