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BUSINESS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2020 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A7 Dental health should be part of plan for seniors, dentists say Cryptocurrency company to expand ATMs to Umatilla County By JADE MCDOWELL NEWS EDITOR By JADE MCDOWELL NEWS EDITOR As Medicare’s Dec. 7 deadline for enroll- ment approaches, Umatilla County dentists hope people will make plans for caring for their oral health. Dr. Todd Oyama of Med- ical Center Dental in Pendle- ton said while people tend to think of dental care as sep- arate from other medical care, oral health has impacts beyond the mouth, and has been linked to systemic dis- eases, such as heart disease. “It’s all the same body,” he said. Oyama and Dr. Jason Walker, also of Medical Center Dental, said older patients can be at increased risk for dental problems, for a number of reasons. Patients’ gums can begin to recede, leaving them more vulnerable to decay of the tooth’s root, known as root caries. As people age, their taste buds tend to become less sensitive, spurring them to favor richer, sweeter foods that are harder on teeth. And many medications for older adults cause dry mouth, which speeds tooth decay. Walker said he often sees patients who came in reg- ularly for cleanings while their employer paid for their dental insurance, but after they retired decided that since they haven’t had any signifi cant issues with their teeth in the past, they can skip paying for cleanings and checkups. “All of a sudden, they’ll come in and say, ‘This is hurting,’ and they’ll already have quite a bit of decay,” Cryptocurrency used to be the province of the tech- savvy, but it could be more accessible to Umatilla County residents in 2021. Daniel Polotsky, the CEO and founder of Coin- Flip, said the company recently expanded into Oregon with a cryptocur- rency ATM in Roseburg, and he expects the com- pany will be installing ATMs in Umatilla County in the next six to 12 months. “We’re trying to make the process of cryptocur- rency super simple for everyone,” he said. In layman’s terms, cryp- tocurrency is a type of dig- ital money that is not tied to a specifi c country or government. Cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, are based on blockchain technology, which authenticates the currency by creating a sort of public, decentralized ledger recording the his- tory of a unit of currency as it is transferred from per- son to person. Polotsky said Coin- Flip’s ATMs around the world allow people to put in the currency of the gov- Hermiston Herald, File As Medicare’s deadline for enrollment approaches, local dentists hope people will make plans for caring for their oral health. “DENTURES ARE BETTER THAN NOTHING, BUT OUR OWN TEETH ARE IDEAL.” Dr. Todd Oyama, of Medical Center Dental in Pendleton Walker said. He suggested that if they are able, retirees should con- tinue to come in twice a year for a cleaning to address the hard plaque buildup that home care won’t take care of, and to catch major prob- lems before it’s too late to save a tooth or multiple teeth. “Dentures are better than nothing, but our own teeth are ideal,” he said. Oyama said good home care is also important for people of all ages, including regular brushing and fl oss- ing, fl uoride mouthwash and a healthy diet. Open enrollment for Medicare runs to Dec. 7. People can sign up for the fi rst time, or shop for cover- age that better fi ts their cur- rent needs. Eastern Oregon residents have new options available this year through Summit Health, a partner- ship between several East- ern Oregon hospitals that is providing Medicare Advan- tage plans. Oregon residents can visit healthcare.oregon.gov/ shiba/Pages/index.aspx, call 1-800-722-4134 (toll-free), or email shiba.oregon@ore- gon.gov to fi nd answers to questions or the nearest Ore- gon Senior Health Insurance Benefi ts Assistance volun- teers who can help them enroll or change their plan before Dec. 7. Hermiston-area residents can also call Good Shepherd Health Care System directly at 541-667-3509 to schedule assistance. By GARY A. WARNER OREGON CAPITAL BUREAU Pending federal approval, the fi rst 35,100 of a COVID- 19 vaccine shots could be administered in Oregon on Dec. 15, the governor’s offi ce confi rmed on Mon- day, Nov. 30. The vaccine, created by Pfi zer, is being