Oct. 28,1992, The INDEPENDENT Page 13
Health Center still seeking doctor
By Frazier Rohm, Director
Vernonia Health Center
Vernonia Health Center is
a private, non-profit corpora
tion dedicated to providing
medical services to the peo
ple in and around Vernonia.
Nobody "owns" VHC, or may
be everybody does. It is run
by a board of directors , it
owns a building and has sev
eral employees.
Conspicuously absent from
these employees is a doctor.
We would love to have one in
order to provide the highest
le vel of m edical ca re , but
the re aren't any available.
Every family-practice physi
cian graduating in the U.S. to
day has about ten jobs to pick
from - and they pay about
$100,000 per year. If VHC
paid the provider that much,
we would have to either dou
ble the num ber of patients
per day or raise the charges
about 50%. We have talked
to a few doctors and will con
tinue to look but, realistically,
there isn't much hope.
W hat we have, instead,
are Nurse Practitioners. NPs
do not have as much training
as MDs and cannot do quite
as much. They can do a lot
of "m edicing", though, and
the good ones are very good,
as anyone knows who has
been seen by Pat, or Jim, or
Max, or Norma, or any of our
others.
Which brings up another
point: Why do we have so
many different NPs? It's be
cause, right now, VHC does
n't have one full-time perma
nent provider. We haven't
had a perm anent pro vid e r
since Jim left (he's in Spo
kane, teaching the next gen
eration of NPs). We're look
ing. We found one wonderful
candidate, but he couldn't sell
his house in LA - couldn't
even give it away - so had to
40
stay there. We found anoth
er, but he has a special child
and can't leave the school
district. Found another and,
m aybe, sh e 'll be th e right
one.
We anticipate an opening
on the board of the VHC
soon. If you would like to vol
un tee r som e tim e fo r th is
frustrating but rewarding job,
come to the next board meet
ing and see what it's about.
Next meeting will be Thurs
day, Nov. 12, at 6:30 p.m. at
the Health Center.
VHC schedule for
month of November
Vernonia Health Center will
be closed Thursday, Nov. 5;
M ondays, Nov. 9 and 16;
Nov. 25 through 27.
Regular hours are 9 a.m.
to 5 p.m ., Monday through
Friday; W ednesdays until 8
p.m.
Grange schedules
sausage/kraut meal
The community is invited
to enjoy a S auerkraut and
S a usage D in n e r at N atal
Grange on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Cost of the fund raising
dinner is $5 for adults, $2.50
for children 6 through 12, free
for children under 6. Dinner
will be served from 1-5 p.m.
Port-Krieger vows
planned for spring
A spring wedding is being
planned by Cindy Port and
Darin Krieger. The Vernonia
couple plans to wed on April
24, 1993, at the First Chris
tian Church in Vernonia.
Miss Port is the daughter
of Greg and Penny Port of
Beaverton. Krieger is the son
of Bud and Doris Krieger of
V e r n o n i a . __________ ___
CHIROPRACTIC
FOR BETTER HEALTH
Dr, Whitney J« Burton
becomes reality
at Wilkerson
Kelly and Tim Lungberg, fatner ana son employees ot
Columbia County Road D e p t. install and cover pipe in a
i a u i r lr n in f ia lH a t P f l i n n W llk fiF S O n .
Raymond J. Novack
M arine Lance CpI. Ray
mond J. Novack recently re
turned from six-months with
the 13th M arine E x p e d i
tionary Unit.
The troops participated in
exercises which enhanced
the ability to serve as a force-
in-readiness for contingency
op e ra tio n s thro ug hou t the
world.
Novack visited the Philip
pines, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,
Africa, Thailand, Singapore
and Australia during the de
ployment. In several places
the tro o p s helped bu ild
schools and delivered books,
medical supplies and food.
Novack is the son of Ray
K. McHale of Vernonia.
John A. Holmes
Airman 1st Class John A.
Holmes has graduated from
Air Force Basic Training at
Lackland Air Force Base, San
Antonio, Texas, and earned
credits toward an associate
degree through the Commu
nity College of the Air Force.
Holmes is the son of John
F. Holmes of Banks.
James G. Wilson
Coast Guard Fireman Ap
prentice James G. Wilson re
ce n tly graduated from the
Coast Guard Recruit Training
Center.
Wilson is the son of Gale
and Sharon W ilson of Ver-
chiropractor —
WHIPLASH — DELAYED SYMPTOMS
T he sc re e c h o f brakes draws
your attention to the rearview mirror
- as you feel the car lurch you hear
the grinding crash o f metal against
metal.
Dazed, your first thought is "Am
I hurt?" and then - "Is anyone else
hurt?"
