A6
HEALTH
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
All Oregonians will be eligible
for COVID-19 vaccines by July 1
Phase 2 eligibility
begins March 29
By Gary A. Warner
Oregon Capital Bureau
Eagle file photo
Blue Mountain Hospital District Director of EMS Rebekah Rand prepares a shot at a previous
vaccination clinic.
300 people vaccinated Monday
Contract with hospital management
company ends this month
Board declines to discuss future
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
Blue Mountain Hospital District has
entered the final month of its contract with
management company Health TechS3.
According to hospital CEO Derek Daly,
the contract with the company — which pro-
vides various services ranging from financial
audits to a group purchasing organization to
reduce costs for supplies — officially expires
on March 31.
The hospital board opted not to renew the
company’s contract at its Nov. 19 meeting.
Hospital board chair Amy Kreger has
declined to comment on the specifics of the
board’s decision and what the hospital’s man-
agement will look like as of April 1.
The Eagle has filed a public records request
for information related to board’s decision to
end the contract with Health TechS3.
BMHD, which is a critical access hospi-
tal, is partially funded by local property taxes.
According to David Thunell, the county’s
tax assessor, the hospital’s taxing district will
receive $1,339,290 during the 2020-21 tax
year.
Thunell said the hospital recently retired its
2001 bond, which was for $7 million over 20
years. He said the bond received $740,223 for
the 2020-21 tax year.
Mike Lieb, the regional vice president of
Health TechS3, said in his Thursday report
that it looks like the hospital and the manage-
ment company are getting very close to hav-
ing all of the final documents agreed upon.
He said they should be ready within the next
week.
Congratulations
Michelle Ray!
A MAN
WAKES
UP in the
morning
after sleeping on...
an advertised bed, in advertised
pajamas.
Michelle has obtained her National
CDM license. She finished #1 in her
class at the College of Western Idaho
with a GPA of 3.83.
He will bathe in an ADVERTISED TUB, shave with an ADVERTISED RAZOR,
have a breakfast of ADVERTISED JUICE, cereal and toast, toasted in an
ADVERTISED TOASTER, put on ADVERTISED CLOTHES and glance at his
ADVERTISED WATCH. He’ll ride to work in his ADVERTISED CAR, sit at an
ADVERTISED DESK and write with an ADVERTISED PEN. Yet this person
hesitates to advertise, saying that advertising doesn’t pay. Finally, when his
non-advertised business is going under, HE’LL ADVERTISE IT FOR SALE.
Then it’s too late.
AND THEY SAY ADVERTISING DOESN’T WORK?
DON’T MAKE THIS SAME MISTAKE
Advertising is an investment, not an expense. Think about it!
Blue Mountain Eagle
Way to go, Michelle!
MyEagleNews.com
• Adults age 45 to 64
with underlying health
conditions, as defined by
the CDC
• Seasonal workers, such
as migrant farm workers,
seafood and agricultural
workers and food process-
ing workers
• Currently displaced
victims of the September
2020 wildfires
• Wildland firefighters
• People living in low-in-
come and congregate
senior housing
• Homeless
May 1
• Individuals age 16-45
with underlying health
conditions
• All other frontline work-
ers as defined by the CDC
• Multigenerational house-
hold members
June 1
Adults 45 to 64
July 1
Everyone age 16 and over
Brown said pausing this
month will allow Oregon to
catch up on the backlog.
“We want to keep our
commitment to our seniors,”
Brown said.
Allen said Phase 2 will
begin March 29 regardless of
how many Phase 1 people get
inoculated.
Brown has been sharply
criticized for her decision last
month to depart from CDC
guidelines recommending the
next priority go to vaccinat-
ing those over 65. In Oregon,
90% of COVID-19 deaths
have been age 60 or older.
The governor opted to put
153,000 teachers, school staff
and day care workers ahead
of seniors.
Brown argued the school
group was small compared
to the nearly 800,000 seniors.
To wait would likely wipe out
any chance to get schoolchil-
dren back in classrooms in
the spring.
Learning in the classroom
is overall far better and equi-
table than “virtual” learn-
ing where a laptop or tab-
let and internet connection
can be difficult to obtain for
poorer families. Schools also
offer hot meals, and check
in on children’s mental and
physical health, while free-
ing parents to work outside
the home.
Critics said even a short
delay that led to an avoidable
death was wrong, with unoffi-
cial estimates putting the pos-
sible deaths from the two-week
delay at up to 100.
OHA said it would issue
updated guidance on the avail-
ability of vaccine and the vari-
ous ways to sign-up and receive
a notification when a resident’s
eligibility group comes up.
Monday - Thursday
7am-
6pm
Monday
- Thursday
7am-
6pm
Friday
8am
- 5pm
Friday Sharpe
8am - 5pm
Mendy
FNP
Mendy
Sharpe FNP
Apppointments
available
Don’t get left behind, call today! Kim Kell 541-575-0710
S232610-1
139101
S233226-1
March 29
Congratulations to Traci Frazier for obtaining
her Principal Broker license. The course requires
extensive hours of study in order to take the
national and state exams. Principal Broker
Jerry Franklin owner of Eastern Oregon Realty
and the crew are very proud of the important
accomplishment. Traci has been with the
company since 2015. If you’re looking to buy or
sell, give Traci a call at 541-620-0925.
S232613-1
Grant County put shots
of the Moderna COVID-19
vaccine in the arms of 300
people Monday at the county
fairgrounds, and the county
announced six new cases in
the Mt. Vernon and Prairie
City ZIP codes Tuesday.
Kimberly Lindsay, the
county’s public health
administrator, said the health
department finished vacci-
nating those in the 70 and
above age group along with
health care providers and
educators who were in pre-
vious priority groups. She
said they started immunizing
people in the 65 and older
age group who became eligi-
ble on Monday.
