TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, May 19, 1993
Morrow County Health expands services
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Pictured left to right Laura Burnside-McElligott, R.N. program
director, Sheree Smith, R.N. health nurse and Betty Marquardt,
secretary-clerk.
The Morrow County Health
Department is grow ing, so much
that between new and existing
programs, conferences, travel
and a mountain of paperwork, the
four who staff the office barely
have time to catch their breath.
Laura Burnside-McElligott.
R.N.. is director of the program.
Sheree Smith, R.N. is full time
health nurse; Betty Marquardt is
secretary/clerk; and Gaelynn
Cavillo is translater in the
Boardman-lrrigon area.
Marquardt says that the in
creased workload at the public
health department is four-fold: an
increase in programs offered, an
increase in population, especial
ly in the north end of the county.
a change in population (more low
income and migrant workers);
and an increase in bookkeeping
requirements by the government.
“ There are a lot of people who
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fall through the cracks,” said
Marquardt. “ Some people make
too much money to qualify for
welfare, but not enough to take
care of themselves. It has chang
ed a great deal. I’m not sure that
it has really changed as much as
it seems, or we just weren’t
aware of it before.”
The health department doesn’t
just give shots and check blood
pressures anymore, as vital as
those programs are. The depart
ment also administers programs
in perinatal and infant care com
municable diseases, sexually
transmitted diseases and family
planning.
Smith spends the majority of
her time screening babies and
helping mothers and babies get
access to the programs they need.
The High Risk Infant/Babies First
program is targeted at babies who
had problems prenatally or at
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delivery or who have physical,
social or nutritional problems,
and babies who are born to very
young mothers. " I also look at
the interaction between the parent
and child,” said Smith.
Smith routinely visits babies
and mothers at their homes and
assesses the babies in terms of
nutrition, elimination, activity
level, developmental level,
physical growth, vision and hear
ing. If she spots a problem she
may rescreen the child at a later
date or may refer the mom to a
program where she can get help.
Smith logs a lot of miles in the
Boardman-lrrigon area and sees
a lot of low-income families. She
stresses, however, that income
has “ absolutely no bearing on
participation in the program.”
Although the majority of her
clients are Hispanic, who often
may not have family in the area
to help out, she says the propor
tion of Hispanic families is not as
great as she once thought.
“ I see myself as an advocate
for families,” says Smith. “ I feel
that we have made an impact.
With visits and follow-up, we en
courage them to do things (for the
benefit of the child) that they
wouldn’t otherwise have been
able to do.” Smith emphasizes
that participation in the program
is entirely on a volunteer basis
and families may reject the help
that the department offers. But,
she adds, only one family, out of
the 31 families she has visited this
past year, has turned down her
assistance. Some families are
referred by doctors or nurses,
some by friends or family and
some seek assistance themselves.
Burnside-McElligott says that
one goal of the department is to
eventually be able to visit the
home of every baby bom in Mor
row County. In 1991, out of a
population of 7,800 there were
118 births. Twenty-three of
of those births were to girls 15-19
years old and 16 were to unwed
mothers.
As public health authority,
Burnside-McElligott’s job is to
assess the health of the entire
county and then directly, or
through other services, try to
maintain the health of the people.
This includes investigating repor
table diseases, identifying the
causes of the diseases, and then
working on management and
prevention. “ I need to make sure
the system is in place,” she says,
“ so people can get care.
Burnside-McElligott says that
many people, the migrant com
munity, the working poor and
Hispanics—have trouble getting
health care. “ Our goal is to make
sure that there is access to health
care and prenatal care for
everyone in the county.”
Some of the pieces needed to
attain that goal, however, are
missing. More primary care is
needed in the Boardman-lrrigon
area (Boardman has only one
physician and Irrigon has none);
more prenatal care is needed
county-wide; and environmental
health care is extremely limited.
Currently the Oregon Health
Division has one sanitarian bas
ed in Pendleton to serve 11
eastern counties. Environmental
health care usually involves a
sanitary engineer who inspects
r
drinking w ater and sewer
systems, restaurants and com
munity events for food safety and
indoor and outdoor air quality.
“ All it would take for a big out
break would be one person in
fected with hepatitus A handling
food at Fair and Rodeo, St.
Patrick’s weekend or the Fourth
of July, for example,” she said.
The health department is also in
volved in emergency manage
ment planning in the event of an
accident at the Army Depot as
they plan to demolish the nerve
gas stored there or on the freeway
involving a truck hauling gas,
pesticide or radioactive waste, for
example.
Other areas of major concern
to Burnside-McElligott are family
planning teenage pregnancies and
the control of sexually transmit
ted diseases.
“ The only prevention that
works 100 percent of the time is
abstinence, or a totally
monogamous lifetime relation
s h ip ,” cautions Burnside-
McElligott. She says that the
department promotes abstinence
and teaches about the physical,
emotional and social conse
quences of sexual behavior. Early
intercourse and multiple partners
predispose a young woman to
cervical cancer, she says, in ad
dition to increasing the risk of
pregnancy, AIDS, gonorrhea,
syphilis, genital warts, genital
herpes, chlamydia and infertility.
“ Some kids also don’t realize that
there are emotional, social and
more consequences, too,” she
adds. “ We want to assist a per
son in family planning so they are
able to have a family when they
want to.”
Burnside-McElligott is em
phatic in stressing that teenagers
do not need their parents’ permis
sion to obtain birth control from
the Public Health Department.
