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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 2020)
A8 NEWS Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, October 28, 2020 Blue Mountain Hospital to connect online to BTI hub for training Distance learning will be available in Grant County By Chris Collins EO Media Group A $147,203 federal grant will help Baker Technical Insti- tute provide improved distance education training to students interested in pursuing health care careers in remote areas of the region, including Blue Mountain Hospital in John Day, in the months ahead. John Huffman, state direc- tor of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Develop- ment, announced the award Oct. 7 in a press release. “With the vast geographic distances in this part of the state, it is not always feasi- ble for rural residents to travel to attend classes,” Huffman stated. “This investment will give those who want to begin a career in health care the abil- ity to access classes remotely, increasing the job opportuni- ties available to them.” Doug Dalton, BTI pres- ident, said the organization applied for the grant fund- ing prior to in-person classes being shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic last spring. “Now distance learning is in the spotlight ... throughout the world, really,” he said. The USDA funding, and an additional $22,075 con- tribution from the Baker School District, will be used to provide state-of-the-art technology to train students not only in Baker City, but also in communities in Grant, Harney, Morrow and Wallowa counties. BTI, which has been housed in the northwest wing of Baker High School since it was estab- lished in 2014, is the hub site for the health care training. Community hospitals in the region — Blue Mountain Hos- pital in John Day, Harney Dis- trict Hospital in Burns, Mor- row County Health District in Heppner and Wallowa Memo- rial Hospital in Enterprise — will serve as end-user sites for the program. “The USDA grant is an amazing gift to the people in our rural communities, as this provides more local health care workers that care for the “WE ARE EXCITED FOR THE CAREER AND LIFE-ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES THAT WILL FOLLOW THE EFFORTS THIS GRANT SUPPORTS.” —Shae Voigt, Blue Mountain Hospital human resources coordinator patients in our hometowns,” said Shae Voigt, the human resources coordinator at Blue Mountain Hospital. “We are excited for the career and life-enrichment opportunities that will follow the efforts this grant supports. Growing our own is always ideal and will become more prominent and promising in our small towns with initiatives such as this.” In most cases, students, for whom Chromebooks will be provided, can study from their homes. Those who don’t have reliable internet service would be able to visit the hospital in their area and access the inter- net at that site, said Tonia Springer, BTI program coordi- nator. The Chromebooks will be rotated through students at each site. The grant money will be used to establish two teaching labs at BTI from which les- sons will be streamed through- out the state over the Zoom computer app. Through partnerships with the participating hospitals — which also include those in Baker City, La Grande and Pendleton — students will complete in-person skills labs and clinical work (overseen by licensed staff) with clinic or hospital patients or resi- dents of long-term care cen- ters, Springer said. “This was an attempt to hit rural communities,” Dalton said of the program expansion the grant funding will allow. “We hope to work in other hospitals down the road.” Springer said BTI began the grant application process in February of this year. “We saw the grant oppor- tunity and we like to be inno- vative,” she said. “We like to be able to reach into rural and frontier communities.” Dalton said he believes the BTI project was funded because of the training cen- ter’s reputation for build- ing successful programs with integrity that are cre- ated in partnerships, such as those developed with area hospitals, and with state and national leaders. U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both Oregon Democrats, expressed their support for BTI’s successful grant application in an email. “Eastern Oregon benefits in a big way from this good news that taps into technology to educate the health care provid- ers of tomorrow in rural com- munities,” Wyden said. “The importance of telemedicine and distance learning has been magnified during the corona- virus pandemic, and I’m grat- ified that Eastern Oregon has earned these federal resources to support a robust health care system and a strong quality of life.” Merkley, the top Demo- crat on the Senate Appropri- ations subcommittee, said: “High quality, reliable broad- band internet service has never been more