Apparently uninjured, except for
minor bruises, you think about the
damage to your car.
You trade names and insurance
company information with the driv
er o f the other car and ultimately
embark upon getting the framework
o f your car realigned.
You may be making a common
mistake that is preparing you for a
l if e t im e o f health problems because
y o u m ay h a v e a W H IPL A SH
INJURY and the symptoms may not
show up for hours, weeks or even
years.
The Doctor o f Chiropractic has
extensive knowledge o f the impor
tance o f the spine and its alignment
and is the b est source o f help
becau se, if you have been in an
accident, you need specialized treat
m ent
The Doctor o f Chiropractic can
perform a simple, painless and inex
pensive nerve test that can quickly
reveal whether or not you have been
hurt, in what portion o f the anato
my, and what care is indicated.
Whiplash is all too common in
our fast-paced society today. To
make sure that it is not disabling for
you or loved ones involved in an
accident contact a Doctor of Chiro
practic to determine if there are any
physical damages. Remember the
fiv e m ost dangerous words are,
"MAYBE IT WILL GO AWAYI"
In the interests o f better
health fro m the office o f
Dr. Whitney J. Barton
622 Bridge S t, Vernonia
429-0512
nonia and a 1991 graduate of
Vernonia High School.
Bobby L. Keup
Navy Airman Recruit Bob
by L. Keup recently complet
ed basic training at Recruit
Training Command in San
Diego, Calif.
The 1991 g ra d u a te of
Banks High Schoo, is the son
of Carl and Sylvia Bates of
Banks.
Kenneth J. Parris
Navy Seaman Recruit Ken
neth J. Parris recently com
pleted basic training at Re
cruit Training Command in
Great Lakes, III.
He is the son of Larry and
Linda Pam's of Vernonia and
a 1992 graduate of Vernonia
High School.
Donald A. Welch
Airman Donald A. Welch
completed the inventory man
agement specialist course at
Lowry Air Force Base, Den
ver.
Students were taught prop
erty accounting, custom er
support, stock control and
equipment management for a
base supply system. They
also were taught to inventory
supplies using electronic data
processing equipment.
W elch is the nephew of
Brian and Darlene McLeod of
Vernonia.
Ronald E. Christensen
Airman 1st Class Ronald
E. C h risten sen gra du ated
from Air Force basic training
at Lackland Air Force Base,
San Antonio, Texas, earning
credits toward an associate
degree through the Commu
nity College of the Air Force.
He is the son of Alan B.
Christensen of Banks.
But the greatest challenge of hi9
life was yet to come...
A World Wide Picture« Presentetion
Nov. 15 -6:00 p.m.
Evangelical Bible
Church
967 State, Vernonia
Lulu's Antique
Refinishing
Repair &
Caning
If your furniture isn't
becoming to you. you
should be coining to me.
429-7633
Workmen from the Colum
bia County Road Department
have been b u ild in g a new
bathhouse at Camp W ilker
son, complete with toilets and
showers. The project neces
sitated installation of a 6,000
gallon septic tank and an ex
tensive drain field.
The new facility will make
longer stays possible for user
groups.
Donations and volunteer
labor are still needed to refur
bish some of the Adirondack
shelters at the popular county
park.
M-B annual Fall
Festival on tap
The annual Fall Festival of
the M ist-Birkenfeld Helping
Circle will be held Saturday,
Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the Mist
Grade School gym.
Events will include an auc
tion, white elephant sale and
door prizes, plus ta b le s of
c ra fts and fo o d fo r sa le .
There will also be drawings
for an afghan and a quilt.
Proceeds of the fe s tiv a l
help pay for street lighting,
cemetery upkeep and emer
gency situations in the com
munities of Mist and Birken-
feld.
Peyton N. Chesley
Peyton Nicole Chesley, the
first child of Julie and Matt
Chesley of Reno, Nev., was
born Sept. 20, 1992. She
weighed 9 pounds, 1 ounce
and was 22 inches long.
Grandparents are Dick and
Kathleon Gwin of Vernonia
and Bob and Alice Chesley of
Ojai, Calif.
Kay Southard of Thousand
O aks, C a lif., is th e new
baby's great-grandmother.
Elijah W. Miller
Elijah W illiam M iller was
bom Oct. 14,1992 at Emanu
el Hospital in Portland. He
w e ig he d 8 p o u n d s, 15
ounces and was 21 1/2 inch
es long.
The son of Mary and Dan
M iller, he w ill jo in a sister,
Caitlin, at the family home in
Vernonia.
G randparents are Kathy
Denckla, of Vernonia, and Bill
and Roberta Miller.