“ We do work with the teen to be
abstinent and to involve their
parents and partners if possible,”
she said. “ We will give condoms
to anyone who walks in and wants
them.” she says. “ Condoms
should be used by everyone who
is sexually active.”
“ Confidentiality is absolute,”
added Burnside-McElligott. “ If
they don’t wish to tell anyone, no
one will ever know. We never tell
why people come in to the of
fice.”
In addition to providing con
doms, the department assists in
obtaining other methods of birth
control and provides free
pregnancy tests. A doctor’s
prescription is required for some
methods of birth control, but the
health department will arrange for
a doctor’s exam and will accom
pany people to the exam if they
wish. Injections of DepoProvera,
one birth control method, are
given at the health department.
An injection of DepoProvera
prevents ovulation for three
months. Counseling, an initial ex
am and yearly exams are required
for this type of birth control.
Another method, N orplant,
which is inserted under the skin
and provides birth control for a
year, is available through family
planning on a limited basis. The
devise may be inserted at the
Pioneer Memorial Clinic. This
birth control method also requires
counseling and an exam.
Testing for HIV, the AIDS
virus, is also provided at the
department and can be strictly
anonymous. The department uses
a name (not necessarily the per
son’s own) given by the person
seeking the testing, and gives
results by number. Counseling is
mandatory for AIDS testing.
Tests for other sexually transmit
ted diseases must be obtained at
a doctor’s office or clinic.
Burnside-M cElligott, who
became public health nurse 2 Vi
years ago after the retirement ot
Pat Wright, former public health
nurse, has a bachelor of science
degree in nursing from
Washington State University at
Pullman and Spokane through
their intercollegiate nursing pro
gram. Prior to being named
public health nurse, Burnside-
McElligott had been employed at
Good Shepherd Hospital in Her-
miston since 1988, at Good
Samaritan Hospital in Portland
for a year and a half and at
Pioneer Memorial Hospital at
Heppner for four years. She and
her husband, Tom, have six
children and live in Heppner.
Smith, who received a nursing
diploma from Good Samaritan
School of Nursing at Portland in
1981, started working part time
with the department in August of
1991 and full time in July of
1992. Before taking the full time
position she also worked as an
R.N. at Pioneer Memorial
Hospital and at Good Shepherd
Community Hospital for about a
year. Smith and her husband.
Bob, have three children and live
outside Lexington.
Marquardt, also of Lexington
Local citizens receive awards
Monument
Schriner’s Station
Fossil
Fossil Hardware
Boardman
West Chevron
Heppner
Miller’s Mini-Mart
Cal’s Service Center
Boyer's Store
Spray
Riverridge Resort
Arlington
Cloughs Service Station
I>e\ington
Morrow County Grain Growers
For Bulk Deliveries Call 989-8221 or 1-800-452-7396
N a rr o w C o u n ty
TS l U C ra in G ro w e rs
Phon* 989 87?I
I
Phone 989-8221
1-800-452-7396
The Morrow/Umatilla Transi
tion Council held its annual
employer/employee recognition
night at Hermiston High School
May 6.
Kathy Tellechea. Heppner Day
Care was recognized as an
employer.
Others recognized were men
tors: Liz Grabeel, Red Apple
Market, Madora Rill Heppner
High School, Ed Gunderson,
Summer Youth Coordinator
Forest Service and Ivan Lorenz,
Forest Service.
Cindi Parcel and Lynn Setness
both Heppner Day Care and Levi
Connor, Hermiston High School
and Mike Lovgren, CAPECO
Corp. were all recognized as
employees.
OPEN HOUSE
HONORING
GERALD & HARRIET PIERSON
UPON THEIR RETIREMENT
B A N K OF E A S T E R N O R E G O N
Friday, M ay 21 st,
10:00 A M to 3:00 P M
Refreshments will be served
Give the graduate
something special.
Attention:
GRADUATING SENIORS!
tik SiHfitSrns
1’1101’ANE CAN I1E FOUND AT THESE
H CONVENIENT LOCATIONS
has worked for the department for
16 years, 13 '/i of those with Pat
W right. M arquardt handles
record-keeping
and
cor
respondence for the immuniza
tion program and billing for
Medicaid for the family planning,
maternity case management and
High Risk Infant/Babies First
programs. Before the health
department expanded its pro
grams, Marquardt often accom
panied Wright on home visits.
Marquardt has eight grown
children and 16 grandchildren.
Cavillo, Boardman, has work
ed as a translator for the health
department for approximately one
year. Plans are to expand
Cavillo’s position with the health
department in immunizations
outreach work in north Morrow
County. Cavillo and her husband
Flavio, have three children.
The health department will
move into the Pioneer Memorial
Clinic when the addition, now
under construction, is completed.
The move will give the depart
ment better access to exam and
counseling rooms and will
facilitate patients’ visits with the
physicians.
The health department in
Heppner is now located at 471 N.
Main, across from the Heppner ^
City Park. Hours are Thursday,
8:30 a.m. to noon and 1-4:30
p.m. and when the clinic sign
says open. Irrigon clinic hours are
the second and fourth Tuesdays
from 1-4 p.m. at the county an
nex building. Boardman clinic
hours are the first and third
Tuesdays from 1:30-4 p.m. at
Boardman City Hall.
For more information call the
Morrow County Health Depart
ment 676-5421.
BUL
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