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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 2020)
HEALTH MyEagleNews.com Wednesday, February 26, 2020 A11 Health coalition focuses on needs in community By Rudy Diaz Blue Mountain Eagle Eagle file photo Eagle file photo Grant Union students get busy at the booths during a Teen Health Fair. tion of representation from the community and are from dif- ferent sectors in the commu- nity focused on this work and have a passion for the work,” Blood said. “We do it as part of our career in different ave- nues of behavioral health.” Since 2018, the coalition carried out 24 projects that provided trainings and educa- tion on substance abuse and behavioral health. “We’ve had 24 trainings throughout 2018-19 that we were able to bring to the com- munity and engage different target audiences such as teach- ers, students, parents or the community at whole,” Blood said. One event that has come back each year is the Teen Health Fair. At the fair, experts provide a presentation to all five of the county’s school dis- tricts and talk with students about substance abuse preven- tion, mental health and healthy relationships. “It’s important to have these in a community and if you look at other communities that look like they are healthy and retain people, part of that is having coalitions doing work around mental health and substance abuse disorders, having opportunities to talk freely about those topics and Baker Technical Institute launches CMA program Blue Mountain Eagle Baker Technical Institute has added a Certified Medical Assistant Apprenticeship Pro- gram. Initially, the program will be available in Baker, Malheur, Grant and Harney counties. Medical assistants are spe- cially-trained health care workers. Job responsibilities generally include both admin- istrative and clinical tasks that are required in taking care of patients. These responsibilities can vary depending on the place of employment. According to the Bureau of Labor and Industries, the need for medical assistants is at a rapid rate of growth with a national projected increase of approximately 184,600 new jobs over a 10-year period. With this vast influx of open- ings, many medical assistant positions are remaining vacant. Due to a lack of training in rural and frontier communities across Eastern Oregon, these areas are often hit especially hard. The new BTI program will provide an innovative solu- tion to the workforce shortage and allow individuals living in remote areas to obtain training without relocating. Instead of paying tui- tion, students will earn a sal- ary while they learn the trade. The program spans 12 months, where students will complete 2,000 hours of on-the-job paid work experience as well as the required coursework. BTI has collaborated with the South- western Oregon Workforce Investment Board and Allied Health West to design a pro- gram that works for the students and employers in rural commu- nities of Eastern Oregon. This collaboration has made it possible for students to train with professionals in the work- place and complete the course- work on their own schedule by accessing the accredited online curriculum. This makes appren- tices eligible to take the Cer- tified Clinical Medical Assis- tant exam, which is a nationally recognized credential. Appren- ticeship costs, including the CCMA test preparation and testing fees, are currently cov- ered by grants allowing appren- tices to become trained while being paid at a full-time job without incurring student loans. “This program has been at the top of our priority list for a while due to the demand across our region combined with the lack of training opportunities that work for where we live,” said Tonia Springer, BTI pro- gram coordinator. “It is a great feeling to be able to help indus- try fill positions, while at the same time provide a pathway into the medical profession and required career training at no cost to the students is even better.” For more information, visit bakerti.org. In 2018, coalition members and community members planted over 150 pinwheels to bring awareness to Na- tional Child Abuse Preven- tion Month. having access to care,” said Weigum. “We want to create and build a healthy commu- nity and with that comes infor- mation, informed decision making about your health.” Blood added that these events create a safe space for learning when talking about intense topics. The fair is planned again for 2020. Developing strong part- nerships between schools in the county, working closely and having a strong partner- ship with Blue Mountain Hos- pital and building connections tion and coordination, is done through partnerships and the free time coalition members have. “We have a lot of support from some of the foundations in Oregon to continue this work, and it’s a matter of when we apply,” Weigum said. “We need to have a plan on where to put this money and how to expel it in a year.” Other volunteer mem- bers of the coalition are Alli- son Field, the director of Grant