Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 4, 2020)
NEWS/RECORDS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2020 Good Shepherd highlights work during community meeting By JADE MCDOWELL NEWS EDITOR Good Shepherd Health Care System’s annual community meeting high- lighted the ups and downs of an unusual year for the hospital and its clinics. For many community members, this year’s vir- tual presentation was the fi rst opportunity to get to know Brian Sims, who took over as CEO on Oct. 1. Sims said previ- ous CEO Dennis Burke’s advocacy for rural hospi- tals had made him a well- known fi gure among hos- pital administrators in other parts of the country — including Sims, who previously managed a hos- pital in Iowa. “To have the opportu- nity to follow Dennis and lead one of the best-known critical access hospitals in the nation is one of the greatest honors of my pro- fessional life,” he said. After the state required hospitals to cancel none- mergency procedures in the spring during the pan- demic’s fi rst lockdown, Sims said Good Shepherd Medical Center’s patient days were down by 24% during the 2019-20 fi scal year. However, he said out- patient visits were up by 6.3% and clinic vis- its, including urgent care, were up by 8.7% in 2019- 20. Emergency room visits stayed roughly the same. During his presenta- tion, Sims encouraged people not to put off med- ical care. “As a personal plea, I’m going to ask you, if you have not been Sims going to the doc- tor because of coronavi- rus, I’m going to ask you to go,” he said. “It is safe. We will take care of you.” The hospital has made adjustments for the pan- demic, including prepar- ing a special COVID-19 unit for patients with the virus and setting up an incident command center. According to the written annual report accompany- ing Sims’ presentation, as of the report’s publication the hospital had conducted 5,404 COVID-19 tests and employees had worked 14,672 hours related to COVID-19 care. “The pandemic has brought many challenges with it and even spot- lighted holes and gaps in supply chains, pro- cesses, staffi ng, fi nancials and even facility space, should we see an infl ux of patients,” the report stated. “GSHCS has had to rethink things and get creative in order to meet the needs of a potential patient surge during the pandemic.” Despite those chal- lenges, Sims shared new projects and programs the hospital was still able to complete as planned. During the past fi scal year, the hospital opened up a cancer center and began offering oncol- ogy services in Decem- ber 2019. The hospital also completed an expan- sion of its cardiopulmo- nary rehab center in April 2020, and remodeled some of its departments, includ- ing its urgent care clinic. According to the hospi- tal’s annual report, Good Shepherd installed a total of 108 new pieces of med- ical equipment throughout its health care system in 2019-20. The hospital’s Physi- cal Medicine & Rehabili- tation Center, focused on pain management, opened in June. Services it offers range from chiroprac- tics and physical therapy to headache injections. Sims said looking toward the future, they are plan- ning a “strong” industrial medicine program, geared toward preventing and treating worker injuries. Construction on the space for Good Shep- herd Sleep Solutions was recently completed, and Sims said the sleep center will open in November. The hospital recruited 10 physicians in the past year and has plans to add more to the GSHCS staff, which now totals more than 750 employees. Sims thanked the staff, and also the hospital’s volunteers. He said the volunteers have been limited this year in the time they have been able to spend on campus, but they have still pitched in in other ways, includ- ing sewing cloth masks for employees and raising money for the hospital’s charitable foundation. HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A9 POLICE LOG TUESDAY, OCT. 27 11:59 a.m. — A caller reported a washing machine and air conditioner were stolen in a burglary on West Locust Avenue. 12 p.m. — An assault was reported on North First Street. 2:38 p.m. — A hit-and-run was reported on South Highway 395. 3:25 p.m. — A disturbance involving a man and woman yelling at each other was reported on East Catherine Avenue. 