NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
A5
Blue Mountain Hospital receives rapid COVID-19 testing machine
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
Blue Mountain Hospital
now has a device that can pro-
vide rapid testing for COVID-
19 in Grant County.
The hospital received the
device, called Abbot ID NOW,
and supplies in the first week
of May. On May 8, the device
was put into service at the hos-
pital, according to Lori Lane,
the Blue Mountain Hospi-
tal District health information
manager. It can provide a pos-
itive or negative test result in
roughly 15 minutes.
This device has been import-
ant for the county because part
of Gov. Kate Brown’s plan to
reopen communities was to
have access to rapid testing
capabilities and ensuring the
hospital can quickly identify,
treat and isolate new cases of
COVID-19, according to Lane.
“The ID NOW significantly
improves the testing capac-
ity and is important to patient
care,” Lane said.
For people interested in
receiving a test, a health care
provider must provide an order,
which is based on an assessment
of symptoms after an evalua-
tion. Practitioners follow current
state and federal testing guide-
lines. Lane said it is important
to know that traditional testing
avenues are still being utilized
in places like St. Charles Med-
ical Center and Oregon State
Public Health laboratories.
“The ID NOW is a comple-
ment to testing capabilities and
can provide quick results when
most necessary, but the provider
determines which testing option
is most appropriate for individ-
ual patients,” Lane said.
Blue Mountain Hospital is
now one of 15 health care pro-
viders with the rapid test in
Oregon.
Initially, the Oregon Health
Authority distributed the first
three ID Now’s in a federal
shipment of 15 in April, but the
agency was unable to send the
remaining 12 devices due to a
lack of test supplies, according
to a press release from OHA.
“When I became aware back
in early April that the gover-
nor had three machines and sent
them out, and one of them didn’t
go to Grant County, I decided to
send a letter to the governor and
request a machine,” said Kim-
berly Lindsay, the Grant County
Public Health Administrator.
After the commissioners
signed on, the letter was sent to
the governor on April 9. Lind-
say was encouraged to hear that
Grant County was first on the list
when additional test kits came in.
Oregon has received additional
testing kits and learned that the
CDC International Reagent
Resource will supply states with
50 test kits through an automatic
shipment each week until further
notice, according to OHA.
“Blue Mountain Hospital
District would like to thank the
Grant County Health Depart-
ment in helping us secure the
testing equipment and nec-
essary supplies,” Lane said.
“Access to quick testing and
turn-around-times are import-
ant to patient care, as well as,
the governor’s plan for reopen-
ing communities.”
May 14: Sharon Baugh-
man, 26, Ontario, was cited for
operating a cellphone while
driving.
May 15: Along with OSP,
responded to a report of
domestic dispute. Kayla Lam-
beth, 25, of John Day was
arrested for assault.
May 16: Robert L. Crosby,
33, of Canyon City was cited
for no operator’s license.
May 16: Cited Jared J.
Baker, 24, of John Day for
driving while suspended and
driving uninsured.
May 16: Cited Chance J.
Fleetwood, 21, of Mt. Vernon
for failure to wear seatbelt and
no insurance.
May 17: Along with GCSO
and OSP, responded to a report
of a fight. Nathan M. Elledge of
John Day was arrested for DUII
and resisting arrest.
• Oregon State Police
May 14: Responded to a
crash on Highway 26 near
milepost 154.
May 16: Advised of a pos-
sible drunk driver on Rendez-
vous Lane.
• Grant County Sheriff’s
Office
May 11: Received a report
of theft at a business on
Washington Street.
May 12: Received a report
of theft on Alamo Creek
Road.
May 15: Received a report
of a tree blocking the road-
way on Highway 395 North.
• John Day ambulance
May 14: Along with
Prairie City ambulance,
responded to a 30-year-old
man on South Bridge Street.
May 15: Responded for a
65-year-old man with nausea
and vomiting.
May
16:
Dispatched
for an 81-year-old woman
that fell and possibly broke
a shoulder on West Main
Street.
COPS AND COURTS
Arrests and citations in the
Blue Mountain Eagle are taken
from the logs of law enforcement
agencies. Every effort is made to
report the court disposition of
arrest cases.
Grant County Circuit
Court
Nicholas P. Gibson, 28,
pleaded guilty May 15 to a
count of second-degree failure
to appear committed on Jan. 23
and second-degree theft com-
mitted on Dec. 31. He was sen-
tenced to serve 15 days in jail,
18 months of bench probation
and pay $492 in restitution and
compensatory fees to Huffman’s
Market. A count of second-de-
gree forgery was dismissed.
Grant County Sheriff
The Grant County Sheriff’s
Office reported the following for
the week of May 13:
Concealed handgun licenses:
7
Average inmates: 8
Bookings: 2
Releases: 5
Arrests: 0
Citations: 1
Fingerprints: 2
Civil papers: 6
Warrants processed: 1
Assistance/Welfare check: 0
Search and Rescue: 1
John Barr, 26, Shasta Lake
California, was cited for operat-
ing without a license and driving
uninsured.
Oregon State Police
May 10: A juvenile female
driver was southbound on High-
way 395C, near milepost 30.5,
when she failed to negotiate a
sharp righthand curve in the
roadway. The Chevrolet crossed
the northbound lane and left the
roadway, traveling along the
shoulder of the northbound lane.
The vehicle tripped and began to
roll, coming to rest on the pas-
senger side. The driver, who
received injuries in the crash,
walked about 3.5 miles to a
nearby ranch, where she called
911. The female was trans-
ported to the hospital by ambu-
lance where she was treated and
released. A blood sample taken
from the female driver at the
hospital showed that her blood
alcohol content was 0.09%,
approximately three hours after
the crash. The vehicle was
removed by Frontier Towing.
May 10: OSP stopped a vehi-
cle on an A Avenue in Seneca for
multiple traffic offenses. Mat-
thew J. Nelson, 40, of Seneca
displayed indicators of impair-
ment and OSP subsequently
performed field sobriety tests
indicating further impairment.
Nelson’s operator’s license was
criminally revoked for a prior
DUII. OSP took the driver into
custody for DUII and a driving
while suspended misdemeanor.
OSP transported the driver to
the Grant County Jail where he
provided breath samples with
final blood alcohol concentra-
tion of 0.17%. He was cited and
released for DUII and driving
while suspended misdemeanor.
May 14: OSP responded to
a noninjury, non-blocking vehi-
cle crash on Highway 26, near
milepost 154 in Mt. Vernon.
When OSP arrived, the vehi-
cle was on its wheels and had
crashed into trees and rocks on
private property on the west-
bound side of the road. The
vehicle damaged trees on pri-
vate property. The owner of
the vehicle requested Fron-
tier Towing. The driver was
S165194-1
issued a citation for careless
driving—accident.
May 14: OSP conducted a
traffic stop near milepost 162
on Highway 26. A 16-year-
old male passenger exhibited
signs of intoxication. The male
admitted to drinking two beers.
OSP issued the juvenile a cita-
tion for minor in possession of
alcohol and referred the cita-
tion to the Grant County Juve-
nile Department. The juvenile’s
parents responded to the traffic
stop to transport him home.
Dispatch
John Day dispatch worked
94 calls during the week of
May 11-17, including:
• John Day Police
Department
May 11: Received a report
of a felon in possession of a
firearm on Ford Road.
May 13: Responded to a
possible civil issue on East
Main Street.
S165199-1
S189136-1