A4
NEWS
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
Navigating the DMV during the pandemic
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
A trip to the Department
of Motor Vehicles in the
COVID-19 era has become a
daunting experience for any-
one with limited time to sit on
the phone or with little to no
broadband access.
DMV spokesman David
House shared three tips to ease
the burden as it appears the
DMV will remain by appoint-
ment only for the time being.
Schedule an appointment
at oregondmv.com:
He said he suggests peo-
ple have a friend or a relative
help them if they are not tech
savvy or have limited broad-
band access.
According to the DMV
website, anyone needing
to change or reschedule an
appointment can click on
“modify or cancel an existing
appointment” and follow the
prompts. An email address and
appointment type (driver test,
written test, license renewal)
is required.
Drop by and knock on the
door:
House said many offices on
the west side of the state are
experiencing no-shows and
last-minute cancellations. He
told the Eagle these offices have
gaps in their days to see some-
one that day depending on the
business they need to conduct.
“If someone happens to be
driving by or is in the neigh-
borhood, they could knock on
the door and ask if the staff
can assist with what someone
needs. That can work for some
people in some cases because
you’re doing errands you’re
going through town,” he said.
“I encourage people to check
that out.”
Call the local DMV office:
He said when all else fails,
people can call 503-945-5000.
This is the only number where
one can reach the John Day
office. House said it is likely
people will experience long
wait times. House said peo-
ple would likely need to call
“several times a day” to get
through to either an automated
system or a live person.
“You may be on hold for a
while. And, or you may get an
automated answering service
where you’re going to answer
a series of questions,” he said.
“If you stick it through, you’ll
get to a live person.”
Grant County moving back to ‘lower risk’
VA hospitals are offering
COVID-19 vaccines for veterans as seniors over 80 receive vaccinations
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
Veterans enrolled with
the Veterans Health Admin-
istration and their caregiv-
ers may be eligible to receive
the COVID-19 vaccine by
appointment
throughout
the state and may be able to
arrange transportation.
In a Friday press release,
the Grant County Health
Department said VA hospi-
tals in Boise, Walla Walla and
Portland are immunizing eli-
gible veterans and caregivers.
The health department
also said eligible veterans
could make an appointment
at VA health care clinics in
Roseburg, Eugene and Bend.
Robert Van Voorhis of the
Veterans Committee at the
John Day Elks Lodge said
three hospitals serving Grant
County (Portland, Boise and
Walla Walla) have different
vaccine plans and websites.
Boise VA Medical Cen-
ter’s webpage is https://
w w w. b o i s e . v a . g o v / s e r-
Eagle file photo
A vial of the Moderna
COVID-19 vaccine.
vices/covid-19-vaccines.
asp, and the phone number is
208-422-1499.
Portland’s VA Healthcare
System’s website is portland.
va.gov/services/covid-19-
vaccines.asp, and the phone
number is 800-949-1004.
The Jonathan M. Wain-
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
wright Memorial VA Medical
Center in Walla Walla (Walla
Walla VA Medical Cen-
ter) webpage is wallawalla.
va.gov/services/covid-19-
vaccines.asp, and their phone
number is 888-687-8863.
Van Voorhis told the
Eagle that the Boise VA Med-
ical Center director asked
the John Day Elks Lodge if
there is interest among vet-
erans served by Boise in
getting their vaccines at the
Burns Elks Lodge. While it is
only a proposal, the response
from veterans has been “very
positive.”
Grant County Veterans
may also be able to sched-
ule transportation to those
appointments through the
Disabled Veterans Veterans
or the People Mover.
The health department’s
press release said to reach out
to Katie Hoffman, with the
county’s Veterans Services
office at 541-620-8057 to
coordinate with the DAV and
541-575-2370 to schedule a
ride with the People Mover.
Grant County put shots of the Moderna
COVID-19 vaccine in the arms of a little over
100 people 80 years and older Monday at a closed
vaccine clinic at the fairgrounds.
The county reported its first new case since
Feb. 1 on Tuesday, with one resident in the John
Day ZIP code testing positive. The reduction in
cases will move Grant County back to the “lower
risk” category Friday, according to a Tuesday
press release.
With the state’s supply exceeding its demand,
about 60 people in the 80 and over group remain
on the waiting list, Kimberly Lindsay, the coun-
ty’s public health administrator, said in a Monday
phone call. She said those people would receive
shots Feb. 16, and the county will begin to move
into the 75 and older age group as vaccine sup-
ply allows.
Lindsay said the health department would be
calling to schedule appointments in the order they
received the email or called to be put on the list.
Lindsay said several people were upset about not
getting a shot on their first day of eligibility. She
said others were not clear on the process.
“We are administering every dose that we
have available,” she said.
Lindsay said, if the person misses the health
department’s call, they always leave a voice mail
letting them know they need to call back to make
an appointment. The onus, she said, is on the per-
son to call back.
“We are not able to hold slots as we need to get
the vaccine out,” she said.
However, she said the health department will
The Eagle/Steven Mitchell
Rebekah Rand, director of emergency services
at Blue Mountain Hospital District, fills a sy-
ringe with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine shot.
begin calling people who are due for their second
shot and scheduling them for appointments Feb.
22 and March. 7.
She said the county should receive an addi-
tional 100 doses later this week but she does not
know when the state will send more.
She said the state is now sending vaccine
allocations for rural counties only to local pub-
lic health departments.
Julie Mansfield Smith
Principal Broker/Owner
cuppercreeklandco@gmail.com
cuppercreeklandcompany.com
541-934-2946 Office
541-519-6891 Cell
41909 Cupper Creek Rd. Kimberly OR 97848
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Grant County Chamber
of Commerce
301 W. Main St.
John Day, OR 97845
541.575.0547
www.gcoregonlive.com
S230477-1
Bank of
Eastern Oregon.
Helping Ranchers & Farmers
Grow Generations since 1945.
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Call Laura or Bob for an appointment.
New Customers Welcome!
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BURNS
Ag & Commercial Loan Officer
JOHN DAY
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200 W. Main Street
(541) 575-1862
178 N.W. Front Street
(541) 628-7040
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