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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 19, 2020)
NEWS WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2020 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A9 Grants enhance mobility for veterans in rural communities By JEFF BUDLONG FOR THE HERMISTON HERALD America’s veterans pro- vided a tremendous service to the nation. Now, Uma- tilla County has found a way to extend a helping hand to those veterans who need assistance to receive medi- cal care. Seven projects aimed at helping Oregon veter- ans in rural communities to more easily get to and from medical appointments received varying amounts of grant money last week. The grants are funded out of $500,000 from the Ore- gon Lottery, with Umatilla County receiving $20,000 and Union County $50,000. In Umatilla County, the money will be directed toward CareVan Transpor- tation at Good Shepherd Health Care System and its affi liates. Services are pro- vided to veterans in Herm- iston, Echo, Stanfi eld and Umatilla. “If a veteran has an appointment with a Good HH fi le photo A passenger disembarks from a CareVan at Good Shepherd Medical Center in 2016. CareVan is one of the recipients for grant dollars designed to increase mobility for veterans in Eastern Oregon. Shepherd Health Care Sys- tem doctor or physician or other services, they can make arrangements through CareVan,” Umitilla County Transportation Coordinator Staci Kunz said. “The Care- Van would come to their home and pick them up for their appointment, and then return them to their home. “CareVan has been a free service, but with the excep- tion of one other source through Umatilla County and ODOT, it is the only source of funding it receives other than donations.” Union County’s grant will aid an existing pro- gram that focuses on same- day demand available for health care access. “We were looking for programs that could deliver origin to destination rides at no cost to the veteran,” Regional Transit Coordi- nator for Eastern Oregon Frank Thomas said. “What that might mean or how that can look may look dif- ferent in every community we serve. “We want to reduce the barriers between the folks who served us and the care they earned. Every one of the projects that were sub- mitted did a pretty good job of that.” The fi rst seven proj- ects approved by the Ore- gon Transportation Com- mission totaled $230,000 under the Rural Veterans’ Healthcare Transportation Grant Program. The pro- gram is managed jointly by the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs and ODOT’s Public Transpor- tation Division. There is a similar fed- eral program, but Thomas said the big difference is the wide variety of medical options available through the grants. “We worked closely with our partners at Ore- gon Department of Veter- ans Affairs … to ensure that medical service could mean weight loss, smok- ing succession, culturally appropriate medicine, acu- puncture, behavioral health or any number of things,” Thomas said. “The veteran is going to tell us what they need, and we are going to get them where they need to go.” The hope is to have all the paperwork processed so projects can begin by Aug. 1. A second round of grants will be awarded this year up to $220,000. Due to COVID-19, the total grant money was reduced by 10% to ensure it would be avail- able. All projects must be identifi ed and the money used by June 30, 2021. PAID ADVERTISEMENT Small businesses are cutting costs during the pandemic with energy incentives New LED lighting at La Tapatia 2 makes shopping easier for customers while store owners save thousands in energy costs each year. BE PREPARED FOR WHATEVER COMES NEXT. This last year has shown us anything can happen. High energy bills don’t need to be another thing to worry about. Add low-cost DIY projects to your to-do list and you’ll be saving energy and money in no time. + Get more from your energy. Call us at 1.866.368.7878 or visit www.energytrust.org/DIY. Serving customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas and Avista. Projects meant to bring down util- ity bills are doing much more for small businesses in Oregon – some are making properties safer and more convenient for customers. Juan Alavarez owns La Tapatia 2, a Mexican grocery and meat market in Gresham. He recently installed new en- ergy-efficient LED lighting to replace the outdated lighting outside his store with help from Energy Trust of Oregon. Although he was looking for energy sav- ings, the upgrade brought some addition- al, unexpected benefits to his business. Alvarez says his building is now safer and there’s less vandalism. “The new lighting is bright- er and not easily breakable. Security is better. Customers and neighbors say it looks amazing.” Inside the store, Alavarez also re- placed all of the overhead fluorescent lighting with LEDs, which has helped lighten up darker corners. That makes it easier for customers to see what’s on each store shelf. “The first day after in- stallation, customers commented that they could see our products better,” said Alvarez. The upgrades inside and out are sav- ing La Tapatia 2 an estimated $2,600 each year in energy costs. But the store only had to a pay about 20% of the $34,000 project cost to purchase and install the new lighting, thanks to incentives offered by Energy Trust. En- ergy Trust is a nonprofit created by the State of Oregon to connect more people to sustainable, affordable energy and clean, renewable power. Energy Trust provides cash incen- tives to individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities and others for equipment and projects that help use less energy. Since 2002, Energy Trust has provid- ed incentives to thousands of Gresham families, businesses, schools, farms and ranches for energy upgrades, helping Gresham utility customers save more than $40 million on utility bills from participation in Energy Trust. Visit energytrust.org/this-is-oregon to see more of how Energy Trust is helping small businesses around the state. – Juan Alavarez, owner of La Tapatia 2 Thank you for all of you do! Over the years, all of us here at American West Properties, Hermiston, LLC and American West Properties in Boardman, have come to rely on the professional expertise of our ad rep, Jeanne Jewett. Not only with our ads for the EO Real Estate Guide & the Hermiston Herald, but also with the special ads she offers throughout the year! From all of us here American West Properties, Thank you Jeanne! Gain Exposure. Drive More Business. Find New Customers. Marketing assistance from the print & digital experts. Talk to Jeanne today! 541-564-4531 • jjewett@hermistonherald.com
