LOCAL
A6 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAy, DECEMbER 19, 2018
Umatilla kids shop with a cop
By JADE MCDOWELL
STAFF WRITER
Staff photo by Jade McDowell/East Oregonian
Lifestyle Eye Center has opened a Hermiston office. From left to right are staff members Dr.
Arthur Giebel, technician Tiffany McVey, technician Sue O’Mealey and Dr. Jonathan Haley
pictured in an exam room.
Lifestyle Eye Center brings
new options in eye care
By JADE MCDOWELL
STAFF WRITER
Hermiston-area
resi-
dents with cataracts, glau-
coma and other eye prob-
lems have a new option for
treatment with the opening
of Lifestyle Eye Center.
The Walla Walla-based
business opened a Hermis-
ton location at 1070 E Elm
Avenue Suite A, formerly
occupied by Inland Eye &
Cosmetic Institute.
Lifestyle Eye Center
offers treatments for glau-
coma, cataracts, corneal
conditions, dry eye and
other eye problems. Office
manager Benjamin Higgen-
botham said they offer sev-
eral new, state-of-the-art
treatments including a min-
imally invasive glaucoma
surgery that reduces the
chance of complications.
The providers have access
to a surgery center in the
suite next door.
“We’re excited to bring
this to Hermiston,” he said.
Hours are currently
Monday from 8:30 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. and Tuesday from
8:30 a.m.to noon, but Hig-
genbotham said they will
likely expand their hours in
the near future.
Providers are Dr. Arthur
Giebel, MD; Dr. Tara Evan-
ger, OD; and Dr. Jonathan
Haley, OD.
Haley, who served in
the Air Force and is cur-
rently a captain in the Air
Force Reserves, said he has
a contract to provide VA ser-
vices and military entrance
eye exams so that Hermis-
ton veterans and prospective
military recruits will no lon-
ger have to travel to Walla
Walla.
Haley specializes in glau-
coma care and said since
Lifestyle Eye Center opened
he has been seeing a lot of
patients who have waited
months longer than rec-
ommended to go in for a
check-up.
Giebel, who specializes
in cataract surgery and cor-
nea repair, said he has “the
best profession ever.”
“I get to help people see
better,” he said.
Giebel said one of his
focuses with patients is edu-
cating them to help improve
their eye health and overall
health. Things like diet and
exercise have a big effect on
the eyes, he said. For exam-
ple, eating a lot of red meat
increases the risk of devel-
oping cataracts.
“Ask your doctor, what
can I do to make a difference
in my life?” he said. “A doc-
tor can only work with what
you give them to work with.
If you’re saying, ‘I’m going
to eat what I want, I’m going
to smoke anyway,’ we will
still love you anyway and
we will do what we can, but
you can make a difference.”
For more information or
to make an appointment,
call 541-656-2211 or visit
www.lifestyleeye.com.
The line of police cars
outside of the Hermiston
Walmart on Tuesday morn-
ing was causing a few shop-
pers to wonder if some-
thing had gone wrong, but
the officers were there for a
happy event.
Umatilla police offi-
cers had brought 10 stu-
dents from Clara Brownell
Middle School to shop for
Christmas presents for their
families.
Chief Darla Huxel said
the money — $150 per
student — came from a
Walmart grant, the police
officers’ association and
an anonymous donor. The
department has been part-
nering with Walmart on the
event since at least 2005,
and officers volunteer their
time.
Students pulled up to
the store as passengers in
the front seat of the police
cruisers and were greeted
by Santa before heading
into the store with an offi-
cer in tow.
Elijah Hagedorn had
written out a list ahead of
time with presents for his
sister and her boyfriend, his
parents and his cousin. He
said it took him a while to
come up with everything.
“When people say, ‘I
don’t know, just get me
something,’ that stresses
me out,” he said. “I need
to know exactly what you
want.”
Looking at his cart full
of items, he said he was
probably most excited
about seeing his sister open
her gift.
While some students
had a list written out, others
spent some time browsing,
with suggestions and help
from the officer assigned
to be their shopping buddy.
“What does your brother
like?” was a common
refrain, and an answer of
“Transformers” or “Spi-
der Man” would send them
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Umatilla Police Chief Darla Huxel gets a hand from officer
Itzel Claustro while wrapping presents. More photos on A15.
ting them down again with
a comment that it was prob-
ably too expensive, despite
officers’ reassurances they
had plenty of money to
shop with.
“You still have $75 left
to spend, and you still have
$90,” Kassie Kennedy told
her two shoppers as they
wrapped up their lists.
“Think about yourselves,
too.”
Students’ names had
been provided to Umatilla
Police Department by Clara
Brownell Middle School.
Huxel said the department
liked to treat middle school
students because it seemed
like there were more pro-
grams available for high
school and elementary
school students.
City manager David
Stockdale, who is spend-
ing his first Christmas with
the city of Umatilla, came
along to check out the event
and said he loved the idea.
“It’s a fantastic tradi-
tion,” he said. “It is truly a
way to bring the commu-
nity together and work with
the kids and work with the
officers.”
After the shopping was
all done and everyone had
gotten a cookie and drink,
the group headed back to
the Umatilla police station
for a wrapping party and
lunch before police helped
students drop off their gifts
at home.
down the next toy aisle.
Nerf guns were one of the
most popular gifts for sib-
lings and cousins.
“Her mom doesn’t
usually buy for
herself, she puts
the kids first and
tells them she can
go without, so she
(Kaydence Hansen)
bought something
thoughtful for her
mom.”
Sgt. Natalia Tovey
Kaydence Hansen said
she was most excited about
her mother’s gift. She was
one of the last students to
finish up as she took her
time picking out the per-
fect item for each family
member.
“She got really thought-
ful gifts,” her shopping
buddy Sgt. Natalia Tovey
said. “Her mom doesn’t
usually buy for herself, she
puts the kids first and tells
them she can go without,
so she bought something
thoughtful for her mom.”
Many of the students
were frugal with their $150
budget, constantly pick-
ing up items and then put-
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