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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (June 3, 2020)
A6 Blue Mountain Eagle NEWS Wednesday, June 3, 2020 Unemployment and phase Community HEALTH BEAT two reopening discussed by Eastern Oregon Leaders By Rudy Diaz Blue Mountain Eagle Quality Healthcare Close to Home 170 Ford Road, John Day • 541-575-1311 • www.bluemountainhospital.org Just over ten years ago, our lives changed forever when my wife and I adopted our third child and I signed a contract to become a small-town family doc in this tiny, one-stoplight town in eastern Oregon. We didn’t know what our future held for us, but our decision was confirmed for us a few months later when we were inspired by the way this community came together to reject a racist hate group that threatened to move its headquarters to John Day. My wife and I moved our small family here, ready to put our roots in the ground in this wonderful community and for me to become part of something great at Blue Mountain Hospital. From the beginning, we have loved Grant County, and we planned to grow old and retire here. We’ve witnessed and admired the way this community comes together in times of tragedy. We have gotten to know what seems like most people in the county, and we’ve developed many, many dear friendships here. Unfortunately, life has a way of changing plans. And after much thought and prayer, we came to realize a few months ago that we need to move our family to St George, Utah to be closer to my wife’s mother, who needs our support. We are sad to leave our home of John Day and will deeply miss this community. I will miss working alongside my excellent colleagues, clinical and non-clinical staff, and administration at Blue Mountain Hospital and the Strawberry Wilderness Community Clinic. We have enjoyed raising our kids here, and they will always regard John Day as their childhood hometown. And we appreciate and will miss the teachers, coaches, church family, and other friends and leaders who have infinitely blessed our lives. I am grateful to my patients for the trust that you have shown me these past 10 years and for letting me be a part of your lives. I take comfort knowing that I will leave you in good hands with my colleagues at the Strawberry Wilderness Community Clinic and Blue Mountain Hospital. Sincerely, David L Hall MD State Reps. Mark Owens, R-Crane, and Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles, and state Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale, gathered together for their fourth town hall to talk about developments that have happened since phase one of reopening from when the coronavirus closures began. During the meeting on May 28, the men were able to give an update regarding unemploy- ment insurance in Oregon. Bon- ham said they and the depart- ment are aware there have been been failures and that people are still lacking good communica- tion for their claims. “People deserve to know where they stand and know if a check is coming or if they’ve been rejected or repealed,” Bon- ham said. “The money is there. The process needs to be fixed.” Bonham also said the impor- tance of having a clear action plan for getting everybody current. Findley added that account- ability is important and the excuses from the unemploy- ment division were valid for the first two weeks, but at week 12, that excuse has lost validity. He also said there are cases where callers have been on hold for eight to 10 hours. Gov. Kate Brown fired Employment Department Director Kay Erickson on Sunday. At Thursday’s town hall meeting, questions from the audience also came regarding phase 2 and what is included in that next step. Findley said he believes entering into phase two will be on a county-by-county basis. The guidelines regard- ing phase two were still in the planning process so much was unknown about the next step during the town hall. “They should of had phase two guidelines when they put out the phase one guidelines,” Bonham said. “There should be clarity and transparency and understanding. Without that, you end up with a lot of frus- tration and ill will because peo- ple will feel the goal posts are moving.” Counties will have an oppor- tunity to move into phase two 21 days after being in phase one. Findley added that they suggested a possibility of mul- tiple steps in phase two. An audience member asked about the importance of using masks indoors when it seems that many disregard this. Findley said it’s a personal choice and some people don’t want to do it, but he personally believes people should. “I have a very vulnerable person that I see everyday. My mom is 99 years old, and she lives in a home next to mine,” Findley said. “I have interac- tions with people in town. I darn sure wear a mask, sani- tize my hands and I practice social distancing