Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 3, 2002)
Q T h a Ik in C D C U n C U T r iM n h o r 3 9009 Spay and neuter clinic set for feral cats Health Notes ByAudeen Wagner Providence Health Systems offers financial assistance Providence Health Systems (PHS) in Oregon is committed to providing health service to all people, regardless of ability to pay. PHS recognizes that medical bills are often unexpected and difficult to pay, and if paying your Providence bill creates a finan cial hardship, you may apply for financial assistance. If qualified, part or all of your Providence bill will be subsidized, or you may be approved for an interest-free extended payment plan. Before applying you must have done everything possible ro qualify for private, state or fed eral programs for which you might be eligible. The staff at Providence Family Medicine-Vernonia is committed to serve the health needs of the community. There are now ex tended hours - to 7:00 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays; the doors of the clinic remain open during the lunch hour; and a new provider will be seeing patients starting in mid-October, which will result in a third extended-hour day each week. Two new staff members have joined the Vernonia team, and a new clinic man ager will be added in mid-October, as well. All of these changes point toward a new focus and determina tion to welcome and encourage patients in the Vernonia area to acquire and access their health needs locally. The clinic plans an “Open House” in the near future to introduce all the new faces in the clinic and to provide information about their services, with special emphasis on the Financial Assistance Program. Personnel will perform free blood pressure checks at the Open House, and some treats will be provided. Watch for more information about the Open House this fall. Patients should feel free to contact the clinic with questions, concerns, or to schedule an appointment with one of the providers. “I think the public will be pleased with our changes,” said Clinic Manager Michael Moore. “We would like to emphasize that we are not an ‘urgent care’ facility, but rather a Family Medi cine Clinic, with scheduled appointment hours. I state this due to the num ber of folks that become somewhat frustrated when they drop into the clinic requesting a ‘now’ or ‘same day’ appointment, and we are unable to accommodate their need because our provider’s schedule is full for that day. I should also clarify that I’m not speaking of emergencies here— we will always see and eval uate emergencies— I’m only speaking to health problems that can wait a day or two to be handled. The best practice is to always call and speak to one of our staff.” St. Helens Animal Control, Columbia Humane Society and the Feral Cat Coalition of Ore gon will hold a feral cat spay/neuter clinic in Columbia County on Sunday, October 27. R eservations are necessary and the location of the clinic (in St. Helens) will be disclosed when reservations are con firmed. Humane live traps will be available for loan as the clin ic draws nearer. Feral cats are cats that have been abandoned or lost, as well as the offspring of these cats. The clinic is open to peo ple who care for and feed feral cats in their yard, their barn, or who manage feral cat colonies. Only feral cats with caregivers to feed and care for them are treated. A cat averages two litters each year and can reproduce as young as five months. One unaltered female and all of her offspring can produce more than 250,000 kittens in seven years. During its seven year ex istence, FCCO has spayed or neutered more than 10,000 cats in Oregon. The sponsoring groups urge everyone who owns cats or feeds stray cats to have them spayed or neutered to prevent overpopulation. The Feral Cat Coalition is partially funded by private do nations. A minimal charge of $20 per cat is required at the clinics. Donations to “sponsor a spay” are tax deductible; checks to the Feral Cat Coali tion of Oregon may be sent to Jan Meador, P .O .B o x 511, Scappoose, OR 97056. For more information, or to volunteer, call Lorilyn Donovan at 503-543-7155. To make a reservation for the spay/neuter clinic, call Offi cer Laura Snyder at 503-397- 3333. < 1 " This “American Girl” quilt was one of several remark ably intricate quilts that were on display only (not for sale) at St. Mary’s annual quilt fair in September. Anyone who has not visited the quilt fair should plan on doing so next year. Mammogram schedule: The next Mammovan trip to Vernonia is October 23. Call the clinic at 503-429-9191 to make an appointment. Northwest Landscapes featured at Pacific gallery “N orthw est Landscapes, Town and Country” a display of acrylic and mixed media on pa per, by T.D. (Terry) Brown, will be featured in Pacific Universi ty ’s second Kathrin Cawein Gallery exhibit of the 2002- 2003 series. The show runs from October 1 through 29. “The works in this show rep resent places from my past, saturated with color,” said Brown, who owns T. D. Brown Fine Arts Gallery and Studio in Hillsboro. “These are prints painted on glass, transferred to paper, painted and, in some cases, col ored with pencil and oil sticks.” Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m ., Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., or by appointment. Admission is free. Special at S p i r a l z (¡AAcdiua QjnpuLte ¿ApAßAAß ß a A ¿r (DßÜ HOT, ICED & BLENDED DRINKS & TEA PASTRIES • MUFFINS • COOKIES • BAGELS SANDWICHES • SALADS • SOUPS • CHILI • CHILI DOGS 6' SUBS • DELITRAYS AVAILABLE BY SPECIAL ORDER T he B est C offee & S andwiches from P ortland to the C oast ! See Angie for $ 2 .0 0 D is c o u n t on haircuts during October, 2002. Watch fo r on Color & Perm 712 Bridge Street ▼ Vernonia 503 / 429-8484 ( OcioberSpeciai: Buy One Get One Free! Juice Tanning Lotion Tanning byAppt. or Walk-in Nails by Appointment Gift Shop Items are Ini! Mon 5a-1p *Tu-F 5a-4p • Sa 7a-4p • Su 8a-2p • Deli opens 1 la 854 BRIDGE ST., VERNONIA • 503-429-9011