Lindsay said the Ore-
gon Health Authority did
not provide the county with
line worker is someone who
has a job that puts them at
higher risk for contracting
COVID-19 because of regu-
lar close contact with others
outside of their household at
less than 6 feet of distance
— this includes food service
workers, including restau-
rant, bar and kitchen staff.
Lindsay said health care
providers in Grant County
were not involved in devel-
oping the order of sequenc-
ing, but, she said, they are
required to follow it.
“We do have some ques-
tions given that we have
only about 400 additional
people on our wait list and
will be speaking with the
state this week for guid-
ance,” she said.
Lindsay said, assuming
the county receives its vac-
cine shipment, they plan
to hold a vaccine clinic on
March 8 to vaccinate those
in the 65 and older age group
who are on the wait list and
may begin to move into the
next eligible group.
S232600-1
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
enough doses to vaccinate
everyone in the 65 and over
age group. She said to do
so would have required an
additional 110 shots.
Lindsay said the county
should receive 300 first
doses and 100 booster shots
later this week.
After the county vacci-
nates those in the 65 and over
age group, Lindsay said, the
health department will move
into the 45-64 age group for
people with specific under-
lying medical conditions.
She said this group
includes migrant and sea-
sonal farm workers, agri-
cultural workers, food pro-
cessing workers, people in
low-income senior housing
and senior congregate, inde-
pendent living situations and
the homeless and wildland
firefighters.
Lindsay said after fin-
ishing up this group they
can move into group seven,
which includes frontline
workers. According to the
state’s guidelines, a front-
AT A GLANCE
S232779-1
Six new cases,
the first in weeks,
announced Tuesday
Every adult in Oregon will
be eligible for vaccination
against COVID-19 by July
1, with the two-shot vaccines
reaching all adults who want
it by August, Gov. Kate Brown
said Friday.
“Come summer, any Ore-
gonian who wants the vac-
cine can receive it,” Brown
announced at a virtual press
conference.
It was a surprisingly opti-
mistic forecast after recent esti-
mates that the vaccination of
the entire state would stretch
into autumn or even early
2022.
Oregon has had one of
the lowest COVID-19 infec-
tion rates in the nation, with
154,878 infections and 2,206
deaths through Friday. Nation-
wide, there have been just
under 28.5 million infections
and 510,089 deaths, according
to the Johns Hopkins Corona-
virus Resource Center.
The
shorter
timeline
announced Friday is based on
reports from the Biden Admin-
istration that Pfizer and Mod-
erna, the maker of the two cur-
rently available vaccines, will
hit their production targets,
which would increase the num-
ber of doses coming to states.
A third vaccine developed
by Johnson & Johnson was
approved by the FDA Sat-
urday and requires just one
inoculation.
Logistical
bottlenecks
are being cleared, and Biden
is bringing in more help for
states.
In Oregon, Phase 1 vaccine
eligibility, which covers about
1.36 million people, reaches its
last eligibility milestone Mon-
day, when those age 65-69 can
make appointments.
The state then plans to use
most of March to catch up with
some of the Phase 1 backlog.
Phase 2 eligibility begins
March 29, when residents
45-64 with medical condi-
tions that the Centers for
Disease Control defines as
making them more likely to
become seriously ill or die if
infected with COVID-19, can
sign-up. Conditions include
cancer, heart conditions, kid-
ney disease, COPD, Down
syndrome,
compromised
immune systems, sickle cell
disease and type 2 diabetes.
Pregnancy is on the list, as is
obesity that results in a Body
Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or
more.
Residents should consult
with their doctor and with
the full explanation of quali-
fying conditions on the CDC
and Oregon Health Authority
websites.
Also eligible on March 29
are some farm and food indus-
try workers, homeless peo-
ple, residents of low-income
or congregate housing, wild-
land firefighters and those dis-
placed by the 2020 wildfires.
On May 1, those 16-44
with medical conditions on the
CDC list can sign up, along
with “frontline” workers with
jobs dealing with the pub-
lic, and any adult living in a
multi-generational household.
Phase 2 wraps up with
anyone over 45 eligible on
June 1 and anyone over 16 on
July 1.
No vaccine approved for
children is available yet,
though several are under
development.
The optimistic scenario
for the future clashed with the
reality of widespread frus-
tration over the gap between
eligibility and availability.
Brown and Allen forecast
“chaos” last month for the
system of large vaccination
centers and local pharmacies
that will handle inoculation of
seniors across the state.
The central math problem
is too little vaccine for too
many arms.
Oregon Health Author-
ity Director Pat Allen pointed
out Oregon is at or above the
national average of 15% of
the populace having received
at least one shot.
But a look at the numbers
is daunting and, at least for
now, disappointing.
About 1.36 million peo-
ple in Oregon are in Phase
1. Each vaccination requires
two shots, or 2.72 million
shots for the group.
Oregon is not close
to reaching that number.
Between the vaccine first
becoming available at the
end of December 2020 and
Friday, Oregon reports it has
injected 911,648 doses.
That would leave 1.8 mil-
lion shots needed to cover
Phase 1 with a month to go
until Phase 2 starts.
Oregon has ramped up to
about 20,000 shots per day and
forecasts expanding the num-
ber of places and people who
can inoculate those eligible as
the vaccine supply increases.
One number that’s not
known is how many people
are refusing the offer to be
inoculated.
Allen said neither state or
federal officials are tracking
who is eligible but declines
the vaccine. The higher that
number, the more vaccine is
actually available for those
that want it.
Allen said OHA is still
vaccinating Phase 1 groups
who want to be inoculated but
have not yet been able to get
to a vaccine site.
541-523-6377
541-963-6577
541-573-6377
541-576-2160