important than it is right now — espe- cially for our students who are learning remotely, and for our health care providers who are working around the clock to provide exceptional care and essential services to their communities. “I’m pleased that this fund- ing is headed to our state, where it will make Baker Technical Institute’s remote health classes accessible for more students, and help us keep communities in Eastern Oregon safe,” Merkley said. Dalton noted that most of the instruction, which pro- vides training in courses including a Certified Nurs- ing Assistant program, phle- botomy, emergency medicine and medical terminology, also is offered to high school stu- dents at no cost. “This is good for the stu- dents, good for the commu- nities and good for economic development,” Dalton said. More information is avail- able by calling BTI at 541- 524-2651 or online at bakerti. org. O utlook SENI R Did you notice that we had one of those dates this week? 10- Rose Coombs 20-2020. And on the 21st, we enjoyed BBQ pork sliders, acorn squash, pears, cole slaw, and a cherry crumble for dessert. Um, um, finger-lickin’ good! Thanks to Laura, Laura, and Tom for such a good meal. Pam tended to the registration desk and Ginger and Carole got the meals to the picker-uppers. Carlos made the home deliveries. Thanks to all of you have a part in keeping this concern going. We even managed to sell a meal to a cyclist who is traveling through. Fortuitously, everyone else had picked up their meals or he would have been out of luck! So we did our good deed there. We also had items to give away: onions, eggs, tomatoes. You just never know what may appear, so you ought to come and check it out. Well fall certainly fell. Did you see the snow on the mountain? One person reported that she had snow on her south deck! Then the cold wind came. We got the vents closed and the AC out, put the fans upstairs and put on the extra clothing that cooler weather dictates. And it’s only 2 months until winter starts! I’ve been trying to stay up later and get up later to prepare for the changing of the time on November 1st. I had wondered if any other nations indulge in this tom-foolery and according to a book I found (what else) that most of the countries around the world do it. Prairie City Seniors What is interesting is that all of Canada (except Saskatchewan) and all of the USA (Except Hawaii, Arizona, and part of Indiana) keep darn silly time. That’s your trivia lesson for the day… I’m almost finished with one of the crossword puzzle books. Had a lot of time to work on it due to being under the weather most of the week. And there’s nothing on the television due to the political ads… Which brings me to this observation: in other countries the political season is a lot shorter. Which I think would be lovely! If you can’t get your message out in a month or less, there is something wrong with your communication skills and if the term for President was increased to 6 years with no second term, we wouldn’t be subjected to all this fol-der-all every four years. The person could tend to our business and not have to raise money for another campaign and while I’m on the subject – senators and representatives need to have term limits too! I do not like the fact that part of their day is spent raising funds for another term. We sent them there to work for us! And in this day and age with all our add electronic devices why do they need to go to Washington anyway? Stay home in your district and listen to your constituents! OK. I’m off my soapbox… BIOSMILE Family, Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry 165 NW 1st St., John Day 541-575-0363 Open Monday-Thursday DrJ@BiosmileDental.com We offer a wide range of primary care and medical treatment. Zachary Bailey, MD • David Hall, MD • Raffaella Betza, MD • Janessa Sickler, DO • Emily Lieuallen, DO • Nora Healey, FNP Shawna Clark, DNP Available Monday - Friday 180 Ford Road, John Day • 541-575-0404 Huffman’s SELECT MARKETS Philippians 3:20 “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Quality Healthcare ...close to home. Here it is the last week of October and Halloween is Dusty Harris just around the corner, so kids: stay safe. And then comes November and John Day Seniors Thanksgiving and our Holiday season begins. I don’t have next month’s lunch list, so look forward to what we will have. I understand that the numbers are up for meals. Thank you for eating with us. We are so thankful that our county has been without a growing number of the virus. You all stay safe! 170 Ford Road John Day 541-575-1311 112 E. 5th Prairie City 541-820-3341 Home Health Agency Blue Mountain Hospice 422 W. Main, 1st floor • John Day If you have any questions or think you know of someone who might benefit, call: 541 575.1648 241 S. Canyon Blvd. John Day • 541-575-0529 T roy Hanson - Funeral Director S212389-1