wherever I am because I cannot bring that dis- ease home.” Bonham added that he thinks it’s a balance. If a person is in an environment where people can stay socially distanced, then he believes that the mask is less necessary. But in close proxim- ity with others, he feels that a mask is absolutely appropriate. Clyde Holliday campground reopened on May 29 Blue Mountain Eagle Clyde Holliday State Park near Mt. Vernon is among a handful of state park camp- grounds that opened Friday, May 29. Cabin and yurt camp- ing, except in rare cases, will not be offered. Group camping remains closed across the state, due to distancing concerns. RV and tent campers with existing reservations for a campground that opens will be honored beginning June 9. Not all sites or loops may be avail- able at open campgrounds. For parks in the coastal region, there will be no walk-in or first come, first-served camping until further notice. The online reservation sys- tem has been suspended since April 28. It will reopen for new reservations sometime this week, and will accept new reservations one day to two weeks in advance. OPRD will announce the reservation reopening date early next week through its website, stateparks. oregon.gov. First come, first-served campgrounds in Eastern Ore- gon lead the way. The follow- ing campgrounds open Fri- day, May 29: Goose Lake, south of Lakeview; Jackson Kimball, northwest of Chil- oquin; Minam, north of La Grande; Hilgard Junction, near La Grande; Catherine Creek, near Union; Clyde Holliday, near John Day; and Cotton- wood Canyon, southeast of The Dalles. Malheur National Forest to open most recreation sites June 1 Blue Mountain Eagle Bend Cardio - Dr. Bruce McLellan June 3 Baker Podiatrist - Dr. Michael Rushton June 8, 29 June Visiting Bend Ortho - Dr. Timothy Lilley June 11 Specialists Bend Neuro - Dr. Raymond Tien June 19 Bend Ortho - Korena Larsen-Farris PA, June 25 Starting June 1, the Mal- heur National Forest will begin opening previously closed rec- reation sites. Nearly all developed rec- reation sites that had been closed will be opened, accord- ing to a press release. These sites include campgrounds, restrooms, trailheads, trailhead facilities, boat ramps and day use areas. At this time all rec- reation rental sites such as cab- ins and lookouts will remain closed. Campground water systems will be turned on Camp Lick Project determined to have no significant impact Blue Mountain Eagle Blue Mountain Care Center Resident of the Month Roseanne Day Roseanne was born in Eugene, Oregon on March 27, 1939 to Ruth and Delbert Pierson. She had one brother. Roseanne was raised in Prairie City, Oregon. She married George ‘Bus’ Montague on October 27, 1956. They had four children; three boys and a girl. She also raised six stepchildren. Her husband, George, was in the Navy. Roseanne worked as a secretary. When her daughter, LaVona, was 2 months old, Roseanne and her mother drove all the way from Prairie City to Memphis. It took them four days. Her son, Dennis, also made the trip with them. Rosa May Macy was her grandmother and she lived to be almost 102 years old. Roseanne collects mugs, enjoys sewing, quilting, crocheting and ceramics. She loves to read and has been reading since the age of four. Roseanne came to the Blue Mountain Care Center on July 11, 2018. S191180-1 and tested during the first two weeks of June. Visitors are encouraged to follow local and state guidance if traveling from outside of the local area. The forest also asks visitors to follow basic safety guidance and good camp- ing etiquette when recreating on the forest. Visitors should be prepared to be self-suffi- cient even in developed camp- grounds. Bathroom cleanings will be scheduled and not guar- anteed weekly. For more information, call 541-575-3000 or visit fs.usda. gov/malheur. Blue Mountain District Ranger Robert Foxworth announced the signing of the Camp Lick Project Decision Notice. The Malheur National For- est issued a Decision Notice and Finding of No Signifi- cant Impact for the Camp Lick Project on the Blue Mountain Ranger District. The planning area encom- passes approximately 40,000 acres and is located 10 miles northeast of John Day. The Camp Lick planning area is located in the Upper Camp Creek, Lower Camp Creek and Lick Creek subwatersheds that drain into the Middle Fork John Day River. The Responsible Official, Malheur National Forest Super- visor Craig Trulock, signed the decision to implement Alterna- tive 2 as modified on May 27. For further information, contact Renee Hollowell, NEPA planner, Blue Moun- tain Ranger District, 431 Pat- terson Bridge Road, John Day, OR 97845, 541-575-3061 or renee.hollowell@usda.gov. The Decision Notice/FONSI and other supporting documents are available on the Malheur National Forest website: fs.usda. gov/project/?project=46219.