County Economic Develop- ment; Debi Hueckman, from the Department of Human Services; Katrina Randleas, from Families First Parent Resource Center; Jessica Win- egar, from the Grant County Health Department; Didgette McCracken, Oregon Statue University, Open Campus; Shelia Comer, from Blue Mt. Hospital; and Mike McMa- nus, Grant County Commu- nity Corrections. Weigum said all of the coalition’s events have gone well. The feedback the coali- tion received for their recent Grant County teacher in-ser- vice was that it was some of the best training participants have received, Weigum said. Email GrantCounty- CHIC@gmail.com for more information or questions for the coalition. YOU’RE INVITED TO BEO’S 75th anniversary ! e s u o H n e p O February 24th-28th Historical Video and more. Cake on February 28th! 75 Years SINCE 1945 JOIN US IN JOHN DAY 200 W. Main Street • 541-575-1862 Member FDIC Save the Date Feb. 28th and 29th OPEN HOUSE S172084-1 Grant Soil & Water Conservation District 2020 Annual Meeting Thursday, March 5th, 6:00 – 7:30pm Grant County Municipal Airport, John Day, OR Guest Speaker: Brenda Sanchez, OR Dept. of Agriculture Strategic Implementation Area (SIA) Program Lead Upcoming Changes to Oregon’s Agricultural Water Quality Management Program Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) has the authority to enforce Administrative Rules under their Agricultural Water Quality Management Program; these rules apply to private property owners or operators whose land is engaged in agricultural use. Since 2003, enforcement has occurred on a complaint driven basis; ODA is currently proposing an alternative known as the “Strategic Implementation Area” (SIA) process. This process will select specific watersheds within Grant County and conduct remote evaluations of private lands using aerial and satellite imagery to identify potential water quality concerns; follow up field evaluations will be initiated to further examine the accuracy of the findings conducted remotely. The proposed schedule to implement this program on private lands includes the North and Middle Fork John Day River as well as the Crooked River basins in 2021, Middle John Day River (downstream of Mountain Creek), Malheur River and the Silvies Basin (Greater Harney Basin) in 2022 and the Upper Mainstem and South Fork John Day Rivers in 2023. The public is invited to join Grant Soil and Water Conservation District for this infor- mative event. Complimentary refreshments will be served. More information can be obtained either by visiting our website: grantswcd.net, stopping by the District Office located in the USDA Agricultural Service Center (721 S. Canyon Blvd, John Day) or by contacting Kyle Sullivan at (541) 575-0135 x111. S172758-1 FACTORY REPS ON SITE LOCALLY BUILT • NO SHIPPING COSTS 1201 Southgate, Pendleton Or 97801 Call 1-800-459-4836 • www.thompsonrvinc.com Hours: Friday the 28th 8:00am to 8:00 pm Saturday 9:00 am - 4:00 pm S170055-1 The Grant County Com- munity Health Improvement Coalition makes strides as they continue their work against substance abuse, behavioral health and chronic disease in Grant County. In 2017, Lisa Weigum, Community Counseling Solu- tions, and Tracey Blood, East- ern Oregon Coordinated Care Organization, started a trauma inform task force to address gaps in the community regard- ing trauma-informed care. The task force would even- tually evolve into the vol- unteer-driven Grant County Community Health Improve- ment Coalition. The coalition focuses on the most recent Community Health Needs Assessments and local data collections. The data shows gaps in the com- munity and helps the coali- tion create a well-rounded focus since many of the issues are connected, Weigum said. Blood said nine volunteer board members represent dif- ferent areas in the commu- nity, participate in other com- mittees and have a passion to enhance the work against trauma and intergenerational cycles of abuse. “They have a cross sec- in the community has been a big accomplishment for the coalition. “We’ve really worked with the school districts to develop a relationship that is founded in trust and education and that we would come together to enhance the educational opportunities for our youth,” Blood said. The coalition plans to pri- oritize its efforts based on changing needs within the community. “We don’t want to go out and spend money on an activ- ity that the community is not ready for,” Weigum said. “With part of the goal being that we didn’t want to come in and do a one-and-done, which is common in this field. All these things tie together in terms of our community’s health, and we want to con- tinue promoting those ideas in different angles.” The coalition has also seen community support, dona- tions and funding from the Grant County Court that all go toward implementation of these events and activities, Weigum said. None of the money goes to members of the coalition. A challenge the coalition faces is burnout and fatigue, Weigum said. Much of the work, especially administra-