4:49 p.m. — A non-injury motor vehicle acci- dent was reported on North First Street, and a citation was issued. 5:15 p.m. — A disturbance was reported involv- ing a man grabbing a woman and yelling at her on East Main Street. 7:23 p.m. — A domestic disturbance was report- ed on South Highway 395. 8 p.m. — A disturbance was reported on North- east Eighth Place. WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28 12:04 p.m. — Child neglect involving three very young children left alone in a vehicle was reported on West Theater Lane. 2:20 p.m. — A hit-and-run was reported on East Newport Avenue. 7:12 p.m. — A disturbance was reported on South Highway 395. 7:48 p.m. — A motor vehicle accident was re- ported on West Highland Avenue, and the caller reported the two parties were arguing with each other. A citation was issued. THURSDAY, OCT. 29 10:33 a.m. Someone reported their wallet was stolen from their home on Northwest Dawn Drive and there were new charges on three of the cards in the wallet. 11:25 a.m. — A non-injury motor vehicle acci- dent was reported on South First Place. 8:22 p.m. — A burglary was reported on East Theater Lane. 10:17 p.m. — Oregon State Police requested a Spanish-speaking offi cer from Hermiston Police Department to assist with a DUII stop on Sagebrush Road. FRIDAY, OCT. 30 12:34 p.m. — Someone reported that their Biden 2020 banner was stolen off their house. 1:53 p.m. — A disturbance involving a man screaming was reported on East Newport Avenue. 11:05 p.m. — A burglary was reported on West Beech Avenue. SATURDAY, OCT. 31 10:51 a.m. — A domestic disturbance was reported on South Highway 395. 12:26 p.m. — A burglary was reported on East Jennie Avenue. 6:29 p.m. — A domestic disturbance was report- ed on East Diagonal Avenue. 8:23 p.m. — A drunken driver was reported on West Hermiston Avenue but police were unable to locate. 8:49 p.m. — A burglary was reported on North- east Eighth Street. SUNDAY, NOV. 1 12:57 a.m. — A fi ght was reported on West Joseph Avenue. 1:27 a.m. — A disturbance was reported on South Highway 395. 10:14 a.m. — A hit-and-run was reported on Southwest 13th Place. Echo School plans veterans celebration HERMISTON HERALD Students in kindergarten through 12th grade at Echo School invite veterans and the public to attend their annual Veterans Celebration on Wednesday, Nov. 11. A Veterans Assembly will kick off the event at 10 a.m. at the Echo School football fi eld, 600 Gerone St., across the street from the school. Bleachers will be set up, or attendees can bring a lawn chair. Afterward, the stu- dents will honor all mili- tary branches in a parade through Echo, starting at 11 a.m. from the school down Main Street and back to the school, escorted by local police and fi re person- nel. The Middle School Wax Museum will be stationed on Main Street for viewing following the parade. Those attending in person are asked to observe social distancing and face covering protocols, and warm cloth- ing is highly recommended. The assembly will be lives- treamed on the Echo School District Facebook page. For more information, contact Billie Parker at bjparker@echosd5.org or 541-376-8436. WIN CASH AND FREEPLAY! Win up to $1,000 every Friday and Sunday in November! Every 30 minutes, 4–10pm 1 entry for every 50 slot points More Thursdays you play, your stacker increases up to 25X! Y RSDA U H T Y EVER 2020 FORD EXPLORER XLT SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29 10pm VETERANS DAY WEDNESDAY, NOVE MBER 11 VETERANS U-PICK THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE $15 Off Dining or $15 FreePlay! Veterans, bring your military ID to Club Wild, swipe at on Wednesday, November 11 to pick your free gift! an 50% 0ff 20% 0ff ALL FOOD AND NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES STEAKHOUSE SALOON AND CAFÉ WESTERN STORE No discount on saddles and no additional discount on sale items. Some exclusions may apply. Must swipe between 8am – 11:59pm on Wednesday, November 11, and use by 11:59pm on December 20, 2020. CASINO • HOTEL • GOLF • CINEPLEX • RV MUSEUM • DINING • TRAVEL PLAZA • FUNPLEX 800.654.9453 • PENDLETON, OR • I-84, EXIT 216 • wildhorseresort.com. Owned and operated by CTUIR Management reserves all rights to alter, suspend or withdraw promotions/offers at any time. REGULAR PRICED ITEMS Gaga10.27 WH102045
