NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Blue Mountain
Hospital
names interim
general surgeon
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
Blue Mountain Hospital District named a
new interim surgeon while they continue to
search for a permanent replacement for Dr.
Keith Thomas, who resigned late last month.
District CEO Derek Daly said Dr. Imudia
Ehanire will take over on Jan. 27 and will cover
three weeks per month for at
least the first part of the year.
According to the Texas
Medical Board’s website,
Ehanire currently practices
general surgery and completed
her medical degree in 2009 at
Howard University College of
Derek Daly
Medicine in Washington, D.C.
In addition to a medi-
cal degree, Ehanire has a Master’s in Business
Administration, Daly said.
“She is a very impressive lady and is very
well-educated,” he said. “Dr. Thomas and I
were floored when she came across as a cover-
age opportunity.”
Daly said he is working on hiring a perma-
nent part-time surgeon to pick up the remaining
week every month.
“The plan is to solidify coverage in the short-
term, and expand access and coverage in the
long-term,” Daly said.
Daly said Thomas left on good terms after
being in the position for almost 15 years.
“He (Thomas) is a phenomenal surgeon and
an even better man,” Daley said. “I’m really
sorry to see him go, but I’m really excited for
him and his new opportunity.”
Thomas relocated to Colorado, Daly said.
Recruiting health care professionals from
larger cities to a rural area like Grant County has
its challenges, Daly said.
Interested candidates got cold feet, said Daly,
once they realized the remoteness of the area.
“One of the (challenges) we hear is the dis-
tance from a larger city,” he said. “In a lot of peo-
ple’s case that means distance from an airport.”
Selling the candidate’s spouse on the idea
of small-town life is an equally — if not more
— important part of the recruitment process, he
said.
The candidate is looking to come here for a
reason, said Daly.
“It (the idea of relocating) probably matches
the job they’re looking for, the type of area
they’re looking for and the type of environ-
ment they want to live in,” he said. “Oftentimes
you have to recruit the spouse harder than the
candidate.”
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
A3
Many projects planned for forests in 2020
Cash reward offered
for tips leading to
theft convictions
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
Plans were announced
regarding projects and activi-
ties on the North Fork John Day
Ranger District of the Umatilla
National Forest during a Grant
County Court meeting Jan. 8.
North Fork District Ranger
Paula Guenther shared with the
county court Olive Lake is one
focus for 2020. The regional
set of dam engineers have put
together a comprehensive risk
assessment for the dam and
identified the values down-
stream to Olive Lake that are
important.
“There are definitely some
big highway bridges and other
things that, should Olive Lake
dam and spillway become
inoperable and fail, there could
be a rush of water down there
that could put that at risk,”
Guenther said.
Guenther sent out an invi-
tation for county search and
rescue and county emergency
management to participate in
a simulation of how to respond
if a flood were to happen. The
simulation is scheduled for
Feb. 19, and it will be in either
Ukiah or Dale.
“This is intended as a prac-
tice exercise for us to figure out
who we need to notify of what
and how that will work,” Guen-
ther said.
The dam engineers also pro-
vided a variety of options for
stabilizing the damn in the long
term. Some of the ideas were
to breach the dam and lower
the lake water level, which
would influence the recre-
ational development experi-
ence at the lake, or a compli-
cated method of boring some
holes and installing a concrete
curtain that would separate the
lake water from the wooden
parts of the dam.
In late spring, Guenther
plans to put out a proposal, and
the public will have the oppor-
tunity to review and comment
on it.
The Eagle/Rudy Diaz
North Fork District Ranger Paula Guenther shares with the county court the focus for 2020 and plans
for Olive Lake.
“It’s not just recreational
activities,” said County Com-
missioner Jim Hamsher. “It’s
having the water there for fire-
fighting and for lake stream
flows and the salmon and
steelhead.”
Another project planned for
early spring 2020 is the imple-
mentation of the 10 Cent envi-
ronmental impact statement
decision, Guenther said. The
impact statement decision
allows for a variety of tim-
ber and fuel treatment proj-
ects along 10 Cent Creek and
the area south of the county
border near the Granite and
Greenhorn communities.
Guenther added that three
out of the four planned tim-
ber sales have been made from
the impact statement with two
going to Dodge Forestry.
In other county court
news:
• Due to the many cases of
theft and burglary in the last
four months, Grant County
Undersheriff Zach Mobley
asked for $1,000 from the
county. This money will be
used for a tip and reward pro-
gram with the community.
The county court approved the
$1,000 for the program.
An award of up to $1,000
will be given for information
leading to the arrest and con-
viction of the people involved
with thefts or burglaries. To
leave a tip, call 541-575-1132
and leave a message from the
Major Crimes Team, and they
will call back.
• The county court approved
the purchase of a flatbed
pickup and training hours for
Tammy Workman since Kathy
Gillam will be retiring on Feb.
1.
• The county court approved
giving $4,322.49 from the
remaining 2018 marijuana
tax funds to the Community
Health Improvement Coali-
tion. This group has helped in
suicide prevention, substance
use disorders in youth and
community health.
• The county court made
MASA Medical Transport
Solutions coverage available
to county employees.
MASA will cover the out-
of-pocket costs for all emer-
gency medical air and ground
transportation in the U.S. and
in Canada. This will save
thousands of dollars that is not
covered by insurance, accord-
ing to Tony Urioste, MASA’s
Western States Regional
Director.
“Most people don’t under-
stand that the transport com-
panies that we have available
in Oregon and throughout the
country (AirLink, Life Flight
Network and Mercy Air)
have no reciprocity with each
other,” said Urioste. “The false
sense of security, when some-
body has the air ambulance
membership, is that they’re
covered by anyone where
they’re not.”
According to Urioste, insur-
ance will cover about a quarter
to half of a bill from air trans-
port, which could range from
$40,000 to $70,000. MASA
will work with the provider
to cover the balance of the
bill and will provide coverage
regardless of the company pro-
viding the emergency medical
transport. Community mem-
bers interested in the program
can sign up for the program as
well but only to the platinum
membership.
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