sent to states in advance of expected approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. A total of 6.4 million doses of the vaccine are being sent to states in quantities based on their per capita percentage of the U.S. population. The fi rst shipment of shots in Oregon will be used to inoculate doctors, nurses and other health care work- ers and medical facility staff who are working around COVID-19 patients. State health offi cials have cautioned that vaccines for all the general public who want one will likely take months. Inoculation requires two shots given 19-23 days apart. On Dec. 31, Ore- gon would receive another 35,100 doses for the sec- ond shot to be given to those who had started the inocula- tion process. An additional 52,650 doses in the shipment would be used as the fi rst shot for the next group of vac- cine recipients. At a recent news conference, Gov. Kate Brown said Oregon has about 300,000 health care workers. Additional doses of the Pfi zer shot will arrive reg- ularly beginning in January 2021. After health care per- sonnel, a draft proposal of the state’s vaccine plan calls for inoculation of at-risk res- idents of congregate care facilities, such as nurs- trading at $16,581.20 per bitcoin after a high of $19,391 a few hours ear- lier. The unpredictable nature of the decentralized currencies means the inter- net is rife with stories of people who became mil- lionaires by investing in the right currency at the right time, and people who lost their life savings by betting on the wrong cur- rency and watching it fi z- zle out. The Federal Trade Com- mission cautions that while cryptocurrencies come with benefi ts, such as ano- nymity and a lack of bank fees, they also don’t come with the same govern- ment-backed protections as a traditional bank account. Scammers are frequently asking their victims to pay in cryptocurrencies, the FTC warns on its website, because victims are unable to get their money back by disputing a credit card charge or other recourses they have with traditional methods of payments. “Cryptocurrency pay- ments typically are not reversible,” the website states. “Once you pay with cryptocurrency, you only can get your money back if the seller sends it back.” 40th Anniversary Sale! 2021 BUICK ENCORE MSRP $26,090 - $3,000 Customer Cash Your $ Price 23,090 Stk #B7899 VIN #KL4CJAS68MB313218 First vaccinations coming to Oregon in mid-December ernment where they are located and receive one of nine different popular cryp- tocurrencies in their digital “wallet.” They can then use those cryptocurrencies to purchase items from sellers that accept them. “You put in cash, and then get cryptocurrency to your wallet before you even get to your car,” he said. Some of CoinFlip’s more than 1,400 ATMs also allow users to turn their cryptocurrencies back into U.S. dollars. According to CoinAT- MRadar, which provides a searchable online data- base of cryptocurrency ATMs, there are currently about 12,429 such ATMs in the world. The site does not yet list any in Umatilla County, but lists several in the Tri-Cities in Wash- ington. Polotsky said most ATM providers, includ- ing CoinFlip, look for con- venience stores and other locations that are open 24 hours a day and have high foot traffi c. Cryptocurrencies are known for their volatil- ity compared to traditional currencies — according to Fox Business, on Thanks- giving Day Bitcoin was Offer Offer ends ends November November 30, 7, 2020 2020 www.swainmotors.com 541-567-2277 80406 Hwy 395 N., Hermiston Top of the Hill ing homes, along with staff who come in contact with residents. If a second vaccine from Moderna becomes available, as expected by year-end, the number of people inoculated can be increased. Y our G enerositY C an H elp t ransform o ur C ommunitY G ive O utriGht , Or a P lanned G ift tO the G reater h ermistOn C Ommunity f OundatiOn ’ s e ndOwment f und ! 100% G oes to the F und • Y our d onation is n ever s pent C all 541-567-5215 Or GO O nline fOr m Ore i nfOrmatiOn www.GreaterHermiston.com A WORC taxi will get you to and from your job anywhere in western Umatilla County. Anyone who comes in through the end of December, can get four FREE punch cards, which equals 40 one-way rides to/from work. Visit https://hermiston.or.us/public-transit to find out how to sign up, and how WORC and the HART bus service work together to connect Hermiston.
